Outsourcing a modem pool for dialup? Any advice?

[Michael C. Shultz]

On Thursday 09 June 2005 10:38, Philip Hallstrom wrote:
> Hi all -
>  	Our company has a product such that a small server is installed at
> each customer site.  This server dials up to the Internet every night and
> exchanges some content with a central server in our data center.  Total
> transaction takes about 5 minutes.
>
> Customers can have multiple sites.  Our largets to date has three, but
> some potentials have several hundred.
>
> In the cases where the site does not have an existing Internet connection
> we currently use dialup via a major ISP.
>
> This works for now, but won't for the long haul for a couple of reasons:
>
> - they all are all sharing the same username and password (yes yes, I
> know...)
>
> - we're moving into canada and this ISP doesn't have many local numbers up
> there.
>
> - Dealing with local numbers and their somewhat frequent changing is a
> real headache.
>
> What I want is a modem pool with one local number (tied into an 800
> number) where I can create as many username/password pairs as needed.  I
> want that local number to never change :-)
>
> Now... to make it fun...
>
> - No, I can't install a dialup server in our corporate datacenter.
> - No, I can't setup a freebsd server in satellite office.
>
> That leaves me with an outsourced solution that needs to work with
> FreeBSD's PPP.
>
> Anyone know of anyone that does this sort of thing?  Or an ISP that has a
> service geared towards this (our current one does not).
>
> Thanks!
>
> -philip

You may not like the price but the local phone company likely provides this 
service.

-Mike