We can't deny that today Skype is the largest Internet telephony service provider in the in the world. One year ago Skype already had more than 100 Million accounts. Today, they are surpassing 200 million. Skype seems mature and reliable now. It transmits encrypted media, has no problems with traversing Firewall/NAT, and has been offering DIDs and pstn termination around the world thru Skype-in and Skype-out services. Initially it was used mostly for talking for free with friends and family but nowadays the technology has proved a success and is being adopted by businesses as well, not only to save on long distance tolls but also to communicate with customers and partners that use Skype as a primary point of contact.  A while ago at ABP we started including our skype account in our business cards and contact info given to our customers. Not a few customers contact us that way regularly and now is much easier for us because those Skype channels are integrated with our IP-PBX.

ABP is partnering with Skip2PBX, an Italian based software manufacturer, and is now offering   a Linux based Skype gateway. The new thing that Skip2Pbx brings is that with the special Linux kernel provided it can support up to 30 concurrent skype calls. The other really cool thing that grabbed my interest is that there is no need of external box or USB connection since it is integrated with Digium cards (yes the same used in Asterisk) to provide the interface to the traditional telephony world. That combination of Linux and Digium seems very appealing to the Asterisk community.

Making enhanced and complete use of  your Traditional Phone Exchange, you maintain all of your familiar PBX features while using Skype, and taking advantage of its money-saving and cost cutting advantages. Plus, the unique design of Skip2PBX not only gives you access to call logs and automatic backup records, but provides a network-secure way to approach VoIP communication while calling with Skype and not giving up your familiar desk phones.
There is no need for the user to understand or operate Linux and the system installs very quickly. It is a very swift and powerful gateway simply enough (connecting and interacting with virtually any PBX by the use of BRI or PRI cards) SIP to Skype support is scheduled for shortly after the summer September 2007.

Skip2PBX has one very special and unique feature. They call it Automatic Free Line Detection and it allows you to receive calls on all of the available phones in your system from outside callers who are trying to reach you at your main number. Including access from Push Button dialing directly from your company's website, or when there are simply multiple calls to your main Skype account number, the calls can spill over and hunt through your system as Skip2PBX seeks your next available free line and rings the call to it, even when the incoming calls are all headed to the same number. This is a great advantage and very attractive feature especially compared to other alternatives which send a busy signal or text message back to the caller.

Complete and extensive Address Books,  Company Contacts, Calling rules and call controls  are easily established and governed through the convenient web interface.

All updates are readily available directly through this gateway. Automatic File back-ups and call recording in mp3 format are also available.
This is a product that truly enhances what SKYPE can do, places it in your business context and takes advantage of what SKYPE does!

Skip2PBX has compatibility with and supports all of the new Digium Cards.
The most recent version of Skip2PBX has an increased and restudied Audio Buffer, reduced echoes and latency, and a much improved sound quality. The research and development team in Italy promises SIP to Skype support in September.

Henry