Enabling a PBX for Skype calls
Nobody can deny the popularity that Skype has gained in the last years. It has become the largest VoIP network in the world with more than 230 million registered users. Many companies are in need to integrate their PBXs with this large community. They would want to be able to call or receive calls from business partners or travelling employees using Skype. In many cases, it is the only alternative and it is also free.
Companies can use Skype as telephony service provider also. Skype is a service provider for worldwide call termination thru its Skypeout service and for routing pstn inbound calling to skype accounts thru Skypein service which can provide DIDs from many countries.
Skip2PBX with IP PBX
Skip2PBX with legacy PBX
- How it works:
In the figures above, the Skip2Pbx gateway is connected to the company’s PBX thru traditional TDM, pots or IP (sip trunk) interface. The latter option applies when the company’s PBX is SIP enabled.
The gateway converts the analog signal, T1/E1 or SIP signal and audio streams to Skype signal and proprietary codec and vice versa allowing two way communication between any Skype client and the PBX.
By design Skype clients only support one voice channel at a time but Skip2PBX can bond multiple Skype clients/channels making it possible receive/place multiple Skype calls simultaneously and the company needs to advertise only one Skype contact. When calling outbound, the PBXs destination number cannot be a Skype alphanumeric contact but Skip2Pbx gateway maintains a table that maps numbers to Skype contacts so Pbx users still can call Skype users just by dialing their code as defined in the gateway. Since the transmission of voice is over the internet, the calls made to/from any Skype client or another Skip2Pbx are peer to peer and free of cost.
- Implementation:
Skip2PBX is a software only solution that is installed on a dedicated server that has to have some kind of Internet access. The installation CD makes it easy to setup the application. If the PBX is not sip enabled then a Digium card with the kind and number of ports needed is added to the server to provide the interface to connect to the PBX. The kind of server, the Internet bandwidth and number or channels available in the PBX defines the capacity of solution.
Skip2PBX gateway should be connected on the LAN be behind a firewall to avoid being utilized as Skype relay node by other Skype users.
Please contact ABP Tech for more details on equipment needed, Skip2pbx demo license and for help configuring it.
