Accessing IP-to-phone system

[oneness]

We have a client in the UK who has recently installed a new IP phone system.

They would like us to take over first line support for their software product but require a static IP address from us to ensure that calls can be reliably routed through to us using pc-to-phone/ip-to-phone (similar to Internet Telephony Service Providers such as Dialpad or Net2Phone).

I'm aware that Telkom does not provide for maintaining a static IP using ADSL (apparently the telecoms providers in the UK will do so at an extra charge!) but I was hoping that someone out there might have a suggestion as to how to get around this. Any suggestions or advice would be welcome.

We are naturally frustrated at how this is hampering our ability to create a business relationship with an overseas investor, thereby also impacting on the potential contribution (however small) that we could make to the SA economy.

 

[asmith]

Your problem is similar to those who are wanting to host a web server over ADSL and can certainly be solved by using one of the dynamic DNS services. Have a look at this thread

http://www.myadsl.co.za/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=649

Alternativley you can goto an ISP and get a leased line. So it certainly not impossible, just a matter of technical issues and/or cost.

It is of course illegal to do voice over IP in SA unless you have a PSTN license, but thats another story.

 

[Solar]

Dynamic DNS services would still have to update your IP to a central server, and then if the people trying to contact you have a DNS cache and the timeout is quite long, they'll be connecting to an incorrect IP address. Also.. what are you going to do about the 3GB cap... Voice over IP is quite bandwith consuming and might eat your cap easily.

The only solution with ADSL I can see, is to get someone with a fairly high speed connection, and more than one IP address, to host you a VPN. Then you can dial-in immediately when you reconnect to ADSL, and your IP with the VPN would stay exactly the same. I think MEGALAN does this for a price...

This should work fine.

 

[alex]

Telkom has done everything in its power here so that we would not be able to by pass they telephone o man i wish i didnt have to use they pethetic services