[Asterisk-biz] E1 / Virtual Sip

[Rob Keast]

We have a web based application with over 500 users who do > 2 hours of phone calls each day mostly to UK mobiles.  I have been asked to add the ability for these calls to be recorded and accessible from the web based system.

I am new to the world of VOIP and after much research reckon that a couple of Asterisk boxes and a few E1 lines is the way to go ahead.

We have a rack with some space in the London Marsh Wall Redbus colo building however I don't seem to be able to find any carriers who can present an E1 to me in this building.  I'm not adverse to taking out some rackspace in another location, could anybody recommend a UK location with lots of Telecom providers?

Having said that though, do I even need to get my own E1 lines?  There seem to be plenty of companies offering SIP and IAX termination on here for amazing rates.  What is the benefit to me of paying £200 per month or so for an E1 line if I could just pay a slightly higher cost per minute and use somebody elses?  Call quality is very important to us.

Whilst money is tight, I have no interest in reinventing the wheel.  I've had a good look on the wiki and google, but I will also need a billing system which will allow us to direct debit our customers (or at least provide info that I can tie into our current billing system).  Can anyone recommend a flexible billing system or a carrier / 3rd party who can do this for us?

The more I learn about VOIP, the more I realise I don't know.  We need help getting our VOIP strategy right, setting it up and ongoing support.  If any London / South East based consultants want to contact me, I will pay the going rate for any help.

Cheers
Rob