FrogTelecom — SIP Client for Tajikistan Calls
SIP client + chat + file sharing on PyQt4 (2010). G.729 codec, Asterisk integration, kiosk booths for migrant calls. A Telegram‑like prototype three years before Telegram. A lesson in heroics vs listening to field operators.
Table of Contents
Idea
Enable cheap calls home for Tajik migrants. Where Skype wasn’t an option and mobile calls cost like a steak.
Context of the Era
2010: expensive international calls, weak mobile internet; IP telephony wins on cost. Kiosks were the real offline scenario.
Business Insights
- Unit economics: 3 ₽/min vs 6 ₽/min with carriers makes a real LTV difference.
- Simplicity of UI drives kiosk revenue.
What I Built
- PyQt4 SIP client with a very simple UI: dial → call.
- Asterisk integration to hit the 2–3 ₽/min price point instead of 6 ₽.
- Plus chat and file sharing (“send a photo to the kids”) well before the messenger boom.
G.729 wasn’t chosen for exotic flair — it gave real quality on poor internet. Yes, licensing was a headache.
Results
- Working “booth” kiosks in migrant neighborhoods.
- Calls twice as cheap; interface understandable “on first click.”
Lessons
- MVP must be shamelessly simple.
- Listening to operators who will “carry” the product saves months.
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