I shouldn’t really say “fix” as calltokens are good to have in a private network scenario and provide good security. However for those of you who need to remove them here is how:

Simply add the following 2 lines to your asterisk IAX.CONF file under the [general] section:

calltokenoptional=0.0.0.0/0.0.0.0

requirecalltoken=no

Then save and reload your settings.

If you are using TRIXBOX or ELASTIX then you can put these two lines in your TRUNK configuration.

The edge of 3CX is the fact that it’s easy to use and Windows based.

This means that as long as you’ve got Windows on your PC, you’ll recognize the 3CX software just like any other familiar Windows application. You can also run this on any Windows server.

There are three different packages available, namely the (1) Small business edition, (2) Pro edition, and (3) enterprise edition. Each of these versions come with a standard set, which include call forwarding, parking, pick-up, voicemail, caller ID, auto-attendant, ring and hunt groups.  It also supports majority of SIP phones, voice codes, SalesForce.com, and Outlook.

And because 3CX is Windows based, everything is easy to install, and the system will be running in no time.

As mentioned before, it already stands as a complete phone system. Since it’s all in the software, you save a lot on hardware costs as well. And since it’s web-based, managing the phone system is relatively easy!

The simplicity doesn’t offer too many features compared to other types of services, but it might be exactly what you need if you don’t intend to spend too much on your business’ communication system.

But don’t be fooled – the basic 3CX system alone already packs a bunch of features to give you your money’s worth, not to mention that you’ll be saving on costs in the long run.

Most leading VoIP service providers in Australia support 3CX, and one of these is FaktorTel. In their website, you can find a downloadable easy to follow tutorial on how to get started with the 3CX PBX software.

Bigpond is currently Australia’s biggest ISP (internet service provider) in the country, providing high quality broadband internet across the continent. The ISP’s scope is due to its being a subsidiary of Telstra, which owned almost all telephone exchanges. This allowed Bigpond to hold on to most of the share of providing broadband internet to Australia’s consumers.

Unfortunately, neither Telstra nor Bigpond had any plans of including VoIP. Bigpond doesn’t actively support VoIP, so you’ll notice that a lot of people are having problems using VoIP on certain hardware. There are even instances where these devices are designed to keep you from plugging into the modem VoIP phones so you can make calls through a separate device.

Fortunately there are ways around this. For one thing you can try searching the net for instructions on how to fix these devices into allowing you to make VoIP calls through your Bigpond ISP. It takes a little bit of searching, but you’ll get the hang of it.

The easier way, however, is for you to get yourself an independent VoIP service provider to do this for you. Most big VoIP companies based in Australia know that most people depend on Bigpond for their broadband access, so they know how to provide VoIP using that connection.

VoIP makes communication much easier for everyone. It’s fast and easy to use, plus it saves you on a lot of expenses from conventional telephone services. But you don’t have to switch ISPs and let go of your Bigpond connection just to have that. All you have to do is to give independent service providers a call and they will do everything for you and they will provide 24/7 customer support.

Switching to VoIP is one decision that will make your lifestyle change for the better in more ways than one, especially if you’re running a business. You get all the useful functions of a conventional telephone service plus more features that only a communication system through the internet can provide.

You also save on costs in terms of subscriptions as well as repairs and maintenance. Communication will be more convenient and accessible overall, especially since you can take and make VoIP calls in your mobile device as well as support multiple phone numbers.

But if you’re not getting free hardware from your VoIP service provider, then you’re definitely making the most out of your money.

Better service providers always make it a point to give out free VoIP hardware along with some of their packages. It means that if you get a particular package from these providers, they will reduce the hardware costs to $0. That way, you don’t have to deal with the lesser quality calls that software phones might give. You go straight to enjoying the good stuff without any added cost.

These packages might seem a bit more expensive than the other packages that don’t offer free hardware, but you’ll see the difference once you add up the total cost of getting that package plus buying the hardware.

It’s easy to tell which packages offer this incentive. Just go to the website of an independent VoIP service provider and look through their hardware section. Check out each product on the list, and you’ll notice that some, if not all, have an indication saying that the said modem or router would come free under certain plans or packages. Then, all you have to do is to pick that package and you’ll get the devices for free.

If you’re planning to invest on VoIP, you’ll be spending on the hardware anyway. So why not go for the package that saves you more?

