Panama: SIP providers and connecting a number to the PBX

We do not issue numbers: the venue buys a Panamanian number from a carrier and brings it into its own PBX as a trunk. Everything that is the same in any country — trunk modes, the form fields, the network requirements and the connectivity test — is described in the overview «Connecting a provider's number to the PBX». This page covers only the Panamanian part: where to get a number, what to enter in the admin panel and what people trip over in this country.

The data was collected on 9–10 September 2026 from the providers' own documentation and materials of the regulator ASEP; the links are in the «Sources» section.

In brief#

• You can buy a number with a trunk for your own PBX in Panama. Voice is sold by ASEP concessionaires: service 101 «Telecomunicación Básica Local» and the related 102/103. The venue itself needs no licence — a licence is needed by whoever sells telecommunications; you buy a number from a licensed carrier and bring it into your own PBX.
• The main local peculiarity is that no Panamanian carrier publishes trunk parameters. Neither Cable & Wireless, nor Tigo, nor Vozelia, nor Metro Telecom publishes a host, a port or codecs: everywhere it is «contact us», and the credentials arrive in the activation letter. Plan for an extra round of correspondence before you promise yourself a launch date.
• The first choice is netelip. It is the only supplier on this market whose parameters are published and verifiable: the Latin American node sip-am.netelip.com, port 5060, UDP, Panamanian numbers are sold from the control panel, prices in USD. Both modes exist — «Línea SIP» works by registration only, «SIP Trunking» by IP only.
• For local numbering «like everyone else» there are Vozelia, Tigo Business or Metro Telecom, but before signing ask them three things: (1) does the carrier deliver a trunk to a third-party PBX in the cloud and not only over its own fibre; (2) is G.711 A-law/µ-law enabled — the PBX does not speak G.729; (3) which host or IP goes into the «SIP host» field.
• A fixed number is exactly 7 digits, and the PBX matches a line by the last seven: the match is exact in any format. A mobile number has 8 digits with a leading 6, which is dropped during matching; with several numbers on one account check the tails.
• The market is narrow. Only two mobile carriers are left (+Móvil from Cable & Wireless and Tigo): Claro merged into C&W and Digicel ceased operations on 20 April 2024. There is little competition for corporate voice and almost no public price lists — the trunk price is negotiated.

Numbers in the country#

The country code is +507. The numbering plan is closed: there are no trunk prefixes or area codes, inside the country you dial the number itself, and abroad — 00 plus the number in international format.

• Panama has several emergency numbers, not one: 911 — medical and the unified service, 103 — Bomberos, 104 — Policía Nacional, 105 — traffic police, 106 — Cruz Roja, 107 — the CSS ambulance. These calls do not go through a number bought from an international aggregator — keep a mobile phone on the shift.
• In what form the number arrives in an incoming call. Local carriers do not describe this publicly — ask at activation. International aggregators usually send the number in E.164 with the 507 country code.
• How this maps onto the PBX. Matching a line by the last seven digits is almost ideal for Panama: a fixed number is exactly seven digits. A mobile number loses its leading 6, so in theory the mobile 6AB CDEFG and the fixed ABCDEFG on one account collapse into a single line — with several DIDs check the tails.
• Dialling out: inside the country the number as it is (7 or 8 digits), international — 00 plus the number. Which format your carrier expects should be confirmed at connection: there is no single practice on this market.

Who issues a number with a SIP trunk#

Below is the card of the provider whose parameters are published, plus a review of the rest. Local carriers tell you the server address, the port and the mode after the contract is signed; what exactly to ask is in «What to ask the provider».

netelip — the only provider with published parameters#

A telephony operator with a localised Panamanian storefront netelip.com/pa: prices in USD, Panamanian numbers are sold from the control panel (2 channels per number). There are two products and they authenticate differently: «Línea SIP» — always by registration, up to 30 concurrent calls; «SIP Trunking» — by IP only, with the destination address for incoming calls and the source IP and port for outgoing ones set in the control panel.

