VBX

Most Frequently Asked Questions about our offerings

• What is the difference between VoIP and traditional telephony?

  Traditional telephony generally uses analogue voltage signaling across copper wire to carry sounds to a telephone. The copper wire is usually of a lower quality (Cat-3), and maximum distance is a few kilometres. Phones have to be within this range to be connected to the PBX. With VoIP phones, the analogue voltage sounds are converted to numbers and packed into “envelopes” called IP-packets. These IP packets are exactly the same kind of packet, which the Internet uses to carry web browsing and email across the whole world. The IP-packets contained the digitised voice are carried across the company LAN (Local Area Network) or across the Internet to the distant user where they are unpacked from the IP-packets and converted back to analogue sounds so the recipient can hear the voice. Since the Internet can carry these packets anywhere in the world, the distance limitation between phone and PBX is no longer just a few kilometres. It is entirely feasible for an IP-phone in New York to be connected to its PBX in Johannesburg.
  

• Can I connect my old analogue phone to a VoIP PBX?

  Yes. We can connect the phone using traditional copper cabling to an analogue-to-IP adapter (called an ATA – Analogue Telephone Adapter), where the signal is converted to IP. The ATA can either be a small box on the wall near to the phone, or it can be a rack-device in the old PABX room.
  

• Is a digital phone the same as an IP-phone?

  No. As traditional PABX systems evolved, they needed to do more things than just dial a number and talk. In order to accommodate these extra functions (like “hold” or “transfer”), the manufacturers used a proprietary digital signaling system to signal over the copper wires. These phones are called “digital phones”, but each phone is unique to the brand of the PABX. So a Panasonic digital phone will not work on an Alcatel PABX. Most IP phones conform to an international standard (usually called SIP). IP-phones from one manufacturer will usually work on the IP-PBX from a different vendor.
  

• What is a hybrid PBX?

  A hybrid PBX is a traditional PABX which mostly uses traditional analogue or digital phones, but which has been expanded (usually by plugging in an additional, costly card) to allow it to communicate using the SIP IP-protocol. This allows it to connect to IP phones or to connect to a remote IP system. In practice, the traditional vendors have struggled to adapt to the IP-world, and expertise to make the IP-adapters work well is in short supply. It is always a good practice to demand a working demonstration of the IP interconnection to a SIP VoIP provider such as MWeb, Internet Solutions, TelFree, etc.
  

• My PBX is VoIP-capable – what does this mean?

  It means that you have a traditional PABX which has the capacity for an IP-card to be installed, provided that you have the budget to pay for it, and provided the supplier has the expertise to make it work.
  

• What is Open Source?

  Open Source refers to a philosophy of people all over the world cooperating to create some computer software which everyone can use for free.
  

• What is Asterisk?

  Asterisk is an open source PBX program which can be loaded on a Linux PC to turn it into a basic IP-PBX system.
  

• What is Linux?

  Linux is an open source operating system. Windows (XP or Vista or Windows 7) is also an operating system that you have to buy from Microsoft. Apple OS-X is another operating system on Apple computers. Linux is a free, open source operating system. People consider it to be more complex to install and support than Windows.
  

• Can anyone install an Asterisk system?

  Theoretically, yes. Anyone with sufficient technical expertise can download Asterisk from the Internet and install it on a Linux PC. In practice, there are not many IT people with Linux and voice skills, and even fewer with sufficient in-depth knowledge to solve and support complex voice problems. This can lead to clients installing a VoIP system and then being very unhappy with quality, reliability and support. It is precisely the knowledge, expertise and support that a company like VBX is able to distinguish itself in the open source PBX world.
  

• Is VBX the only company that could support the product?

  No. For several years, as VoIP PBX systems evolved, there were perhaps only two or three companies in South Africa with the necessary skills to deliver a professional VoIP service. As the market size has increased, additional companies have begun to develop the necessary skills, but the number of truly professional companies is still less than five or ten. Should a client be unhappy with the service obtained from VBX, we will recommend alternative companies who we consider to be at the same level of professionalism.
  

