Gizmo5 builds (yet another) bridge to Skype

The company behind SIPphone has deployed a way to gateway between its service and Skype. The OpenSky service is a neat trick, but not novel by any stretch of the imagination.

OpenSky offers free web-based or Gizmo5 client calls up to five minutes. Longer calls are going to require you to buy some annual credits, starting at $20 with a two-hour per call cap and up to 10 Skype names; calls to mobile phones will require some Gizmo CallOut credits. SIP calls can also be forwarded to Skype addresses through Gizmo5.

Interestingly, Gizmo5 head Michael Robertson cites businesses as being the segment most likely to use the service. He also told Om Malik that an Asterisk-based Trixbox solution can't call into the Skype network - something that isn't necessarily true, since Digium announced a Skype channel manager wayyy back at AstriCon this fall. There's also a Java-based SIP to Skype (SipToSis) gateway available for download [1] floating around on the ‘net, so we're not talking unique code or concept here, plus gobs of mobile VoIP players such as TruPhone offer their own gateways to the private-land of Skype-ness.

Digium was/is planning to make a little money by selling licenses for running multiple channels (phone calls) of Skype on Asterisk and (more importantly) bringing organization and call management to Skype users in a business environment, so we're not sure how much extra mileage and $20 bills Gizmo5 will get pushing a relatively unsupported lash-up.

On OpenSky's webpage, there's also this kvetching footnote:

*OpenSky is NOT a service endorsed by Skype/Ebay but they should because it means even more Skype usage.

Didn't Robertson learn how to play nice with people after MP3.com?

For more:
- Om gets the Jedi Mind Trick treatment from Robertson, then recants.  Post [2].

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