24/7 Asterisk Support

This is support for Asterisk itself: hand written dialplan, config files, AGI, AMI and ARI, and switches with no web interface anywhere near them. Our telephony engineers are UK based, in-house, and on shift around the clock. We run our own Asterisk estate in production, we host cloud switches for customers in our own UK data centres, and we support every one of them ourselves. If your switch is managed through FreePBX or PBXact, see {{FreePBX support|Support,Freepbx}} instead.

"Nobody here can read extensions.conf any more"
"chan_sip has gone and the config will not port"
"One way audio since the firewall was changed"
"Something dialled 4,000 minutes over the weekend"

Service levels run from a 4 hour response Monday to Friday through to 30 minutes, 24 hours a day, every day of the year including bank holidays. There is no support contract, no minimum term and no notice period: you buy hours at our published rates and you draw against them. Every tier reaches an engineer, because we do not employ anybody to read a script at you first.

UK engineers, no outsourced first line 30 minute SLA, 24/7/365 Our own Asterisk estate in production Cloud switches hosted in UK data centres Asterisk 1.4 to the current release No contracts, buy hours and use them

We Run This Platform Ourselves

GEN's own telephony runs on Asterisk, and it has done for twenty years. Every call into our offices, every engineer on shift and every out of hours escalation passes through switches we built, maintain, monitor and upgrade ourselves. Alongside that estate we host a large number of cloud switches for customers in our own UK data centres, dedicated and shared, and we support all of them: the Linux underneath, Asterisk itself, the dialplan, the trunks into it and the handsets on the end of it.

That is the difference at three in the morning. The engineer who picks the fault up is not reading a knowledge base article about a product nobody in the building has deployed. They are running the same versions, on the same kind of hardware, with the same trunk providers, and there is a fair chance they have already seen the fault on our own estate.

Our own production switches: GEN's telephony, queues, out of hours routing and engineer escalation all run on Asterisk, in-house, with no third party operating any of it.
Hosted cloud switches: dedicated and shared instances in our own UK data centres, on our own hardware and our own network, with hybrid on-premise and cloud designs where resilience demands it.
Supported by the people who run it: hosted, on your premises, on an appliance, or at another provider entirely, the same UK engineers take the case either way.
Watched around the clock: peer and registration state, call quality, disk, load and fraud patterns are monitored, so most of what we fix is raised by us rather than reported by you.

If a switch is down now, raise it on the HelpDesk or see emergency support.

Bare Asterisk, Not a Web Interface

A great deal of Asterisk in production has no GUI on it at all, and that is where most support offers stop. A switch built by an engineer who has since left, a dialplan written against a specification nobody kept, an appliance shipped inside somebody else's product: these are the systems we are usually called about, and they are supported here as first class work rather than as an exception.

Dialplan: extensions.conf read, documented and rewritten where it needs to be, including the older Macro and GoSub patterns, AEL, and call flows that grew a case at a time until nobody could follow them.
Channel drivers and migration: chan_sip to chan_pjsip, endpoint, AOR and identify configuration, DAHDI and analogue or ISDN cards where they are still in service, and the codec and transcoding decisions that go with them.
AGI, AMI and ARI: integrations with CRM, ERP and line of business systems, screen pops, outbound campaigns, click to dial, real time call control, and the scripts that quietly stopped working after an upgrade.
Builds and packaging: compiling Asterisk from source, module selection, patched builds, pinned versions for embedded and appliance use, and reproducing a build for hardware whose original supplier has gone.
Media and NAT: one way audio, RTP port ranges, SBC and firewall behaviour, direct media, jitter and packet loss traced with captures rather than guessed at.
Security and toll fraud: exposed SIP ports, weak endpoint secrets, fail2ban and rate limiting, dial pattern restrictions, and the post-incident work when a switch has already been used to dial premium rate destinations overnight.
The switch nobody owns: an undocumented box the business depends on and no current member of staff understands. We audit it, document it, and take it on from there.

Decades of Experience

With almost two decades of experience in the ever-evolving world of telecommunications, GEN has been at the forefront of Asterisk development and implementation since its early days. Our journey began with Asterisk 1.6, released in 2008, and we've grown alongside this remarkable platform through its numerous iterations. Asterisk, conceived by Mark Spencer in 1999, revolutionised the telephony landscape by offering a free, open-source solution that could rival proprietary systems costing tens of thousands of pounds.

Throughout its history, Asterisk has consistently proven itself as the most versatile and robust open-source telephony platform available. Its flexibility allows for seamless integration with both legacy systems and cutting-edge technologies, making it an ideal choice for businesses of all sizes. From small startups to large enterprises, Asterisk's scalability and customisability have made it the go-to solution for companies seeking to break free from the limitations and high costs of traditional PBX systems.

At GEN, we've harnessed the power of Asterisk to build bespoke solutions that cater to the unique needs of our clients. Our comprehensive support and management services are backed by years of hands-on experience, ensuring that your Asterisk-based system not only meets but exceeds your telecommunications requirements. Whether you are looking to implement advanced IVR systems, integrate with CRM platforms, or deploy complex call routing strategies, our expertise in Asterisk makes it all possible, and remarkably cost-effective.

