Elteto.net

eBay's threat to shut Skype down over licensing disputes is a prime example of why everyone from corporations to users must think about open source.

Considering the almost 500 million users of Skype and the percentage of all international voice communications it handles, the entire Skype network stopping to function is a scary thought. How many people out there regularly rely on the free voice and video solutions the service provides? How many have scores of contacts saved on the Skype network? How many people have contact information saved for people they only communicate with through Skype? What would happen if the contacs as well as the capability to communicate with them all disappeared? Do corporations have a backup plan or an alternate communications infrastructure?

The term SIP is often, and incorrectly, associated with Skype. The problem is, Skype runs its own, proprietary protocol, to which programmers can connect to, but cannot examine the source code itself. There are so many cross-compatible SIP solutions out there, it is virtually impossible to keep track of them all. Most of the time, you can use one provider's software on another's network, and there is a huge selection of SIP compatible hardware.

To get quickly started with SIP, download a SIP client, such as Ekiga. You can create your own, free Ekiga SIP account, or you can use the client software to connect to other SIP services, such as Voipbuster or Gizmo5. As SIP providers these days have agreements with each other, even if your friends and family have SIP accounts with another provider, you can more than likely connect to them as well, at no charge.

If you do not want to deal with having to turn your computer on, you can use various SIP clients on mobile telephones that have data plans, and you can also install a SIP-to-phone adapter at home or at the office. These adapters allow an user to attach any landline telephone to the SIP network, and even add extra features such as call waiting, teleconferencing, or quick-dial. One of the most popular adaptors is the Linksys PAP2. You can order one of these at a very reasonable cost from eBay. Make sure you get an UNLOCKED version, which will work with any SIP service.

You may ask what the catch is. First, you have to have Internet access, but that is expected, and you have to have that with Skype as well, anyway. Second, if you want to call land lines, it may cost you a minimal amount of money (Gizmo5 costs one cent per minute in the United States). Third, if you want someone to call you from a landline, you would have to purchase an incoming phone number (which usually can be almost any area code, and with some providers, country codes).

There is the danger of certain SIP services going out of business or getting acquired. As an example, Gizmo5 has been bought by Google, and until further announcements, there is no way to register for a Gizmo5 account. However, with the open nature of SIP and the portability and interchangeability of accounts and software, migrating from one solution to another is much easier than rebuilding the communications architecture of an entire company from scratch.