What to enter in the admin panel for «Línea SIP» (Telephony → «Trunks and connections» → «Add provider» → the «SIP trunk (custom provider)» card):

What to enter in the admin panel for «SIP Trunking»:

What to set up at the provider: buy a Panamanian number in the control panel → take the login and password in «Línea SIP» → «Configurador de Dispositivos» → enable G.711 A-law/µ-law in the codecs → set the outgoing number in «Identificador de llamada» (by default the outgoing number is hidden) → for the «SIP Trunking» product enter the static IP of your PBX from the «Server» tab together with the source port.

Pitfalls ⚠️ The default codec in the control panel is G.729, which the PBX does not have: without G.711 explicitly enabled the signalling will look healthy while there is no audio in either direction. «SIP Trunking» checks not only the address but also the source port: a mismatch means rejection, so do not change the trunk port in that mode. The operator's official Asterisk manual suggests allow=alaw — exactly the codec our PBX speaks. The incoming number arrives in E.164. «Línea SIP» is capped at 30 concurrent calls and a number comes with 2 channels: count the channels for your call queue in advance.

Source: netelip, «Soluciones técnicas Línea SIP» · netelip, «Configure your Asterisk» · netelip, «Configuración del servicio — Línea SIP» — 09.09.2026.

Vozelia#

A Panamanian concessionaire of service 101 «Telefonía Básica Local» (CAC 016, CIR 114), with interconnection points in nine provinces and the Guna Yala comarca, on the market since 2006. It positions itself as a telephony operator for business, and its products fit better than those of the other local carriers: «Línea Telefónica IP» — 2 incoming channels per line and unlimited outgoing calls; «troncal SIP» — a direct replacement for an E1 with 100 numbers and 200 channels and no installation fee; a virtual PBX and international numbering are sold separately.

Compatibility with all SIP and IAX devices is claimed, and the codecs are listed as G.711, G.729, GSM and HD — G.711 is on the list, so a link with our PBX is possible in principle; ask at ordering which of A-law/µ-law is enabled on your trunk. There is no «what to enter» table here: the operator does not publish the host, the port or the authentication mode and sends them in the activation letter.

What to ask before the contract: the server address, the port and the transport → the authentication mode (registration or an IP whitelist) → whether G.711 A-law/µ-law is enabled and not only G.729 → the number format in incoming calls → and most importantly, whether termination to a customer's cloud PBX with a static IP is allowed, and not only to the carrier's own access circuit. The full list of questions is in «What to ask the provider».

Pitfalls ⚠️ An ordinary line is only 2 incoming channels: a venue with a call queue needs a trunk, not a line. In the operator's public DNS the voip.vozelia.com.pa subdomain points to the private address 10.2.1.18 — guessing the trunk host from subdomains is pointless: a cloud PBX cannot reach such an address, and the connectivity test will show a meaningless result. The tariffs on the site are published as images, so comparing prices has to be done by hand.

Source: Vozelia, «Líneas Telefónicas IP» · ASEP, «Servicios Básicos de Telecomunicaciones» — 09.09.2026.

Carriers that issue parameters under contract#

They do have a «SIP trunk» product in the catalogue, but there is no public host, port or codec list — everything is in the connection form. The question common to all of them: is the trunk delivered exclusively over their own last mile? For carriers of this class the default scenario is «our access circuit and our addressing», and a cloud PBX physically cannot reach such a trunk — no configuration fixes that.

