VoIP Asterisk Resources

All the leading Asterisk resources for hardware, software, news and advice.

Asterisk is the leading software engine for creating a business IP PBX, VoIP gateway, or other communications system. Asterisk is free and open source, with many official and unofficial Asterisk resources available on the Internet.

VoIP Asterisk Resources Listing

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Go2Call

Go2Call offers a wide range of VoIP services including hosted IP telephony, pc to phone, VoIP billing and turnkey VoIP rates.

gr8Fone

gr8Fone has high-quality VoIP communication Solutions
ranging Residential segment to multinational businesses. Deploying a
robust state-of-the-art communications platform that supports a wide
variety of telecom services, gr8Fone is way ahead of its competitors.

Hello Mundo

HelloMundo's service is ideal for individuals looking for a more cost
effective way to stay in touch with family, friends or companies
looking for a better, more cost effective way to integrate employees
scattered across the globe. Until now VoIP technology has been out of
reach for individuals both in terms of cost and the infrastructure
required. Using their existing broadband IP network, individual
subscribers can now benefit from these great new value added services,
while corporations can deploy multi site PBX functionality quickly and
easily.

HowzitOnline

HowzitOnline is a provider of voice and enhanced Internet communication
services for the consumer and business markets around the world.
Our suite of services provides low-cost, high quality phone
calls using our innovative Voice over IP calling devices. Our
goal is to provide access to an economical medium enabling everyone
to be able to call each other anywhere in the world.

ibell

We offer international voice and data termination services such a Direct Inward Dial, Toll Free, A-Z voice termination, VoIP, Local Loops, and IP Connectivity. Our turnkey product offerings include Hosted VoIP Private Branch Exchanges, Debit Card Platforms, Wholesale Switch Partitioning, Soft Switch services, and Telecom Billing.iBell gives you everything you need to run high-traffic, bandwidth-heavy operations efficiently. We have built a fault tolerant fiber network utilizing the world's top Tier 1 and Tier 2 providers. With various business arrangements and peering relationships with global players in the industry you can rest assured that your network is in good hands.

iCall

PC to Phone VoIP service provider - free calls to regular phones in the US and Canada

ICON Telecom

Icon is a  telecommunications
company serving the state of Oklahoma.   With a host of
telecommunications products available: Business and residential Dial
Tone local services, dedicated or fractionalized T1 Internet bandwidth, VoIP
solutions, DSL (certain areas), VoiceMail, Hosted PBX, and many other
feature rich services.
With its own facilities Icon Telecom Inc.
is able to provide the latest in telecommunications products and
service.  Being collocated with Southwestern Bell (SBC) we are able to
provide services anywhere that SBC serves; the 405 and 580 area codes
and soon the 918 area code.

Infinicom

Infinicom Unlimited Pinoy Calls  is an example of a VoIP Service that works through the use of an Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA).
You will need to get this special adapter for you to be able to take
advantage of the internet and cut down on the charges for your overseas
calls. The adapter will be used to connect your regular landline phone
to the internet so that you will be able to make and receive calls to
and from anywhere in the world.In the case of your contacts in the
Philippines, they will not need computers, microphones, speakers, sound
cards, internet connection nor any bag phones to call you only  their
regular landline phones or any mobile phone units.

InPhonex

InPhonex is a VoIP Service Provider offering free phone calls, Pay as you go calling and Unlimited Monthly Plans. Save money on all of your calls with the VoIP Service Provider that offers low price and high quality VoIP Service. InPhonex on-line control panel offers incredible features and high quality VoIP Phone Service to customers around the world. InPhonex is the VoIP Service Provider of choice.

InstaTalk

Basic VoIP services atart at $11.95 per month and unlimited calls in
North America and 21 other countries for only $ 36.95 per month. There
are no contracts, no hidden fees, no activation fees, no setup fee, no
network fee, no cancellation fee and no time restrictions or complex
terms and conditions.

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Asterisk is Linux-based software for creating an easily manageable and feature-rich business communication system. Asterisk includes all the drivers, protocol converters, scripts, codecs, and more needed to perform functions that range from routing and call handling to call recording and generating call detail records.

Asterisk VoIP software is open source and free, with many configuration options, features, and modules. An Asterisk VoIP solution is preferred by businesses — small and large — who want a robust and customizable IP PBX system to handle their business telephony traffic.

Who Uses Asterisk VoIP?

Asterisk is a framework for building a communications network, which can include conference servers as well as the basic PBX system Asterisk was originally designed to support. Asterisk uses the most common protocol — session initiated protocol (SIP) — and is built on one of the most stable and advanced operating systems (Linux). This makes Asterisk a reliable and extendable VoIP solution for businesses of all types.

Some of the business and organizations using Asterisk include:

  • Small and medium businesses
  • Carriers (CLECs, ILECs, and wholesalers)
  • ITSPs, ISPs, and VoIP providers
  • Government agencies
  • Large corporations
  • Call centers
  • Call shops
How Can Asterisk Be Used?

