Brief Review of CallCentric VoIP (SIP) Service
The Digium Asterisk server at work needed to be switched to a new SIP/IAX service provider this past week and on Doug’s advice, I investigated CallCentric. The reviews were essentially all positive, so I signed up for the Pay Per Call $0.0198 / minute calling plan. The nice thing about this particular plan is that there is no monthly minimum charge and you can use as many simultaneous lines as your internet connection will allow.
The setup went very smoothly and CallCentric is probably the only provider I have run across that has good Asterisk setup instructions right on their site. It took only 20 minutes to sign up for the account, set up Asterisk and test out connectivity. Call clarity is crystal clear and none of my co-workers notice any difference in quality vs. the Level3 PRI when they placed a Richmond-London-Netherlands conference call a few minutes after the SIP connectivity was configured.
I signed up for an outgoing-only package with no incoming number, so Caller ID was initially showing an outgoing number that traces back to Broadwing Communications, but that problem was easily resolved: I opened a trouble ticket, the tech wrote back with instructions to call a test number from the PRI for confirmation (that I owned the number requested on an override) and within 10 minutes, the trouble ticket was closed and my outgoing Caller ID was correct.
The biggest positive factors I can see in the CallCentric service:
- Tech support is very responsive. Both trouble tickets I have placed for configuration requests has been closed in 10 minutes or less with a satisfying resolution.
- Control panel is powerful. CallCentric has to have one of the best control panels I have seen for VoIP service and it updates in real time as you place calls.
- Setup instructions for a number of SIP devices are readily available.
- CallCentric pricing and call rates are easily understood and readily available. CallCentric does an excellent job of making all information easily accessible.
- Call quality is excellent thus far.
I will check back in a few weeks and update on the reliability of the service and long-term value, but thus far, CallCentric is a real winner.
Filed under: Asterisk / Trixbox / Telephony, Business, Technology
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