Asterisk offers flexibility unheard of in the world of proprietary communications. Asterisk empowers developers and integrators to create advanced communication solutions for free.
Asterisk can be configured as the core of an IP or hybrid PBX, managing routes, enabling features, switching calls, and connecting callers with the outside world over IP, analog (POTS), and digital (T1/E1) connections.
Asterisk runs on a wide variety of operating systems including Mac OS X, Linux, OpenBSD, FreeBSD and Sun Solaris
Asterisk can also be built out as the heart of a media gateway, bridging the legacy PSTN to the expanding world of IP telephony. Asterisk`s modular architecture allows it to convert between a wide range of communications protocols and media codecs.
Here are some key features of "Asterisk":
Call features · ADSI On-Screen Menu System · Alarm Receiver · Append Message · Authentication · Automated Attendant · Blacklists · Blind Transfer · Call Detail Records · Call Forward on Busy · Call Forward on No Answer · Call Forward Variable · Call Monitoring · Call Parking · Call Queuing · Call Recording · Call Retrieval · Call Routing (DID & ANI) · Call Snooping · Call Transfer · Call Waiting · Caller ID · Caller ID Blocking · Caller ID on Call Waiting · Calling Cards · Conference Bridging · Database Store / Retrieve · Database Integration · Dial by Name · Direct Inward System Access · Distinctive Ring · Distributed Universal Number Discovery (DUNDi) · Do Not Disturb · E911 · ENUM · Fax Transmit and Receive (3rd Party OSS Package) · Flexible Extension Logic · Interactive Directory Listing · Interactive Voice Response (IVR) · Local and Remote Call Agents · Macros · Music On Hold · Music On Transfer: · Flexible Mp3-based System · Random or Linear Play · Volume Control · Predictive Dialer · Privacy · Open Settlement Protocol (OSP) · Overhead Paging · Protocol Conversion · Remote Call Pickup · Remote Office Support · Roaming Extensions · Route by Caller ID · SMS Messaging · Spell / Say · Streaming Media Access · Supervised Transfer · Talk Detection · Text-to-Speech (via Festival) · Three-way Calling · Time and Date · Transcoding · Trunking · VoIP Gateways · Voicemail: · Visual Indicator for Message Waiting · Stutter Dialtone for Message Waiting · Voicemail to email · Voicemail Groups · Web Voicemail Interface · Zapateller
Scalability · TDMoE (Time Division Multiplex over Ethernet) · Allows direct connection of Asterisk PBX · Zero latency · Uses commodity Ethernet hardware · Voice-over IP · Allows for integration of physically separate installations · Uses commonly deployed data connections · Allows a unified dialplan across multiple offices