Asterisk is powerful, flexible, and stable. Asterisk was named for the * character in Linux, which is a wildcard character. Like its namesake, Asterisk is capable of performing many different functions — singularly or combined. Some of the functionalities of Asterisk VoIP software are:

  • VoIP gateway
  • IP PBX
  • Skype gateway
  • Call center automatic call distributor (ACD)
  • Conference bridge
  • IVR server
  • Voicemail system
  • Fax server
  • Speech server
  • Call recorder
  • Unified messaging

Asterisk resources such as whitepapers, videos, and forums can be found at asterisk.org, where the software can also be downloaded. As an open source platform, additional resources for Asterisk VoIP software — such as tutorials for integration with OpenSIPS or software for reporting — can be found all over the Internet. Looking for Asterisk software, hardware, tips, tutorials, or forums? We can help — check our Asterisk resources directory.

Installing an Asterisk VoIP PBX System

Building an Asterisk VoIP PBX is relatively simple from an installation standpoint, as long as you are familiar with Linux and comfortable using the command line interface (CLI). Binary installations using Yum on CentOS or RedHat makes Asterisk easier to maintain, according to the software's developers. There are many Asterisk resources offering installation instructions, including the Asterisk website as well as numerous unofficial how-tos.

Once the Asterisk software is set up, additional software — a graphical user interface (GUI), or front-end — is needed to interface with the Asterisk VoIP system to manage and configure standard features such as music-on-hold and voicemail. There are a number of Asterisk GUIs available, such as Mini Asterisk or GEOTEK Phonebook. You can find Asterisk GUIs in our Asterisk resources directory below, and a complete list of Asterisk GUIs at VoIP-Info.org.

However, that might not be the most stress-free process for many. Thankfully, there are also many software packages out there called distros that roll up the open source Asterisk VoIP PBX software and the GUI with additional components and an easy-install executable. AsteriskNOW is the distro offered by Asterisk, which does the heavy lifting by installing Linux, Asterisk, and the GUI as an ISO image, simply and easily. Some of the more popular distros for Asterisk VoIP service include:

  • AsteriskNOW
  • Elastix
  • PBX in a Flash
  • Trixbox
  • FreePBX
  • Switchvox

You'll find Asterisk resources like distros for setup, configuring, and customizing the PBX software in our Asterisk resources directory.

Using an Asterisk Appliance

One of the easier ways to install the Asterisk VoIP system is to use an Asterisk appliance. Asterisk appliances are small standalone servers and complete PBX solutions for small and medium businesses (SMBs).

Asterisk appliances come fully loaded with custom compiled Linux configurations, FXO and FXS ports, and a front-end (or GUI) to manage and configure Asterisk's features. Some well-known Asterisk appliances are:

  • Asterisk Appliance
  • Rhino Ceros Appliance
  • WARP Appliance
  • PhoneBochs MiniVoIP Appliance

Some developers of Asterisk distros also produce Asterisk appliances, so you can find a simple, comprehensive solution to Linux and Asterisk installation issues, the need for a dedicated machine, and the need for a GUI to manage the Asterisk software all in one compact package. Digium's Switchvox and AsteriskNOW as well as Trixbox are just a few of the distros that also come preloaded on Asterisk appliances.

You'll find more Asterisk appliances, GUIs, and other software in our VoIP Asterisk resources directory.

Choosing an Asterisk Appliance

When considering an Asterisk appliance, it's best to weigh a few factors carefully before making a final choice. Even though Asterisk is open source, a Digium Asterisk appliance — Switchvox — offers certain advantages in that it's fully supported and will upgrade at pace with Asterisk. Relying on community maintenance for independent Asterisk appliances can be a more complicated and even risky process.

Things to consider when evaluating an independent Asterisk appliance:

  • Upgrades
  • Extendability and portability
  • Installation
  • Compatibility with other programs/interfaces
  • Adequate support
  • Statistical aggregation ('phoning home' with usage data)

You can find these and more Asterisk appliances in our VoIP Asterisk resources directory, as well as links to tips, reference material, and hardware options.

Asterisk Resources: Getting Help

The official Asterisk site offers a forum, instructional videos, documentation and more. However, there are also plenty of other Asterisk resources available as well, including forums and installation help at AsteriskGuru and courses and certifications at Digium.

There are also sites featuring extensive documentation, such as the online O'Reilly guide to Asterisk, and sites with how-to vodcasts. Local Asterisk user groups are another online Asterisk resource, as are sites with news about Asterisk developments, updates, and releases. You can find links to these online Asterisk resources and more in our directory.

Asterisk Software

Because Asterisk is open source software, many companies and independent developers offer modules and add-ons for additional PBX features and functions — especially for industry-specific functions relating to call centers or VoIP providers. For instance, software for call center stats, call recording, autodialers, or conference management, as well as channel drivers, scripts, and other tools are all available through third-party agents.

Information about these and other Asterisk resources can be found in our directory.

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