Doubts regarding VoIP system
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Hello ML. My first post here. I'm based out of India.
Have a doubt regarding Voip system. Client has an single PRI line and a Siemens PABX system. Currently internal calls are charged by the telco. They would want to cut down this cost, hence exploring Voip for communications.
If an IP PBX like Asterisk/Freepbx is used along with IP Phones, would internal calls still be charged? I'm confused on this part since I would still be assigning the DID numbers from the PRI lines to the extensions.
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When 2 VoIP phones on the same system call each other directly, it is pure data, same as sending emails or transferring files. So if you are calling phones inside your network (whether it be in the same building or not) there should not be a charge for this.
The exception to this is when you convert the VoIP to call a phone number which means it leaves your network and goes to a telephone exchange, this is where you incur costs.
This is a basic approximation of what happens.
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@Himura1 said in Doubts regarding VoIP system:
Hello ML. My first post here. I'm based out of India.
Welcome to the MangoLassi community!
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@Himura1 said in Doubts regarding VoIP system:
If an IP PBX like Asterisk/Freepbx is used along with IP Phones, would internal calls still be charged? I'm confused on this part since I would still be assigning the DID numbers from the PRI lines to the extensions.
No, even on normal legacy systems internal calls are not charged. The old Siemens system there is probably not a true PBX, as normally internal calls can't be seen by the telco.
With FreePBX or any VoIP PBX, the internal calls are internal only, no way for any outside entity to even know that they are happening. They are definitely free.
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@Himura1 said in Doubts regarding VoIP system:
I'm confused on this part since I would still be assigning the DID numbers from the PRI lines to the extensions.
But you do not need to dial the DID to call them internally. And if you do, you'd make the PBX connect you directly, not call out over the PRI just to receive the call over the same PRI.
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Thanks @scottalanmiller and @Breffni-Potter for the clarification.
@scottalanmiller Could Indian telcos use any specific tool/technology to monitor internal calls? Or is it something impossible?
Current PABX is Siemens Hipath 3550. Is this a proper one?
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@Himura1 said in Doubts regarding VoIP system:
@scottalanmiller Could Indian telcos use any specific tool/technology to monitor internal calls? Or is it something impossible?
It's impossible. No different from them not being able to charge you for talking to people in the office in person. It's not part of the phone system, it doesn't leave the building, it's totally private and owned by you.
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@Himura1 said in Doubts regarding VoIP system:
Siemens Hipath 3550
You sure that that is a PBX and not a gateway?
https://www.cnet.com/products/siemens-hipath-3550-v8-voip-gateway/specs/
No PBX will have the issue that you describe, something is very wrong if your telco has any means of seeing your calls, even on a 50 year old PBX. Either they have access into your facilities that they should not have, or your calls are leaving the building without being handled by your PBX, or you have the device shown and you have no PBX.
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@scottalanmiller said in Doubts regarding VoIP system:
@Himura1 said in Doubts regarding VoIP system:
Siemens Hipath 3550
You sure that that is a PBX and not a gateway?
https://www.cnet.com/products/siemens-hipath-3550-v8-voip-gateway/specs/
No PBX will have the issue that you describe, something is very wrong if your telco has any means of seeing your calls, even on a 50 year old PBX. Either they have access into your facilities that they should not have, or your calls are leaving the building without being handled by your PBX, or you have the device shown and you have no PBX.
I haven't visited the client site yet scott, all this information is gathered through phone conversation with the prospect.
I will be visiting them tomorrow. I would need to identify if its an PBX in the first place! -
@Himura1 said in Doubts regarding VoIP system:
@scottalanmiller said in Doubts regarding VoIP system:
@Himura1 said in Doubts regarding VoIP system:
Siemens Hipath 3550
You sure that that is a PBX and not a gateway?
https://www.cnet.com/products/siemens-hipath-3550-v8-voip-gateway/specs/
No PBX will have the issue that you describe, something is very wrong if your telco has any means of seeing your calls, even on a 50 year old PBX. Either they have access into your facilities that they should not have, or your calls are leaving the building without being handled by your PBX, or you have the device shown and you have no PBX.
I haven't visited the client site yet scott, all this information is gathered through phone conversation with the prospect.
I will be visiting them tomorrow. I would need to identify if its an PBX in the first place!Ah ha. You can assume that it is not, then. A PBX would make what is happening impossible (unless it was completely screwed up and not set to work as a PBX) so pretty safe to assume that the actual switching is being handled by the telco.
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@scottalanmiller said in Doubts regarding VoIP system:
@Himura1 said in Doubts regarding VoIP system:
Siemens Hipath 3550
You sure that that is a PBX and not a gateway?
What would be the function of gateway? How is it different from a PBX?
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@Himura1 said in Doubts regarding VoIP system:
@scottalanmiller said in Doubts regarding VoIP system:
@Himura1 said in Doubts regarding VoIP system:
Siemens Hipath 3550
You sure that that is a PBX and not a gateway?
What would be the function of gateway? How is it different from a PBX?
Different in every way. A PBX is a switch and does not imply a connection to the outside world. A PBX is how you switch calls between extensions or trunks. You can put in a PBX and put extensions on desks and people can call each other. Same as having an Ethernet switch and computers on desks and people can send files to each other. Neither requires an outside line.
A gateway like this is for converting VoIP on one side to a telco line on the other - they should not exist in the modern world because things like POTS and PRI "should" have all been replaced decades ago. But many companies keep these old, expensive vestiges. A gateway takes internal calls and hands them directly to the phone company, just like your Internet gateway does.
So...
PBX: No way for the telco to see internal calls.
Gateway: No such thing as internal calls. -
@scottalanmiller Siemens HiPath 3550 is a telephone system, as they call it, and basically it is PBX.
The only way telco could charge for internal calls would be to rent PBX to customer and charge it as part of service. -
@triple9 said in Doubts regarding VoIP system:
@scottalanmiller Siemens HiPath 3550 is a telephone system, as they call it, and basically it is PBX.
The only way telco could charge for internal calls would be to rent PBX to customer and charge it as part of service.The issue that exist is that the service provider shouldn't be able to see extension to extension calling.
Only inbound or external calls should be visible.
@scottalanmiller it is a PBX, a really old one.
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@DustinB3403 said in Doubts regarding VoIP system:
@triple9 said in Doubts regarding VoIP system:
@scottalanmiller Siemens HiPath 3550 is a telephone system, as they call it, and basically it is PBX.
The only way telco could charge for internal calls would be to rent PBX to customer and charge it as part of service.The issue that exist is that the service provider shouldn't be able to see extension to extension calling.
Only inbound or external calls should be visible.
@scottalanmiller it is a PBX, a really old one.
The device that I linked was not a PBX. If you search on that name, several totally different items come up.
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If it's a hosted/rented system, the vendor will have access to see inside the system and can therefore charge based on internal calls.
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If the users are calling a DID instead of an extension, then of course the provider sees it and charges for it.
Sounds like the system is either misconfigured or the users were incorrectly instructed.
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@JaredBusch said in Doubts regarding VoIP system:
If the users are calling a DID instead of an extension, then of course the provider sees it and charges for it.
Sounds like the system is either misconfigured or the users were incorrectly instructed.
i was wondering this.
