The PhoneBoy Blog

VoSKY Replaces a Voice T1/E1 with Skype

22 Aug 2008

While I was on vacation, I got the news that VoSKY is releasing a 1U box that will interface with the T1/E1 port on a conventional PBX and replace it with Skype. From the press release:

VoSKY’s latest gateway can support up to 30 concurrent Skype calls using E1 ISDN PRI or up to 23 calls with T1 ISDN PRI, providing scalable performance for enterprise applications. Companies can take advantage of Skype’s newly launched Unlimited World plans for ultra low cost international and long distance calls to customers and business partners.  Multiple VoSKY Exchange gateways can also be set up in dispersed office locations to enable free calling between colleagues in different coasts, countries, or continents.

Think of it like an analog telephone adapter to replace your landline. This is basically the same thing, except instead of replacing 1 landline, you’re replacing a one T1 or E1′s worth of them.

This is certainly one way to get Skype into the enterprise without getting people to use headsets on their computers. However, it does nothing to address the mobile side of the equation. Maybe I’m tainted by my experience at Nokia, but I see a marked decrease in desk phones and an increase in mobile-only usage.