Telephone system

  • Thread starter Thread starter Izi
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Izi

Izi

Izi

Soldato
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Can anyone recommend me a phone provider which doesn't cost an arm and a leg?

We currently have two ISDN lines, giving 4 lines in total. 1 is used for fax and 3 for voice.

Paying £300/Q for lease + calls which are about £35/month.

We have a Panasonic TDA-30 system.
 
You need to look at VOIP. If you are a Windows based company then look at 3CX (www.3cx.com) or if you prefer Linux, look at Asterisk.

Get rid of the ISDN lines and order another one or two ADSL lines. Send all of your VOIP traffic over those lines. You can use your fax machine on one of your new ADSL lines. You could use an eFax type service but I haven't yet found one that works as well as a normal fax machine. They are great for sending, but not so good on receiving.

You will need someone to provide you with the VOIP services, so look at Gradwell, Andrews & Arnold ISP or AQL.

The initial setup cost for VOIP could be a problem, but you will save money in the long run. You have to plan for the future. I hope that gives you somewhere to start.
 
Sorry, I forgot to say. Make sure your VOIP provider can automatically reroute calls to a GSM endpoint if your DSL is down. The chances of both DSL and GSM in your area being down at the same time is slim. As you only have three voice lines I don't expect your volume of calls to be that high.
 
SnAzBaZ said:
You need to look at VOIP. If you are a Windows based company then look at 3CX (www.3cx.com) or if you prefer Linux, look at Asterisk.

Get rid of the ISDN lines and order another one or two ADSL lines. Send all of your VOIP traffic over those lines. You can use your fax machine on one of your new ADSL lines. You could use an eFax type service but I haven't yet found one that works as well as a normal fax machine. They are great for sending, but not so good on receiving.

You will need someone to provide you with the VOIP services, so look at Gradwell, Andrews & Arnold ISP or AQL.

The initial setup cost for VOIP could be a problem, but you will save money in the long run. You have to plan for the future. I hope that gives you somewhere to start.
Click to expand...

I've been trying to get Astrisk to work with MS Lync. Do you know if 3CX works with OCS or Lync?
 
OP: I think you were maybe asking for a cheap provider as opposed to a cheap PBX. Last time I was looking at this, BT came in cheapest (for business) because they didn't compete based on x pence per minute but one monthly cost for unlimited calls.

...and an open PBX will not necessarily be any cheaper. A decent ish box to run Asterisk, plus a B410P with echo cancellation will probably run into four digits. Then you have to figure out how the hell Asterisk works :p
 
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