Channel driver links with Skype

Pika Technologies has announced the upcoming release of a new addition to the Pika Connect product line.

Pika Technologies has announced the upcoming release of a new addition to the Pika Connect product line.

The second generation Pika Connect for Asterisk is a channel driver for the popular open source Linux-based Asterisk PBX, enabling connectivity to Skype.

This release of Pika Connect for Asterisk, available in November, allows Asterisk-based applications to use Skype to receive incoming and/or make outgoing calls, provides access to the calling Skype ID profile information (caller ID), and has touch tone (DTMF) detection capabilities.

Skype clients running on Windows based PCs are connected to the channel driver via Pika's AllOnHost (host-based) voice processing technology.

Skype clients can be distributed across an unlimited number of Windows PCs to achieve the density requirements the voice application may require.

"Given the ever increasing use of Asterisk in business communication solutions and the rapid adoption of Skype as a business-to-business communication tool it seemed natural to do a mashup of these two very popular technologies", said David Clarke, Business Development Manager at Pika Technologies.

"Our second generation Pika Connect for Asterisk channel driver makes it a seamless exercise to Skype-enable your Asterisk based solution".

Pika has already implemented this technology in its own corporate PBX system, allowing customers to contact them directly via Skype.

Using Skype, customers are able to call Pika from anywhere in the world, free of charge, using any computer with Skype installed.

It is as simple as a click of a button on the Pika website.

The Skype call in turn is carried over the Skype network and terminated directly on Pika's Asterisk based auto attendant.

No extra phone lines or ports on the PBX are required.

Once answered, callers can navigate the auto attendant in the normal fashion using the Skype dial pad (touch tone digits).

All internal extensions as well as speed dials for sales and support are accepted.

Pika is currently enlisting Beta candidates for the second generation Pika Connect for Asterisk.

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