But the tossup between prepaid and postpaid VoIP services does not end up in a conclusion where one is better than the other. Each one has its own pros and cons, and it all really depends on what the consumer intends to prioritize.

So your best approach is getting an informed choice. That is, knowing what each type of service is good for.

Prepaid VoIP services are generally simpler and cheaper. They’re often referred to as “pay as you go” VoIP services, for the simple reason that you only need to make simple payments in order to access the service. You might already be familiar with Skype, which is a well known prepaid VoIP service.

Prepaid services are better for those who don’t use VoIP as much, but need them on a regular basis. This could be ideal for most homes for getting in touch with the family when necessary. This is because people who fall under this category don’t really make enough calls to offset the monthly charges that postpaid services give.

But if you live a lifestyle that revolves around tons of VoIP calls in a day, such as when you’re handling a business, then you’re better off making the most out of the unlimited calls offered by postpaid service providers. You just have to pay monthly, and you’ll get unlimited VoIP calls, which gives you more than your money’s worth. Plus, if you run a business, you’ll have the entire service provider to back you up by handling the entire system for you. This gives more but costs less than the conventional telephone service in terms of use and maintenance.

So it really all boils down to what you need with VoIP services, and from there you can figure out which service can save you more.

Some companies only offer prepaid VoIP services, which can be inconvenient for more consumers. But if you’re looking for a more versatile service in Australia, then you should go to leading VoIP service providers in the country, like FaktorTel. They offer both prepaid and postpaid services, both having comprehensive packages at consumer-favorable rates.

This is actually one of the main reasons why businesses switch to VoIP – you can have multiple connections conveniently from one internet service provider.

The multiplicity of lines can go both ways, you can either assign multiple phone numbers (DID) to ring for one line, or you can have one phone number connect with multiple lines. Simultaneous calls will be segregated and handled through channels. You can even have as many channels as you want so that you can handle as many simultaneous calls as your business needs.

Most of the setups mentioned above usually work with a PBX connection, but if you don’t want an IP-PBX you can always opt for a hosted Virtual PBX service. That way, the service provider will take care of all the PBX work. They will simply forward calls to your office’s IP-Phones.

What’s more is that you can have as many of these IP-phones as you want. While how many extensions you can get depends on the service provider, most companies will allow you to get as many as you want.

By taking advantage of the multiplicity and versatility of VoIP, you save yourself an entire world worth of costs such as separate bills, maintenance and repair costs, and all other expenses you might have to incur with a conventional telephone service.

Not only that, you also provide a more convenient and accessible communication system to serve your clients. Communication will no longer have to deal with geographical or location-based obstacles, leading to more efficient customer service and better consumer satisfaction.

Clearly, this is the ideal setup for any growing business, especially call centers.

At the earlier part of this year, Labor announced its plan to run the National Broadband Network (NBN) project, which aims to serve the entire Australian nation high-quality broadband that runs up to 1GB per second. This AUD $43 billion project is set to benefit 100 percent of the Australian population with the help of wireless, satellite, and FTTH technology.

This project garnered a lot of support, especially from Tony Windsor, the regional MP. He later on declared his support for NBN, saying that it’s going to give Australia any opportunities to work with the infrastructure for this century.

He added that this was too good of an opportunity to miss, especially to the rural sector. Regional services are often barred by lots of constraints like geographical locations, but with the NBN, being a country resident no longer stands as a disadvantage when it comes to getting broadband service. It closes gaps between the outback and the rest of Australia and opens more opportunities for other services like utilities and healthcare to become more accessible.

After being held up during the elections, the NBN has resumed the rollout, setting the rural regions of Australia as the priority in terms of receiving satellite and wireless services.

It’s quite obvious that this rollout will only benefit all other aspects of the country. Expanding communication means expanding not only government services, but local and international business as well, not to mention better living for all residents, regardless of their location. Broadband internet has certainly become a basic need nowadays – it’s only rightful that everyone in the outback gets it.

With the rise of VoIP and other telecommunications service providers in Australia in the industry, switching communication services will be inevitable for most residents within the country. One of the most compelling recent events that will effect this change is the upcoming completion of the government’s project with the NBN. After watching over the telephony service for years, Telstra has been bought off, ceding all responsibility to the government’s new endeavor.

