Re: [hylafax-users] Faxing over VOIP?

[A J Stiles <hylafax_resp@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Thursday 16 November 2006 06:04, you wrote:
> Ok, so here I'm reading the book "Asterisk: The Future of Telephony",
> and so far very exciting, but I'm wondering, and maybe this is getting
> ahead of myself, but what's the missing piece of the puzzle between
> asterix and voip provider?
>
> Is just an internet connection going to be all that's required? Sounds
> too good to be true...

All you need is someone to provide a SIP to POTS gateway  (or alternatively, 
an ISDN telephony card and an E1 line).  That allows you to receive calls 
from, and make outgoing calls over, the PSTN.  You can do SIP to SIP  
(actually SIP to IAX at one end, IAX to IAX over the net and IAX to SIP at 
the other end; but the servers take care of all that)  over the internet 
without a gateway, but all parties will need SIP telephones.

ISDN has a hefty up-front cost  (after all, it's basically a trunk line, and 
the equipment that plugs into it needs correspondingly more regulatory 
approval since it can do more damage);  but it does work out cheaper the more 
you use it  (what you pay for calls doesn't have to cover maintenance of some 
of the equipment that would ordinarily be inside the exchange.  It is now at 
your end; you are digitising the calls and time-domain multiplexing them onto 
that trunk line).  And don't forget, depending upon circumstances, you might 
be able to sell a gateway service yourself and recoup some of your costs.  Be 
warned, though; comms reselling is a full-on business in its own right, not 
just a sideline.

-- 
AJS

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