• How reliable is the VBX system compared to traditional PBX systems?

  The reliability of a VBX system is largely determined by the reliability of the underlying network, and by the Telkom services such as ADSL and ISDN. Traditional PABX systems are also affected by the same factors. However, a VBX has the ability to link to the world via multiple technologies, so it is possible to design a system with 3G, wireless or satellite links to provide additional connectivity in regions where Telkom may struggle to offer service due to the remoteness of the client, or due to cable theft.
  

• Why does VBX charge for an open source system?

  VBX has invested large amounts of time and money in developing reliable, high-quality, professional systems. Although they are based on open source components such as Asterisk and Linux, there is also a large amount of VBX-acquired knowledge in how these components fit together to deliver a stable, professional product. Like any business, VBX has to charge enough to ensure ongoing profitability in order to continue to offer clients high levels of professional support, and to continue to offer new features which make the VBX platforms such an attractive product in the market.
  

• Is this another proprietary system lock in with high costs components?

  No. The cost of a VBX system is likely to be comparable to traditional PABX systems at the low end of the market, and considerably less expensive as the system sizes increase. At the same time, VBX systems offer many features for free which are expensive optional add-ons to traditional systems, such as call recording and voicemail to email.
  

• What is least cost routing (LCR)?

  Where there are multiple ways in which an outbound call can be routed, and different costs associated with each route, then the PBX must send calls via the appropriate channel in order to reduce costs. Prior to the VoIP revolution, the only way traditional PABX’s could achieve cost savings using LCR was to attach cellular routers (often called Premicells), and to configure the PABX so that calls to certain cellular networks (Vodacom, MTN, CellC) were routed out via the cellular routers to the GSM network. Disadvantages of these cellular routers are: • Slow time to establish the call. • Limited number of SIM-cards, with overflow to expensive Telkom routing. • Minimum charges per month per cellular router (typically R700 per month per channel) • Sometimes poor voice quality (like any cell phone) With the advent of VoIP providers, there are now other alternatives to Telkom. Again, the quality and cost of these providers is variable, but it is possible to choose providers which currently save as much as the cellular routers, but do not have the same disadvantages. These VoIP providers also offer substantial savings on national calls to Telkom numbers. As telecommunication deregulation progresses, VoIP routing is likely to overshadow the cellular router industry by undercutting the costs with superior service.
  

• Can I continue to use my Premicells?

  Yes. We can link a VBX to any cellular router using an adapter, and you can continue to use such a system until the contract expires, or as long as you continue to want the Premicells.
  

• What features are included with a VBX VOIP system?

  A VBX is extremely feature-rich, when compared with any traditional PABX system. The following are a small subset of the standard feature set on a VBX: • Automated Attendant (or IVR – Interactive Voice Response) • Call recording (on demand, by extension, or always) • Music-on-Hold • Call Queuing (Basic call centre functionality) • Audio conferencing • Voicemail to Email • Microsoft Outlook dialing • Soft-phone on a PC, laptop or most smart cellphones • Pin-codes for authorizing expensive calls
  

• Are TMS Systems and budget control available?

  Yes. We have developed our own interface to Man3000, which includes advanced telephone management systems, including budget control by extension or account code.
  

• Does the system support faxing?

  Yes, provided that you have ISDN Telkom lines, and only for phones connected via a LAN. We do not currently support faxing over IP from a remote location. Other solutions are available where the above conditions are not met, but these should be discussed with a VBX consultant.
  

• Can the system be supported remotely or do we need to have someone onsite?

  We resolve over 95% of our calls remotely, often within an hour or two. Very occasionally, where there is a physical problem (such as a faulty cable), or where the remote connectivity is interrupted due to a Telkom or ISP fault, we have to send out a technician.
  

• Can it be supported nationally?

  Yes, and internationally.
  

• What are the average response times to problems?

  Usually within two hours, unless the problem is beyond our control (e.g. Telkom line problem).