If you are looking to go into the VoIP industry with little upfront investment, a good option would be to host a VoIP switch.
Hosting a VoIP switch means that the software is not in the same place as where the service is being performed, you will provide your services from your office but the VoIP switch itself will be somewhere else.
This could also be useful is you want to try out the VoIP industry but are not sure of it – with a hosted VoIP switch you can become a VoIP reseller without being bound to it.
Hosting a VoIP switch is a lot cheaper than buying one and you usually need to pay a monthly fee for the service.
Another advantage is that the company you are hosting from will usually set up the software for you instead of you doing it yourself so you can start with your business right away and don't need to figure out how to set it all up yourself.
When it comes to hosting, you can often also choose between a cloud server and dedicated server. The difference is basically that with a dedicated server, you are hosting a physical server. The whole server is yours and this is the best solution for large companies with a lot of data and those who need more security. With a cloud server you use part of a dedicated server and only pay for that part that you are using, therefore the costs will be lower.
A main VoIP switch package will usually consist of a hosted softswitch with billing, a web portal and hosted dialers.
Depending on the service you wish to offer within the VoIP market, you will need other modules as well such as reseller's system, calling cards module if you want to sell pin or pin-less calling cards or callback module.
You may also need an agent modules, call-shop, hosted PBX modules if you want to provide PBX services to homes and businesses or a transcoding module.
Your hardware and software provider will be able to tell you exactly what you need in order to start your business and will be able to guide you through the set-up process.
As with all software it is important you make sure the company you get your softswitch and other software from is an established company and rents out only licensed VoIP switches. Beware of companies trying to sell you fraud software as these might be cheaper originally but don't work properly and will end up costing you a lot of money.
Sarah Kesselman
