Description: Asterisk is an open-source communications software project that provides a flexible private branch exchange (PBX) and toolkit for building voice, video, and unified-communications systems; its mission is to enable interoperable, standards-based telephony and to lower the cost and technical barriers for organizations to deploy custom communications solutions. Type: Open-source software project with a commercial steward (telecommunications/software company) Policies: Typically supports policies that favor open standards and interoperability in telecommunications, promoting VoIP and real-time communications adoption, software freedom and open-source development, privacy and security safeguards for communications, and regulatory approaches that enable competition and innovation in telecom services. Funding: Primarily funded through commercial sponsorship and support from its corporate steward (product sales, support contracts, and commercial modules), plus community contributions, sponsorships, and donations. Affiliates: Commercial steward Sangoma Technologies (and formerly Digium), the FreePBX project and the broader Asterisk developer and user community, plus ecosystem partners and telecom equipment vendors.
