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

[Kevin P. Fleming]

On 07/18/2010 11:56 AM, Vieri wrote:

> 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.

Usage of the standard Skype client is not "free"; it involves acting as
part of the peer-to-peer Skype network and helping to route calls and in
some cases even helping to route media streams for calls. The Skype
business solutions (including Skype For Asterisk) don't participate in
the peer-to-peer network in this fashion, so every single user of these
products does in fact increase the burden on Skype's own network
resources. Their solution to this issue is to charge a nominal fee for
access to the network. For Skype For Asterisk, calls are still free, and
there is no per-channel charge, only a per-user charge (when it begins).
This means that for a one-user cost per month, you can receive dozens of
simultaneous calls from the Skype network into your Asterisk system.

> 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.

Any solution that uses a regular Skype client will be limited to one
call at a time; the regular Skype client is not multi-user, and does not
support multiple calls (calls can be placed on hold, but there cannot be
more than one active call). If this suits your needs, you can certainly
try it. There are other Skype gateway solutions that use a similar
method, but they are not free.

-- 
Kevin P. Fleming
Digium, Inc. | Director of Software Technologies
445 Jan Davis Drive NW - Huntsville, AL 35806 - USA
skype: kpfleming | jabber: kfleming at digium.com
Check us out at www.digium.com & www.asterisk.org