Telephony Connection Options — BYOC Cloud vs BYOC Premises
| Section |
Description |
| Feature Area |
Telephony Infrastructure |
| Navigation |
Admin → Telephony → Trunks |
| Alt Navigation |
Menu → Digital and Telephony → Telephony → Trunks |
| Primary Function |
Connect Genesys Cloud to a third-party telecommunications carrier using SIP trunks |
Genesys Cloud offers three telephony connection options. Understanding the differences between them — and between the two BYOC variants in particular — is a common exam topic.
Three Telephony Connection Options
| Option |
Description |
Who Controls the Carrier? |
| Genesys Cloud Voice |
Genesys-provided telephony service over AWS infrastructure — fully managed by Genesys |
Genesys provides the carrier service |
| BYOC Cloud |
Customer brings their own carrier; SIP trunks terminate in Genesys Cloud's AWS-based Media Tier over the public internet |
Customer — uses their own carrier contract |
| BYOC Premises |
Customer brings their own carrier; SIP trunks terminate at a premises-based Edge hardware device |
Customer — uses their own carrier contract + their own on-premises Edge hardware |
Study Notes
| Topic |
Explanation |
| BYOC |
Bring Your Own Carrier — allows organizations to keep their existing carrier contract while using Genesys Cloud for contact center functionality |
| SIP Trunk |
A virtual phone line over IP that connects Genesys Cloud to the PSTN (public telephone network) via a carrier |
| BYOC Cloud |
Cloud-to-cloud — SIP trunks connect a third-party carrier directly to Genesys Cloud's Media Tier (AWS) over the public internet |
| BYOC Premises |
Hybrid — SIP trunks connect a third-party carrier to a Genesys Cloud Edge appliance installed on the customer's premises |
| Genesys Cloud Edge |
A physical hardware device installed on the customer's premises — required for BYOC Premises |
| Media Tier |
Genesys Cloud's AWS-based media processing infrastructure — where BYOC Cloud SIP trunks terminate |
| Trunk Type |
BYOC Cloud uses BYOC Carrier or BYOC PBX trunk types; BYOC Premises uses External SIP trunk type |
BYOC Cloud vs BYOC Premises — Side-by-Side Comparison (Exam Critical)
| Attribute |
BYOC Cloud |
BYOC Premises |
| Where SIP trunks terminate |
Genesys Cloud Media Tier (AWS, cloud) |
Genesys Cloud Edge (on-premises hardware) |
| Connectivity |
Over the public internet |
On-premises network + internet for cloud connectivity |
| Hardware required |
None — fully cloud-based |
Yes — Genesys Cloud Edge appliance |
| Trunk types used |
BYOC Carrier · BYOC PBX |
External SIP |
| Third-party device |
Can be a cloud-based carrier OR a premises-based carrier device / SBC |
Can connect to a premises-based carrier device (SBC/SIP gateway) or cloud-based carrier device |
| E911 |
Customer must verify E911 support with carrier |
Customer must verify E911 support with carrier |
| Kari's Law |
Customer must check with carrier for compliance |
Customer must check with carrier for compliance |
| BYOC Premises hardware deprecation |
N/A |
Genesys Hardware Solution end of support: December 1, 2026 (announced March 2025) |
Trunk Types in Detail
| Trunk Type |
Used With |
Description |
| BYOC Carrier |
BYOC Cloud |
SIP trunk to a third-party carrier (telephone company) |
| BYOC PBX |
BYOC Cloud |
SIP trunk to a third-party PBX (private branch exchange) |
| External SIP |
BYOC Premises |
SIP trunk from a premises-based Edge device to a third-party system |
| SIP Phone Trunk |
All |
Internal trunk type for SIP phones |
| WebRTC Phone Trunk |
All |
Internal trunk type for WebRTC phones |
BYOC Cloud — How It Works
Third-party carrier (cloud or premises-based)
↓ (SIP trunk over public internet)
Genesys Cloud Media Tier (AWS)
↓
Genesys Cloud contact center features
↓
Agent desktop (WebRTC or managed/unmanaged phone)
Configuration: Admin → Telephony → Trunks → External Trunks → Add → BYOC Carrier or BYOC PBX
BYOC Premises — How It Works
Third-party carrier (cloud or on-premises SBC/gateway)
↓ (SIP trunk to Edge appliance)
Genesys Cloud Edge (on-premises hardware)
↓ (internet connection to Genesys Cloud)
Genesys Cloud contact center features
↓
Agent desktop (phone on same premises network or WebRTC)
Configuration: Admin → Telephony → Trunks → External Trunks → Add → External SIP
Genesys Cloud Edge (BYOC Premises Hardware)
The Edge is the on-premises appliance that bridges the customer's local SIP trunks to Genesys Cloud. It handles media processing and call control locally before relaying to the cloud.
| Hardware Solution |
Notes |
| Genesys Hardware Solution |
Deprecated — End of Support: December 1, 2026 |
| Customer-provided Edge (virtual or third-party hardware) |
Customers should plan migration to alternative Edge solutions before the EOS date |
If you are on Genesys-provided BYOC Premises hardware, plan your migration strategy before December 1, 2026.
Emergency Services with BYOC
Unlike Genesys Cloud Voice (which includes built-in E911 via AWS), BYOC customers must work with their carrier for emergency services compliance:
| Scenario |
E911 Approach |
| BYOC Cloud |
Check with your carrier — the carrier must support E911 for the numbers and locations in use |
| BYOC Premises |
Check with your carrier — same requirement; carrier must support E911 |
| BYOC + Kari's Law (US) |
Check with your carrier — Genesys Cloud Voice handles this natively; BYOC requires carrier verification |
| BYOC Premises + Site configuration |
Configure emergency number plan in Admin → Telephony → Sites → Number Plans — do not assign an emergency number plan to a BYOC trunk unless the carrier has confirmed support |
When to Use Each Option
| Scenario |
Recommended Option |
| Fastest, simplest deployment with no existing carrier contract |
Genesys Cloud Voice |
| Organization has an existing carrier contract they want to keep |
BYOC Cloud |
| Organization needs on-premises media processing or local survivability (within a site) |
BYOC Premises |
| Fully cloud-native strategy with own carrier |
BYOC Cloud |
| Hybrid deployment needing both cloud and on-premises |
BYOC Premises (possibly in combination with other options) |
Note: As of June 2025, Genesys deprecated Remote Survivability for BYOC Premises Edges, citing inability to reliably deliver IVR flows and AI features during internet outages.
Permissions
| Permission |
Purpose |
Telephony > Plugin > All |
Full access to telephony configuration |
Telephony > SipTrunk > View/Add/Edit/Delete |
Trunk-specific permissions |
Key Takeaways
| Topic |
Summary |
| Three options |
Genesys Cloud Voice · BYOC Cloud · BYOC Premises |
| BYOC Cloud |
Carrier SIP trunks → Genesys AWS Media Tier · No on-premises hardware · Trunk types: BYOC Carrier / BYOC PBX |
| BYOC Premises |
Carrier SIP trunks → on-premises Edge appliance → Genesys Cloud · Requires Edge hardware · Trunk type: External SIP |
| Key distinction |
Where SIP trunks terminate — cloud (BYOC Cloud) vs on-premises Edge (BYOC Premises) |
| E911 |
Both BYOC options require carrier verification — not built-in like Genesys Cloud Voice |
| Premises hardware deprecation |
Genesys Hardware Solution for BYOC Premises: EOS December 1, 2026 |
| Remote Survivability |
Deprecated as of June 2025 — no longer supported for BYOC Premises Edges |
