Asterisk PABX Frequently Asked Questions

One of the most frequently asked questions is: " How will Voice Over IP save me costs? "

In this section of our web site we to try address some of these questions.

Will I still be using Telkom if I'm using Voice over IP?

In a typical voice over IP implementation you will still be paying normal Telkom rates for making calls to Telkom's network. The reason for this is in order to make and receive call to any Telkom line you are still required to interface with Telkom's network at call termination. This situation should change in the future when interconnection costs come down and you are able to choose a different provider. At present you can choose a different provider but Telkom has set the interconnection cost so high that it makes it impractical (more expensive) to use any other provider.

So how will voice over IP then actually save me costs?

1. The SnowPABX is is much cheaper and infinitely more expandable than any other propriety PABX on the market today. The reason for this is it runs on standard PC hardware and everything in the box is non-propriety and contributed to by the open source community. There is no propriety lock-in.
2. If you make International calls you have the flexibility to choose your provider, and you can completely bypass Telkom's and use your data network to make these calls. You will require a voice over IP (trunk) provider to do this. Snowball has partnered with Connection Telecom in order to provide this service. For the cost for making international calls on this network - Click here
3. Setting up a trunk with SnowPABX is real easy! If you know anyone else that uses Asterisk then you can set up a trunk and calls between your PABX and their PABX is completely free of charge! This is a great solution for companies that have multiple branches, or companies that make calls to specific suppliers and / or partners a lot.

How much does it cost to maintain this PABX? Will I have to pay a monthly service fee?

Snowball would have loved to charge you a monthly service fee for maintaining your PABX but running a SnowPABX is so easy and also fun so there really isn't any reason why you would need our help. It's not like the bad old days when every time you wanted to change something on your PABX you had to phone the telephone company. Now all you do is fire up your web browser and do the configuration changes yourself.

But I am not computer literate. I don't feel comfortable with doing configuration changes, setting up IVR (interactive voice response) etc.

When we do the installation we will show you how the system works. You don't have to be computer literate at all in order to make use of the system. All you need to know is how to use a web browser. Even setting up IVR is a breeze and you'll master doing IVRs in no time. Part of our installation service does include assistance with the IVR.

How much does PABX cabling cost?

PABX cabling is just like traditional UTP CAT 5 (computer networking) cable. So get your cable guy to give you a quote on laying a network cable and that's the whole cost?