• Tigo Business Panamá (the legal entity Grupo de Comunicaciones Digitales, CAC 077, CIR 175; the Cable Onda network). The corporate catalogue has «Troncal SIP en la nube»: «connect your PBX to the public network over a secure SIP connection», billing for the channels used and scaling on demand. The Panamanian «Telefonía Fija Corporativa» pages describe analogue lines, digital E1 DID troncales and IP troncales over the internet. ⚠️ In marketing «Troncal SIP en la nube» often means «our cloud PBX plus a trunk to it» rather than a trunk out to a third-party PBX — clarify this explicitly before signing.
• Metro Telecom — a corporate carrier with its own backbone, more than 15 years on the market. The Metro Voice family describes a SIP Trunk directly: «provides communication channels to your telephone exchange over digital E1 or IP SIP connections», alongside a Cloud PBX, a contact centre and international numbering. ⚠️ The service is described as delivered over the carrier's dedicated fibre: the «trunk over the internet to a cloud PBX» option has to be requested separately and confirmed in writing.
• Cable & Wireless Panamá (+Móvil Negocios / C&W Business) — the incumbent (CAC 011, CIR 111), the largest player on the market after the merger with Claro. Its public corporate catalogue has no separate «Troncal SIP»: voice is represented by the MyUC cloud PBX and Hosted Collaboration Solution, and in retail by «Internet + Voz ilimitada» bundles. ⚠️ MyUC is their exchange instead of ours, not a source of a number for it; nor is «Voz ilimitada» from a retail bundle a trunk. Ask a corporate manager for a trunk to a third-party PBX with the wording «troncal SIP hacia una PBX propia en la nube, con IP fija del cliente» and insist on an answer in writing.

Integrators and resellers#

International providers with Panamanian numbers#

Panamanian numbers are sold without a local legal entity as well. The trunk parameters of these providers are the same for every country, and the Telnyx, Twilio and Zadarma cards are already in the catalogue when adding a provider — the server address and the mode are filled in automatically; the Panamanian specifics are all in the paperwork for the number.

• DIDWW — for local Panamanian numbers no service registration is required at all, while a toll-free number needs the «Panama Special Registration Form». Porting Panamanian numbers in is supported.
• Telnyx — Panamanian DIDs from 1 USD a month, an address anywhere in the world (a company needs a certificate of registration, an individual a passport or an ID), business use only, activation in about 72 hours; porting is supported.
• Twilio — numbers are available, but the address must be in Panama and, for a local number, in the region of its prefix; PO boxes are not accepted. A company needs a Certificado de Registro Público, a document for the representative and a declaration letter confirming the data; for a +507 800 toll-free number any address inside Panama will do.
• Zadarma — a public price list: code 833 (Panama) — 10.5 USD a month, code 851 (David) — 12 USD, the 800 toll-free — 13.5 USD plus 9 USD for connection; every number comes with 2 lines and free incoming calls (except 800). To connect it you upload a letter with the address and the purpose of the number.
• Plivo (Zentrunk) — SIP trunking for Panama with a public price list; the parameters come from their control panel.
• Common to all international providers: only your own number is allowed outbound, and emergency calls to 911, 103 and 104 do not work through such a number. For a venue with a dining room that is an argument in favour of a local line.

Number porting#

• Portability works for both fixed and mobile numbers — since 29 November 2011; according to ASEP more than 5 million ports have been completed in total.
• The timing according to the regulator's explanations: a mobile number in less than a day, a fixed one in about four days. There is no separate rule stating these figures, so confirm the timing with the recipient carrier.
• The paperwork is usually the same as in the neighbouring countries: the last paid invoice, a completed «Formulario de Solicitud de Portabilidad Numérica» and a copy of an identity document; the port is initiated by the recipient carrier. Confirm the exact set with that carrier.
• The portability fee for 2025 is 0.02 USD a month per active line, fixed and mobile alike, and it is paid by the carriers, not by the subscriber.
• The number stays with the holder of the contract. Local carriers sign the contract with a Panamanian company or an individual: when the tenant of the premises changes, the number leaves with the contract holder — put this in the lease.
• ⚠️ After porting a number to an international provider, emergency calls from it will not go through. If the number was the venue's «phone on the sign» and is in directories, tell the staff about this in writing.
• ⚠️ Changing the public address of the PBX breaks a trunk that uses IP authentication. When the dedicated machine is recreated, give the provider the new address in advance, otherwise the trunk dies silently.

