[kwlug-disc] Unlimitel/ATA pricing

[unsolicited]

L.D. Paniak wrote, On 03/12/2009 6:25 PM:
> Your new building can have
> five lines for $2.50/month +calls.

Just in case here ... you mean 5 incoming calls to the same DID at the 
same time. Not 5 people calling 5 different DIDs all to the same 
building - for $2.50 / month.

Something else to add to Paul's mush ... don't forget one SPA (let 
alone Asterisk) can register with multiple providers, including free 
ones. So not all incoming / outgoing calls have to cost you minutes 
with Unlimitel. Clicking on sip://paul@workingcentre.ca will garner a 
'telephone' call without cost. Their ATA talking to yours directly 
over the internet, bypassing providers. Or, their provider, such as 
FWD (http://www.freeworlddialup.com/learnmore/), talks directly to you.

- caveats apply, you must have a primary provider (even if it's FWD), 
and IIRC you can't have to register with the secondary providers (with 
SPA's).

Skype is different - although technically the same as above ('free'), 
they make it so you have to go through them (proprietary client), so 
they can get their piece of flesh. An Anti-FOSS perspective Linux 
people don't look too enthusiastically at. Mind you, they have 
accomplished some serious infrastructure in the process - such that 
Skype is a force to be reckoned with for the RBOCs (Regional Bell 
Operating Companies). Much like MS has to reckon with Linux. In many 
ways, Home Phone services aren't too different from Skype. I'd just 
rather have seen Home Phone infrastructure costs thrown an internet 
infrastructure improvements instead - benefiting the whole, rather 
than creating a mostly parallel infrastructure leeching on 'public' ip 
bandwidth.