[asterisk-users] Skype for Asterisk, Skype For SIP

[Vieri]

--- On Sun, 7/18/10, Alejandro Imass <ait at p2ee.org> wrote:

> > Hi,
> >
> > I'm trying to integrate Skype and Asterisk but I'm
> only interested in these 2 things:
> >
> > 1) allow any Asterisk SIP extension to call any Skype
> "user". I do not need to call landlines via Skype.
> >
> 
> I think this is _explicitly_ not supported in the Skype for
> SIP docs.
> 
> > 2) allow Internet Skype "users" to call my Asterisk
> PBX Skype "user" and route the call to a specific Asterisk
> SIP extension.
> >
> 
> Here is how it goes from my experience with Skype: each SIP
> channel
> will cost you about $5 a month, regardless if you have a
> landline
> number with them or not. Your account will be assigned a
> special Skype
> number 99xxxxxxxxxxxxx . With that number a Skype user can
> call you
> and it will be free. You _cannot_ call Skype users from
> your PBX, as I
> stated above, this is an explicit no-no in the docs. If you
> want to
> make calls from your PBX to landlines you have to buy Skype
> credit
> just like you would with a regular skype client. If you
> want
> land-lines to call your PBX you need to purchase a skype
> number which
> about $60 a year.
> 
> 
> > At first, I thought it would be simple and free.
> However, correct me if I'm wrong but the Skype "user" I can
> use within the Asterisk PBX cannot be the "standard type"
> (used by eg. desktop Skype applications) but needs to be
> created by the Skype User Manager for Business Solutions. I
> believe this has a price although Skype For SIP Open Beta
> seems to be free until Q4 2010.
> 
> I think you can associate existing skype users to your
> Business
> Solutions manager but I still don't understand exactly how
> or why this
> is useful, and I don't think it has to do with you being
> able to call
> any of them from your PBX. Then again I haven't paid much
> attention to
> that and perhaps you have more insight into this.
> >
> > Has anyone found a way to make "pure Internet
> user-to-user" Skype/SIP calls via Asterisk (no PSTN
> involved) for free?
> 
> As I said above, once you have purchased your SIP channel
> you can make
> free calls to your PBX using the special number but it's
> only INBOUND
> AFAIK.


Thanks Alejandro,

I still don't see why one should pay for a channel when using a PBX but not when using a client such as Skype. OK, I know that the Skype network is proprietary and I have to accept whatever they say.

However, if a "standard" user can call and receive for free then there should be a way to do it from a PBX such as Asterisk.

In fact, I came across this project:
http://www.mhspot.com/sts/siptosis.html

It seems to be a bit of a "hack" in that it integrates a SIP PBX with a standard Skype client (which doesn't necessarily have to be on the same machine or same OS...). In short, one can use a standard Skype account and not pay a cent for user-to-user calls.

Can chan_skype do that? (it doesn't seem to)

Has anyone tried SipToSis?

Thanks,

Vieri