Managed communications provider, Foehn is working with EDP PLC, a supplier of advanced technology software solutions, to simplify and improve its communications network. Foehn’s installation of SIP trunks and the open source telephony toolkit, Asterisk, is estimated to save EDP £17,000 a year.

EDP initially selected Foehn to reduce its telecoms costs and systems complexity of communicating between its four major operating sites including Sheffield, Warrington, East Grinstead and its data centre in Milton Keynes, as well as help them upgrade to a better quality system. EDP were keen to replace VoIP phone systems and eight-channel ISDN30 lines at each site, which were costing a significant amount each month.

“Rental of our ISDN lines alone had spiralled to £17,000 a year and although we had VoIP capability between sites, the quality was awful,” said Chris Spicer, head of IT at EDP. “Our system was beginning to become quite complex to manage and replacement would have cost us over £30,000.”

Foehn’s solution made use of SIP trunks to connect the four sites together, removing the need to have individual systems and lines at each site. Foehn also installed a 70-extension centralised system at EDP’s data centre. “Often companies are paying for technology, like ISDNs, that they no longer use and it can mean racking up unnecessary bills. Using our technology we gave EDP a much more reliable system with enhanced features with none of the voice quality problems they had from their legacy VoIP system,” explained James Passingham, CEO and founder of Foehn.

The largest impact of Foehn’s telecoms solutions is likely to be its cost savings. “By eliminating unnecessary ISDN lines Foehn estimate that we should be able to make a return on our investment within the first year,” Spicer added.