General:

1: Why are you doing this?

2: How can you afford this?

3: How long will this be around for?

4: Can we help support the operation of the Gateway Financially?

5: So how can we help?

6: How can we contact the operators of the gateway?

Usage:

1: I can register on the web page but nothing else happens. What gives?

2: Why can't I call provider XXXX via the Gateway?

Technical:

1: What sort of hardware is this running on?

2: How is this connected to the PSTN?

3: How many calls are being made to the gateway?

4: Why do you directly connect instead of just passing all calls through SIP Broker?

General:

1: Why are you doing this?

We have a number of reasons for this. Firstly we wanted to load test a switch to see how it performed. As well as this we are building a profile of usage patterns that may well help to see if we can continue this in the future.

2: How can you afford this?

The financial arrangements behind the gateway are of a confidential nature and as such are not open for discussion.

3: How long will this be around for?

Hard to say, the Gateway has been running since 14th April 2005 and at the moment we have no plans to discontinue the service but his will be reviewed on a regular basis.

4: Can we help support the operation of the Gateway Financially?

While we greatly appreciate the offers of help from both users and commercial entities alike we are not looking for financial assistance at this time. As this service is provided on a best efforts basis would not want to receive money for a service that may well not be around for the longer term.

5: So how can we help?

We'd like a few things firstly feedback on the service, how it's performing what do you think of it. Also publicity for the service, basically if you active in a forum that is related to VoIP in Australia we'd appreciate it if you could mention the gateway there and perhaps link back to this site.

6: How can we contact the operators of the gateway?

Currently the best way is via or contact form which is here. Or if you'd prefer call The Gateway on 1300 558 592 and enter 9*1 to leave us a voice message.

Usage:

1: I can register on the web page but nothing else happens. What gives?

The web page has been setup to enable us to add additional features to The Gateway in the future some of these, such as short codes, will require some interaction with users and as such we have setup the ability to have users register with us. In case you were wondering, no we won't pass this on to others.

2: Why can't I call provider XXXX via the Gateway?

Not all VoIP providers have an "open" approach to VoIP calls and a lot will not allow calls from non-users into their network. If the network you are trying to access has a policy of this nature then in most cases there is little we can do.

If you're a VoIP provider and you'd like us to start receiving calls from The Gateway then please feel free to contact us here.

Technical:

1: What sort of hardware is this running on?

The gateway is currently running on a pair of ComPaq DL-360 servers located in a Sydney data centre. These servers are also supporting a range of other applications ranging from simply playing prompts to conducting hearing tests. We have tested these units out to 75 concurrent calls on each server with no degradation in the quality of service they provide.

2: How is this connected to the PSTN?

Currently the gateway is connected via SIP to a national carrier who provides call ingress and egress for the servers. They also provide the Internet bandwidth used by the service.

3: How many calls are being made to the gateway?

We are capturing CDR's and other data for all calls to the gateway and this data is used by us to monitor the service levels that the gateway is providing as well as to look at the breakdown of calls across the various VoIP providers we send calls to and to profile traffic levels to the service to better judge it's long term viability. All of this data we feel should be kept confidential and as such we will not discuss or publicize these figures.

4: Why do you directly connect instead of just passing all calls through SIP Broker?

Basicaly this reduce the number of boxes in a call. Fewer points of failure if you will. This in no way detracts from the quality of service that is provided by SIP Broker.