Rules and paperwork#

If it does not work#

1. The trunk host was «guessed» from the carrier's DNS — and there is no connectivity. At Vozelia the voip.vozelia.com.pa subdomain points to the private address 10.2.1.18: it is unreachable from the cloud by definition. Take the host from the activation letter, not from DNS.
2. The trunk is delivered over the carrier's last mile. If the carrier hands the trunk over its own access circuit with its own addressing, a cloud PBX cannot reach it — no configuration fixes that. Ask about termination to a cloud PBX with a static IP before signing the contract.
3. Registration is green but there is no audio in either direction. Almost always this is codecs: netelip has G.729 as the control-panel default, and it is often the main codec at local carriers too. Enable G.711 A-law/µ-law on the provider's side.
4. netelip: the «SIP Trunking» trunk does not register. Nor should it — that product accepts IP authentication only. Either clear the registration checkbox and give the provider the static IP of the PBX, or order the «Línea SIP» product, which on the contrary works by registration only.
5. Outgoing calls go out with a hidden number. At netelip the outgoing CLI is hidden by default: set the number in «Identificador de llamada» (for a trunk — in the call termination section). Someone else's number will not be let through anyway.
6. A call to the second number is handled by the scenario of the first one. A line is matched by the last seven digits, and a mobile number loses its leading 6 in the process: the mobile 6AB CDEFG and the fixed ABCDEFG on one account merge. Separate such numbers with routing rules.
7. The carrier requires the number in the P-Asserted-Identity header. This happens in Latin America; our PBX does not send that header, so the link will not work in this form — ask the carrier to accept the number the ordinary way, or write to support.

The other typical causes are in the general section of the overview; checking the address and the port — «Test connectivity».

Frequently asked questions#

Does a venue in Panama need its own licence to receive calls in the PBX?#

No. An ASEP licence is needed by whoever sells telecommunications: a concessionaire of service 101 or 102/103. The venue buys a number from such a carrier, and its own PBX is the company's internal telephony. Note one restriction from the regulator separately: the holder of a call centre permit (service 223) may not provide the basic services 101/102/103.

Can a foreign company buy a Panamanian number?#

Yes. At DIDWW local Panamanian numbers are sold with no service registration at all; at Telnyx an address in any country in the world plus a company registration certificate is enough (business use only, activation in about 72 hours). Twilio, however, requires an address in Panama itself and, for a local number, in the region of its prefix; local carriers sign the contract with a Panamanian company or individual.

Why do calls connect but there is no audio?#

Almost always a codec mismatch. netelip has G.729 as the default codec, and so do some local carriers; our PBX speaks G.711 A-law/µ-law and G.722. Enable G.711 in the provider's control panel or ask them to enable it on the trunk — with this fault the signalling looks perfectly healthy.

What should I ask a local carrier before signing the contract?#

Three things, without which the trunk will not work: does it deliver a trunk to a third-party PBX in the cloud and not only over its own fibre; is G.711 A-law/µ-law enabled; which host or IP goes into the «SIP host» field. Then the port, the transport, the authentication mode and the number format in incoming calls; the full list is in «What to ask the provider».

Is a number from an international provider enough as the venue's only number?#

As a working number, yes — it brings calls into the PBX without any local contract. But emergency calls to 911, 103 and 104 do not go through it, so keep a mobile phone on the shift and consider a geographic number from a local concessionaire for the «phone on the sign».

Sources#

All links checked on 09.09.2026.

