Investigating a potential solution for the company I work for. Very small company, just a handful of people and perfectly willing to share one traditional-style outside line (one person using it at a time).
Because the offices are moving, and our current provider can’t be arsed to provide us with the same features at the new location, I am looking into Asterisk. Got into it briefly about five years ago, worked like a charm. Looking to repeat my success here.
My question involves more hardware and any configuration difficulties. I would like to move the company’s phone number over to a cell provider, and have only minutes on that cell SIM. I want to then connect that SIM card via an adapter up to Asterisk such that the cell SIM becomes the PBX gateway. Asterisk will also be connected to the network, and it is through the network that calls can be routed to RJ-45 VoIP phones and across the Internet to the appropriate mobile apps on our personal cell phones.
I already have surplussed hardware that I can use for the Asterisk installation. What would I need (for a desktop-style computer) to have a cell SIM as the gateway? would it be an internal card to plug into a PCI/PCI-e slot, or would it be an external USB dongle? What would be the recommended models to search for?
Only one SIM will be attached to Asterisk. It will accept incoming calls (from customers, to the PBX) and be able to make outgoing calls (to customers, via on-phone apps or through the VoIP RJ-45 phones in-house). The machine currently being earmarked for Asterisk will be accessible from the Internet and will have its own subdomain attached to it.
Suggestions? Recommendations? Opinions? Looking for guidance so I can be shoved in the right direction; anything beyond that is just a bonus.