[Asterisk-Users] Choosing an ISP for Asterisk

[Tim Chandler]

I am the IT Manager for an international company who preserves its competitive edge by cutting costs.  We are moving to a new office in about two months, and naturally, Asterisk came to mind as a way to implement a VoIP setup at low cost.  My expertise is computers, not telephones, so all of this is new to me.

I need to know what the ideal setup for an Asterisk set up is.  My idea is to have our ISP run a voice/data T1 into our corporate office (about 60 users) and run this into a fast Dell server with Asterisk and a Digium card.  Theoretically, the ISP would connect us into the traditional phone system.  However, I don't know the specific requirements for the T1 line or how to split the data and voice.  What is the best type of T1 line to run?  What protocols does it need to support?  I have heard of dynamic T1s, how do you split the data and voice?  We are thinking of using someone like XO (who currently does both our voice and data).  What do I need for this installation?

I appreciate your help in this!