[asterisk-users] Hardware suggestions for 8-10 lines in the UK

[Stephen Bosch]

Chris Bagnall wrote:
>> However, my experience hasn't been that VoiP is as reliable as
>> copper lines and so unless you can tolerate the odd outage once per
>>  month or two then you might want to stick to copper for the main 
>> carrier?  Does this match with the experience from others?
> 
> Until recently, I'd have agreed entirely with this statement.
> However, recently one of our clients (in a shopping centre)
> encountered a scenario where a contractor had chopped through a load
> of PSTN lines whilst enlarging the car park. Their calls were routed
> via an ADSL connection which came in on an alternate location. For
> the better part of a week, they were the only shop in the building
> able to make & receive calls.

I'd say it's only a miracle that the ADSL connection wasn't entering
through the same cable bundle.

VoIP connections are no less vulnerable to contractor mistakes -- what
you describe is really a matter of redundancy; while it may be hard to
get redundant PSTN connections through different physical feeds, it's
not impossible, and the advantages you describe are not inherent to VoIP
-- they're inherent to redundant transports :)

> By having two independent net connections plus a "true" PSTN backup
> you've got 3 levels of redundancy. Short of spending a fortune on
> "guaranteed fix times" from the telco

...which are the stuff of myth, anyway. If the service goes down it goes
down -- and all the SLA in the world won't protect you. You can pound
your fist on the table and turn blue if you want -- the best you'll do
is get your money refunded.

You are better off investing your money in as much vendor-separate
redundancy as you can afford. Then, when the bulldozer goes through the
underground cable, cross your fingers.

I still wouldn't go without PSTN.

-Stephen-