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Jul 26 2010, 2:21 AM EDT (current) Anonymous
Nov 21 2007, 8:39 AM EST Anonymous

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Fixed-to-mobile calls (i.e. a call placed from a landline phone to a mobile phone) are typically more expensive. The call needs to pass through different telephony networks, and can thus cost more than an in-network mobile-to-mobile call. When a call is placed from a fixed line to a mobile phone, it needs to pass through a PSTN to a mobile interconnect facility called the Mobile Telephone Switching Office (MTSO). This routing costs your phone company money, and they pass those costs along to you in the form of increased call rates. As more and more people choose to use their mobile number as their main point of contact, calling expenses can rise quickly.

According to gateway manufacturer QuesCom, calls from landlines to GSM phones represent between 30 and 60 per cent of your total telephone bill. This call volume has generated the need for a GSM gateway. A GSM gateway eliminates costly routing from a fixed line to a mobile phone. When you dial a number with a GSM prefix, the GSM gateway automatically routes your call directly to the cellular network instead of through your fixed-line provider.

Some gateways have multiple SIM cards and can automatically choose the SIM card with the best rate. Charges are lower when the SIM card is part of the same network as the destination number. Think of it as a type of least cost routing (LCR).

According to GSM gateways and VoIP GSM gateways manufacturer Hypermedia Systems Ltd, cost reductions and call cost savings can start straight away, without changing any organizational dialing habits and without impacting on any arrangements with call service providers/vendors or fixed line carrier. Moreover, companies can better utilize special low mobile phone packages (VPN rates) available in the market.

VoIP GSM gateways take the concept a step farther by allowing you to call directly from an IP to a GSM network. Again, with its installed SIM cards, the gateway can place relatively cheaper GSM-GSM calls instead of IP-GSM calls. These gateways can support H.323 and/or SIP to communicate with your IP PBX or IP phone.

The VoIP GSM gateway allows businesses to significantly reduce phone expenses. According to gateway manufacturer 2N, companies can lower their fixed-to-mobile call costs by at least 50% without incurring any negative impact on voice quality. 2N also predicts a return on investment (ROI) at six months or less after deploying the gateway, and offer an online savings calculator to help you estimate just how much you could save by deploying a VoIP GSM gateway (http://www.2n.cz/case_studies/savings_calculator.html).

VoIP GSM gateway manufacturers are quick to point out additional benefits of their products beyond cost savings. Most include integrated SMS capabilities, enabling office users to send SMS messages from their PCs. And gateways that include multiple SIM cards can easily reroute calls to another SIM when there’s a failure on a GSM network. This serves as a network backup for critical communications.

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