[Asterisk-Users] Re: Sipura 3000 FXO

Mon Oct 4 08:13:38 MST 2004

On Mon, 4 Oct 2004 08:39:23 -0400, Walt Reed <asterisk at linuxguy.com> wrote:
> OK, I have a question. If you are really going into a situation where
> you are doing consulting for a company that doesn't even have a LAN,
> that you need to "gain trust" in order to install one, it seems like
> that company should be just allowed to die.

Well, doing business in Japan is a little different than in the
Western Hemisphere. Even if your company is a Japanese company, you
will still be perceived foreign if the key positions are held by
non-Japanese and if the products you are selling are non-Japanese. Of
course you can specialise in doing business with only foreign
companies but if you want to do business with Japanese companies run
by Japanese, you have to go through the "trust building" thing. And
also you have to start at the bottom of the market and work your way
up.

> How do they expect to
> compete when they are weary of 20-year-old technology?

They compete with other small companies who use the same technology.

> Trying to sell
> them an Asterisk open source VOIP phone system running on Linux really
> seems to be the wrong thing to do.

Nobody said anything about trying to sell them Asterisk.

The idea was to sell them a Sipura-3000 and three or four IP phones
sharing the analog line on the Sipura-3000, an analog line which comes
out of an ADSL modem (Vonage style).

The long term idea was to build up to roll in more technology a little
later when they have seen a LAN in action (connecting their IP phones
so they share that line) and as a result have become more comfortable.

> If they can't handle a local lan,
> have no local expoertise, and virtually no budget, a system like *
> which doesn't have the polish of something like a Norstar modular ICS
> (for example) seems like it would be a costly and inappropriate
> solution.

I disagree with that.

Once we get the Sipura-3000 working for incoming calls here in Japan
(at present it instantly hangs up on every incoming call) we will be
able to advise a nicely polished GUI based Asterisk small office/home
office solution for virtually any budget (ie just under 500 USD) which
can be handled by anybody without any expertise. And it does even have
a Japanese user interface.

Let me give you an example of a potential customer who I had to turn
away this month. He couldn't afford to pay more than 500 USD for the
whole shebang and I was too busy to work for brownie points only.

If and when the SPA-3K will work for incoming calls, I can give that
guy a call and tell him to get himself ...

- an old CRT iMac with sufficient RAM and MacOSX from a local second
hand store (ca 50 USD)
- two SPA-3000 for the two phone lines he has (ca 250 USD)
- a Grandstream Budgetone for the third phone he wants (65 USD)
- maybe a small CAT5 hub (5 USD second hand)

then I'd tell him to get online with his new iMac and download ...

- the Asterisk installation package for MacOSX
- the Asterisk Assistants for MacOSX

[NB: this is assuming that I will have finished the SPA Assistant by then, too]

then use this to set himself up which he will be able to do all by
himself (and in Japanese)

BUT, if he feels more comfortable to have us talk him through, then I
could charge him 80-100 USD for 30-45 minutes of phone assistance and
hand holding and he will be a happy chap, all within a very tight
budget of only 500 USD.

The most complicated task for him will be to configure the Grandstream
and if only because it hasn't got a Japanese user interface. If I have
the time I may write an Assistant for that, too.

> Rather than introducing incompatible technology like this, why not just
> route the existing pbx through * rather than trying to deploy side by
> side?

If I know the client is up for that, sure. Chance is though that they
don't want to pay NTT to "upgrade" their PBX with another interface
and amend the dialplan. This may cost as much as deploying an Asterisk
box and replace their PBX altogether. This is most often the case with
small companies who have this 2 line + 8 phones and no further PBX
from NTT.

You will say, "Great, so let's junk it and replace it with an Asterisk
box", but if they have another 5 or six years lease on that thing
which NTT will not relieve them of, then you will have a tough time
convincing them of a replacement job.

Besides, you were called in to advise on a solution to the problem of
how to distribute that "IP phone" line coming out of the DSL modem
amongst multiple desks without physically having to move the telephone
from desk to desk. That is what you have been asked about, so it's
really none of your business what the story is with their other phones
and lines. If you are not careful, it may be considered rude if you
are pushing for getting a job you weren't asked to do. If so, you
won't get the business and you won't get any referrals from there
either.

> individual person does, etc. Giving a range like 1-8 for all variables
> does not allow anyone to design a cost effective solution that fits all
> needs and situations.

I didn't suggest it would. Nor did I even hint at anything of a
one-size-fits-all nature.

But who said you were asked to design a solution that fits ALL needs?
Very unlikely that you will come across any such request from a
Japanese company. Far more likely they will ask you to look at just
*one* probably rather insignificant aspect and if you want to get more
you have to earn it first.

rgds
benjk

-- 
Sunrise Telephone Systems, 9F Shibuya Daikyo Bldg., 1-13-5 Shibuya,
Tokyo, Japan.

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