Using Asterisk in conjunction with Google Voice will help you dramatically reduce your landline phone bill

Google Voice. Skype. VoIP-to-PSTN providers. SIP-to-SIP calls. All of these technologies and products allow you to make calls that are either free or much cheaper than on your landline. Wouldn’t it be great if you could escape the clutches of your Telco and connect your home phone to these services? A phone server like Asterisk can help you realize this dream.

Short for Private Branch Exchange, PBX is a telephone exchange that is often used by businesses or offices. If you work a 9-to-5, chances are that your phone system is PBX-based. The short definition is that it’s essentially a network of phones connected to a main public switched telephone network (PSTN) that functions in a similar manner to a data network. In fact, in many instances today, the voice network is actually a VoIP-based network operating over data lines.

There’s a cheap and fairly simple way that you can ditch Ma or Pa Bell. The trick entails using an old PC to set up your own PBX in your home, and then connecting this PBX to Google Voice.

This article has really sparked my interest in using Asterisk with Google Voice. I have a Nexus One phone that integrates fantastically with it, although reception is questionable at times inside my apartment. This certainly could be the solution I need for a quality landline in my apartment without requiring a separate provider/phone number.