Skype for SIP (Official Beta)

[rossiv]

Skype has now launched SkypeForSIP. Just go to SkypeForSIP.com to sign up for the beta. Right now, it appears to be limited to businesses, but may not be. Check it out.

 

[cosmicwombat]

Make sure to read http://blogs.digium.com/2009/03/26/the-rumors-of-our-death/

The FreePBX team has been participating in the Skype for Asterisk (SFA) beta for a while now and looking is at ways to possibly integrate it with FreePBX. The Skype for SIP (SFS) beta is just starting out should be just as interesting.

I did do a quicky blog about SFA we will be demonstrating and discussing SFA at the next Open Telephony Training Seminar.

Just checking the beta enrollment and they are going as far as asking for a DnB, so ya... looks like business only.

Incidentally, none of these are going to be free. I suspect SFA is going to require use of the Skype Business Control Panel and each channel will have to be purchased from Digium like a G729 Codec is purchased now. Probably priced about the same too. I don't know about SFS.

 

[OTA]

I signed up my company for the beta. Received a confirm e-mail but nothing new since then.

I'm mainly interested in it for the ability to have a Skype ID# enter the PBX rather than accessing the PSTN via Skype. Skype-out and Skype-in rates are expensive (2x-3x more) compared to what I'm used to paying through my normal SIP providers.

Then there's the whole g.729 audio quality issue. Skype's purely g.729. This is 2009. VoIP shouldn't sound like a bad cell phone. Sure, it is bandwidth-efficient but for business communications I'd never consider using it. I'm still a little irked that wideband audio's not more prevalent today. Now if they'd support g.722, I'd be VERY interested and can see us using it for teleconferences.