[Asterisk-Users] VoIP service setup help

[lonnie at outstep.com]

Hello All,

How are you doing today? Good I hope.

I have started working on a new softphone which will have a Visual Basic
interface with communication stacks to some C/C++ stack to speed up the
sphone along with audio, video, and text messaging as well. hope to have
it done soon.

I have done a lot of reading recently and have found that the most popular
PBX servers seem to be the SER and Asterisk although the Asterisk seems to
be more advanced to me.

I hope that someone, who has a operating VoIP service, can help guide me
on some of the basic software needed as I am also working on trying to get
my VoIP service set up a small at the same time.

I would like to offer phone-phone, pc-pc, pc-phone, and phone-pc services
as well as 1-800 toll free, voicemail, and calling card services to name a
few. but will probably have to start off with pc-pc, and pc-phone in the
begining until I grow a little.

It is very hard to know what all is needed but at the moment I have just
signed up for an account from a provider to offer me PSTN Termination
services which is part of the *-phone services that I am trying to offer
but am not sure how some of this stuff comes together.

If I understand the basics of this process then I would get reseller
accounts with some "backbone" VoIP providers who can offer the various
services like PSTN termination to may countries, and possibly a service to
offer access lines as well.

Then my customers would connect through my Asterisk server where the
Trebas billing would keep track of their minutes used. From that point my
server would "route" the call through my reseller account on a particular
backbone VoIP provider where they would charge minutes against my account.
I would get the report of account usage from my provider for the total
minutes used to each country and then, in-turn, charge my costomers for
the minutes used from the totals for each country.

Does all of the sound about right?

Additionally, I have been looking at the Asterisk PBX and Trebas billing
system to keep track of my users, and not sure about the gateways and
route providers yet.

Do you have any suggestions that I might consider and that might help?

Still not sure how to tie all of these items together and I still need to
come up with a good looking website interface so that customers can
register and purchase dialing plans.

Thanks and I really want to get the basic system set up as soon as
possible and if some one if willing to offer some assistance then I would
greatly appreciate it.

Sincerely.
Lonnie Cumberland