Take a look at their Metro Ethernet solution. I would consider giving all your Internet access business to Time Warner. If SIP works for you, then I would also consider dropping the T1's unless you have a really high user count. The higher the Mhz rating, the higher quality potential you have. Try putting the phone system in its own VLAN to help manage traffic and ensure higher voice quality. If you are looking to do VoIP to the desktop (this can be extremely helpful if users move offices a lot), make sure you have QoS on your network (and permimeter router). Long distance charges don't apply to calls over a SIP service since it is true VoIP. The cost to purchase Direct Inward Dial numbers (DID's) are typically more expensive with SIP, but that is made up through lower taxes and service fees. SIP is typically seperate from your Internet provider and so you can move around and get better pricing rather than sole sourcing. SIP service is also typically sold as a block of minutes rather than individual lines (50 people on the phone for 100 minutes a month or 1 person on the phone for 5000 minutes is the same price). Since SIP isn't subject to the same FCC rules as PRI's and POTS lines, taxes are less. PRI's and T1's are expensive! Since you are looking at VoIP, have you considered dropping your PRI's and moving to SIP? We are now looking to drop our current provider and move to TimeWarner for all data and a company like Triadtelecom for SIP service. My company currently uses 2-PRI/T1's for voice and data through a FLEX service from Nuvox (aka former NewSouth). After that four years, we would have 'nothing to show for it' :(Īny response from anyone is greatly appreciated!! I've come from a 12+ year desktop/network background and had to learn/speak the telecom 'geekspeak' in a short period of time during my research.
After a little more than 4 years, a hosted VOIP provider would be the same as our initial cost on a hybrid or VOIP phone system. Purchasing an entire hybrid/VOIP PBX would also be cheaper than paying a VOIP 'hosted' provider several hundred dollars a month. Investing in either a hybrid or VOIP PBX is obviously more expensive initially but I feel confident that the voice quality would be superior. A hosted VOIP PBX solution would be cheaper initially to replace our Comdial PBX and link both locations but I am not convinced that it would provide the voice quality we are 'accoustomed' to from our 'tried and true' (although ancient) Comdial PBX. I'm really not sure what direction to go in for sure. We are also considering hosted/managed VOIP PBX service with either all VOIP handsets at each location and all lines/PBX functions via/ a local provider or a Asterik PBX w/ all VOIP handsets 'managed' via/ a provider - I think either of these scenarios since voice packets would traverse the 'internet', latency/loss/jitter, etc.would be an issue and there would be more of a tendency for echo/etc on voice calls. What does everyone think? Is this 'overkill'? Does anyone think there would be a better solution for our company? I am thinking that this 'new' network/phone setup would have 'excellent' voice quality, scalability and speed for a moderate monthly recurring cost (ISP) and a reasonable initial (phone unit/handset) cost. Our ISP would provide up to 120 DID's along with our initial 10 numbers/lines over the PRI to our hybrid Nortel PBX. A PRI connection would connect a (possibly soon to be purchased) hybrid Nortel BCM-50 at the main location with 31 digital phones and 4 VOIP phones at the new/smaller location.
The new/smaller location will retain one POTS line for 'personal/fax/alarm/911 use' and Road Runner for failover and/or in/out internet connectivity (We are thinking of maybe connecting the T-1 to the RR connection using a Linksys RV042 to provide flexibility/redundancy to our connection at the new/smaller location). We have 'tentatively' decided to go with XO Communications as our new ISP utilizing their MPLS WAN (IP Flex VPN) between the 2 w/ two T-1's bound at the main location and a single T-1 at the new/smaller location. All phone lines are connected to a 20+ year old Comdial phone system. The others currently occupy 10 channels on one of the 2 'unbound' T-1's. We have 10 phone lines/numbers (3 of which are POTS for fax/modem/alarm use). We recently added a 2nd officespace to our company a few miles away and need to integrate phones/network between both locations. Need some advice from the VOIP/network folks out there please :)