Installation and Configuration

At GEN, we offer a comprehensive range of Asterisk-based soft switches, catering to diverse business needs. From compact appliances perfect for small offices to robust cloud-hosted solutions for expansive enterprises, our offerings are designed to meet the exacting standards of modern telecommunications. We take pride in supporting our clients throughout their entire journey, from initial deployment to ongoing maintenance and upgrades.

Our expertise spans the full spectrum of deployments, adeptly handling everything from modest setups supporting fewer than 100 endpoints to sophisticated, multi-site enterprise configurations seamlessly managing upwards of 10,000 endpoints across the globe. With our tailored solutions and unwavering support, we ensure that businesses of all sizes can harness the full potential of Asterisk technology, delivering crystal-clear communications and advanced features that drive productivity and enhance customer experiences.

Dialplan and AGI

At GEN, we pride ourselves on our extensive expertise in Asterisk dialplan configuration and AGI/AMI programming. Our team of seasoned professionals possesses an in-depth understanding of these critical components, enabling us to craft bespoke solutions that precisely meet our clients' unique requirements.

Whether you need a straightforward IVR system or a complex, multi-tiered call routing solution, our dialplan wizards can design and implement it with precision. We excel in creating efficient, scalable dialplans that optimise call flow and enhance user experience. Furthermore, our proficiency in AGI (Asterisk Gateway Interface) and AMI (Asterisk Manager Interface) programming allows us to develop sophisticated integrations and custom applications, seamlessly connecting your Asterisk system with external databases, web services, and other business-critical systems. From automated outbound dialling campaigns to real-time call analytics, we leverage the full power of Asterisk to deliver cutting-edge telephony solutions.

Configuration Frameworks

There are many configuration frameworks which provide a nice web interface to configure and monitor the asterisk switch. GEN Supports all of these in detail for our customers.

AsteriskNOW (Legacy)
FreePBX (Current)
PBXact (Current)
Elastix (Legacy)
PBX in a flash (legacy)
Fonality (Legacy)
SwitchVox (Commercial)

Asterisk Versions

Asterisk has been in development since the late 1990s and it is still very active. We support every release from 1.4 through to the current one, and end of life is not a reason for us to stop: a switch that still does its job is supported here long after the project has moved on.

Asterisk 1.4, 1.6, 1.8 End of Life, still supported by GEN
Asterisk 11, 13, 16, 18 End of Life, still supported by GEN
Asterisk 20 LTS
Asterisk 21 Standard Release, End of Life
Asterisk 22 Current LTS
Asterisk 23 Latest Standard Release

Open Source & Rock Solid

Asterisk's open-source nature is one of its greatest strengths. This transparency allows for continuous improvement, rigorous security auditing, and rapid innovation driven by a global community of developers and users. Unlike proprietary systems, where you're at the mercy of a single vendor's roadmap, Asterisk empowers businesses to adapt and extend their telephony systems to meet specific needs. This flexibility, combined with the absence of licensing fees, translates to significant cost savings and unparalleled customisation options for organisations of all sizes.

When it comes to reliability, Asterisk stands head and shoulders above the competition. Its rock-solid architecture, honed over two decades of development and real-world deployment, ensures exceptional stability. In fact, many of our clients report years of uninterrupted service without a single crash or failure. This robustness is further enhanced by Asterisk's efficient resource utilisation and ability to handle high call volumes with ease. Whether you're running a small business or a large call centre, Asterisk provides the dependable foundation necessary for mission-critical communications.

Visit the GENWiki for free source code and resources.

SIP Trunking

Configuring and troubleshooting SIP trunking is a common occurrence for our technical team, with so many options and requirements from different providers, but we have setup and configured pretty much all of them over the years.

We maintain a FAQ of common configuration examples for SIP trunking providers at the helpdesk, written against FreePBX but with the underlying pjsip settings the same on a bare switch.

Technical Support

At GEN, we pride ourselves on offering comprehensive support services for Asterisk systems, tailored to meet the diverse needs of our clients. Our support packages range from a 4 hour response Monday to Friday 0900-1730 through to a guaranteed 30 minute response 24 hours a day, every day of the year including bank holidays. We understand that every business has unique requirements, which is why we offer flexible service level agreements to ensure you receive the exact level of support you need. Five engineering shifts a day mean an overnight handover is a conversation between two engineers rather than a note left in a ticket. Our services encompass everything from basic break/fix solutions to full-service configuration and assistance, including proactive monitoring and management of your Asterisk environment.

We're committed to keeping your communications running smoothly, regardless of the complexity of your setup. Moreover, our expertise extends to a wide array of endpoint devices, ensuring seamless integration and optimal performance.

We fully support popular brands such as Grandstream, Yealink, Cisco, Sangoma, Siemens, Mitel, Snom, Fanvil, Avaya, and many more, making us your one-stop shop for all things Asterisk.

UK Asterisk Support, 30 Minute SLA 24/7

Expert Configuration, Management and Support of Asterisk Soft-Switches