Providers

• netelip — «Soluciones técnicas Línea SIP» (the sip-am.netelip.com and sip-eu.netelip.com nodes, port 5060): https://www.netelip.com/centro-de-ayuda/linea-sip/preguntas-frecuentes/soluciones-tecnicas-linea-sip/ · «Configuración del servicio — Línea SIP»: https://www.netelip.com/centro-de-ayuda/linea-sip/configuracion-del-servicio/ · «Configure your Asterisk» (PDF): https://static.netelip.com/downloads/manuales/asterisk_netelip_en.pdf · the Panamanian storefront: https://www.netelip.com/pa/
• Vozelia — «Líneas Telefónicas IP»: https://vozelia.com.pa/servicios/lineas-telefonicas-ip · «¿Qué es Vozelia?»: https://vozelia.com.pa/quienes-somos
• Tigo Business — «Troncal SIP en la nube»: https://business.tigo.com/ucaas/troncales · Tigo Panamá, «Telefonía Fija Corporativa»: https://www.tigo.com.pa/medianas/voz/telefonia-fija-corporativa
• C&W Business Panamá — «Soluciones»: https://business.cwpanama.com/soluciones · «MyUC de C&W Business»: https://business.cwpanama.com/soluciones/comunicaciones-unificadas-y-colaboracion/myuc
• Metro Telecom — «Metro Voice»: https://www.metrotelecom.com.pa/voice/
• Ovnicom — «Telefonía eficiente (SIP Trunk y E1)»: https://ovni.com/comunicaciones-unificadas/telefonia-eficiente-sip-trunk-e1/
• CLATSA — «Solución Troncal SIP»: https://clatsa.com/redes-y-telecomunicaciones/solucion-troncal-sip/
• InterFast Panamá — «Telefonía Corporativo»: https://interfastpanama.com/telefonia/corporativo/
• Web Hosting de Panamá — «Troncal SIP»: https://webhostingdepanama.com/troncal-sip/

The regulator, numbering and law

• ASEP — «Servicios Básicos de Telecomunicaciones» (concessionaires of service 101, the CAC and CIR codes, interconnection points): https://asep.gob.pa/servicios-basicos-de-telecomunicaciones/
• ASEP — «Clasificación de los Servicios de Telecomunicaciones» (resolution JD-025 of 12 December 1996): https://asep.gob.pa/direcciones/telecomunicaciones/servicios/
• ASEP — «Plan Nacional de Numeración» (PDF): https://www.asep.gob.pa/wp-content/uploads/transparencia/articulo_9/9_2-politicas_institucionales/marco_legal/telecomunicaciones/leyes_sectoriales/numeracion_telefonica.pdf
• ASEP — «Normativas de Portabilidad»: https://asep.gob.pa/direcciones/telecomunicaciones/normativas-de-portabilidad/ · «Panamá registra récord en portabilidad numérica»: https://asep.gob.pa/panama-registra-record-en-portabilidad-numerica/ · «Reducen pago mensual de Portabilidad Numérica»: https://asep.gob.pa/reducen-pago-mensual-de-portabilidad-numerica/
• ANTAI — «Ley 81 de Protección de Datos Personales entra en vigencia en Panamá»: https://antai.gob.pa/ley-81-de-proteccion-de-datos-personales-entra-en-vigencia-en-panama/
• Bomberos de Panamá — «¿Vas a llamar al 103?» (emergency numbers): https://www.bomberos.gob.pa/2025/08/05/vas-a-llamar-al-103-estas-son-las-recomendaciones-clave-para-una-atencion-rapida-y-efectiva/

International providers

• Telnyx — «Panama DID requirements»: https://support.telnyx.com/en/articles/3739529-panama-did-requirements · «Panama number porting»: https://support.telnyx.com/en/articles/3267250-panama-number-porting
• Twilio — «Panama regulatory guidelines»: https://www.twilio.com/en-us/guidelines/pa/regulatory
• DIDWW — «Regulatory requirements for phone numbers in Panama»: https://www.didww.com/coverage-and-prices/regulatory-requirements/registration-required/Panama · «Buy Panama +507 Virtual Phone Numbers»: https://www.didww.com/phone-numbers/all-phone-numbers/Panama/Local
• Zadarma — «Phone numbers in Panama»: https://zadarma.com/en/tariffs/numbers/panama/
• Plivo — «SIP Trunking Pricing in Panama»: https://www.plivo.com/sip-trunking/pricing/pa/

Related pages#

• Connecting a provider's number to the PBX — the common steps, trunk modes, network, connectivity test.
• Setting up SIP phones — how to connect desk phones, DECT handsets and gateways to extensions.