[Asterisk-Users] confused about iax and voip providers termination

[Andrew Kohlsmith]

On Friday 21 April 2006 16:29, T. Shaw wrote:
> After getting an account and following their steps, I can make calls out
> using my IAX (cubix) and Sip (Xlite) phones.
> However, I'm a bit confused on the purpose on how my box asterisk box is
> involved. I completely turned off my Asterisk box, and made a call out
> using either of my softphones and I was successful. So I gathered that the
> entire point of "iax termination" is solely for INBOUND calls TO ME (such
> if I have a DID). Otherwise I'm just using them as a proxy to forward my
> sip traffic to them directly from my desktop.

If you configure your phone to use your provider directly you do not need 
Asterisk at all.

Termination means that the provider is terminating calls you place through 
them.  In effect, you send calls to them so they can "originate" them on the 
PSTN.  Origination providers send calls to you that they are "terminating" 
for the PSTN.

That's not the best description, no, but essentially it comes down to this:  
you send calls to a termination provider, and an origination provider sends 
calls to you.

Asterisk is a PBX.  It can route calls, handle voicemail, do IVR, make your 
coffee and mow your lawn if you're willing to put the time and equipment to 
the job.  If all you want to do is send all of your calls out to ONE provider 
and not worry about anything else, you don't necessarily need Asterisk at 
all.

-A.