VOIP Tech Chat → Looking For a temp VOIP Solution - need 3 or 4 lines...

I am a trader in London currently on gardening leave but am doing some bits and pieces from home. I need a temporary solution to connect to some direct lines (always open - 2 way hoot) with my brokers in NY. My new company have offered me access to their TradeNet MX network with a 'dial in and conference' solution. So basically they have the trunks to NY in place, I will call in each morning and they will conference me into each direct separately.

At the moment I need to have three open direct lines that will be up all day plus one one that will be used for dialing in and out.

Is there a solution out there that will offer me four simple lines? As this is only for 5 months I would like to avoid purchasing new equipment. I envision a solution akin to 4 instances of skype running at once where I can hear each line and select the one I want to speak to.

Am I dreaming or does a solution of this type exist out there?

Thanks,

Sivad

How can your new company be setting you up if you are on garden leave? Isn't that illegal?

Anyway, almost any voip provider con do what you need as far as getting you four lines.
Being able to hear all 4 lines at the same time is going to be a tall order.
The most simple solution would be four phone sets.
There are other options for monitoring multiple lines simultaneously, but they are expensive and complex.

Another option would be a software solution. Several SIP softphones on your PC. It seems like that would be more kludgy than physical sets, but cheaper.

Four channels of outgoing is certainly possible, but you likely won't find a service provider who will allow you to use the kind of volume you describe on a flat rate plan. Also, most service providers have a maximum call length so you may need to call in a few times a day. You'll need to pay about $0.01 per minute. For your consideration, VoIP.ms has a PoP in London.

Note that you will require a constant ~90 kilobits/second of upload and download bandwidth per line.

I just tried and couldn't open multiple instances of Zoiper. It could multiple calls at once, but only one could be active - the others had to be on hold, so that doesn't meet your requirements. X-Lite also appears not to be able to do this, though the references I found were a few years old - you may want to test just in case.

Unless someone can come up with a piece of software specifically built for this, Nunya's suggestion of several different SIP softphones will likely be the cheapest solution.

m.