We all know the problem with having to change contact numbers. Everyone who has had a mobile phone or has depended on telephone communication has probably felt the hesitation of changing services simply because it’s too much of a hassle to change numbers. For one thing, you lose track of a significant number of contacts unless you find a way to inform EVERYONE of your change in contact details.

It also affects other things that have something to do with your phone number such as subscriptions to magazines, bank correspondence, utility billing, and so many other transactions and services that depend on the contact number that you’ve inputted when you first established them.

We don’t really change numbers just for the sake of doing them. It’s usually just a consequence to having to switch phone lines, etc. Sometimes it’s necessary.

Fortunately, that’s what number portability is for. With it, you don’t have to lose your old number anymore. Most VoIP services will give you a new number when you sign up for them, but you can have it arranged such that people can still contact you with your old number.

And that’s what companies like Telstra is offering right now. If you choose to switch to VoIP, most service providers in Australia will be able to preserve your old contact number for your convenience. Different service providers will have different arrangements for this, so you might need to contact your local VoIP service provider to know more.

In general, however, this is at least one less reason to hesitate from switching to carriers or service providers. More importantly, this is one more reason why you should finally switch to VoIP – the fastest growing communication service in Australia and the world.

When VoIP first came to light, the service used to be a mere add-on to a principle service provider, which would usually be an Internet Service Provider (ISP) or Cable Service Provider (CSP). This used to be a good thing, since people only used VoIP on a less than casual basis (i.e. random chats).

But now that everyone is switching to VoIP, the demand for better quality services continues to rise. It becomes a problem when ISPs and CSPs simply neglect the features of this “accessory” service and spending more time building their general services. Businesses that have made the switch depend on the service a lot.

Thus, getting an independent VoIP service provider means getting a specialized service. Independent providers focus their expertise on the service and don’t treat them as mere add-ons, which means they will always dedicate their resources to giving you a better VoIP service. Your calls will always be clear and, should there be problems, the company is readily equipped to help you out.

Costs are also cheaper because you can get the VoIP independent of any ISP or CSP. This not only saves you money, but it gives you more choices as well. This is because the independence of VoIP service providers works similarly to that of retailing. The rise of VoIP retailers promote competition in terms of price and package, which is good for consumers like you.

In fact, the competitiveness of the VoIP industry in Australia is going to attract lots of consumers, since the upcoming completion of the government’s NBN project, which bought off Telstra in its place as the main telephony service provider, will level the playing field for all independent service providers. Businesses will attempt to take advantage of the overhaul by attracting more consumers, and that means more deals and savings for individuals like you.

So don’t go for companies that treat VoIP as a second priority. If you want good service, go to those who think that VoIP should be a point of focus. And no other player in the industry does this better than those who provide VoIP independently.

QoS actually stands for Quality of Service. It’s meaning isn’t literal though (i.e. that it’s about the quality achieved). In fact, there are different interpretations to the term. Most VoIP clients will define it as the best service at the cheapest price. Service providers, on the other hand, will look at it as the minimum level of quality that consumers will be willing to get at the highest price.

This trait in VoIP is essential for most business that are switching to VoIP because it determines how well the service can stand up to problems like packet loss, network jitters, or latency that can affect how good the call quality really is.

This feature is usually more in demand on the local area network context rather than the ISP, but QoS is important in either case. It provides a regulatory measure in making the right priorities in allowing traffic to flow in the system. For instance, in a network, the system will congest the network and limit access to those playing video games over LAN in order to give way to more important data.

The priorities, however, will differ from provider to provider. For instance, you can go for an ISP that provides QoS that favors call quality over other types of media. Or you could go for a QoS system that prioritizes internet browsing over network gaming.

QoS allows a network to adjust to the specific needs of the business or organization that uses the service. Quality, after all, depends on the person or client receiving the service. It’s particularly important for VoIP in order to maintain the overall quality of the calls you make.

While QoS isn’t the only factor that affects VoIP quality, it remains one of the most crucial. But to ensure better quality in VoIP, you also need to look into matters such as bandwidth and hardware.

If you want Quality of Service in your network, the easiest way to get it is to get a router that has QoS as one of its advanced features. These devices are equipped with QoS software and will take care of the entire network from there. There are VoIP service providers that pre-configure  these settings as well.

So always look for the QoS feature when you’re shopping for routers or other VoIP hardware – this will make all the difference in getting your money’s worth.