G.729/G.726 - Calling all SIP users
 

I've been using SIP providers a lot lately.
But I have a big handycap: although some of them support many codecs such as G.711a/u, G.726, G.729 and G.723, all the free softphones that I found only support G.711a/u, GSM, iLBC and Speex.
G.711 sucks because it waists a lot of bandwidth and by such it is not an option.
G.726, G.729 and G.723 are very good commercial codecs and by such they are not included in free softphones because they would need to pay royalties.
GSM, iLBC and Speex are not so bad but the great majority of SIP <-> PSTN providers don't support these codecs (don't ask me why...).
In such sense I'd like to know if any of you know a free or cheap softphone that support G.729/G.726.
X-Lite (free)is very good but it doesn't support these commercial codec.
Firefly (free), don't ask me why, but I can't make it work on my setup.
Cubix (free under beta) does exactly the same as Firefly: registers, can place a call but then no voice path (and I do have a stun server configured).
SJPhone (free) also does not support G.729/G.726.
I'm considering the acquisition of a ATA box that will support these codecs.
But until then I'd like to use a softphone.
Any ideas?
Thanks in advance.
Cheers

@Rui,

This may give you something to start with for Softphone using G.729 and
G.726:

http://www.iptel.org/info/products/sipphones.php


Codec

CBR = Codec Bit Rate(Kbps)

NEB = Nominal Ethernet Bitrate (kbs)

............. CBR ....... NEB

G.711..... 64 ....... 87.2

G.729..... 8 ........ 31.2

G.723.1... 6.4 ...... 21.9

GSM....... 13.2 ..... N/A

iLBC....... 13.3 ..... N/A

G.726 .... 32 ....... 55.2

G.728..... 16 ....... 31.5

-BP

I'm using GSM on my Asterisk box, and most of my providers I connect do provide GSM. But then, I connect via IAX2 protocol. Not SIP. So maybe that has something to do.
As for using G.729 for free, you can't :!:
Because you need a license for it to work.
Except if you have a hardware device (ATA, etc.) that supports it, and then if your provider is licensed to use it, only then it will work.
I'm also using iLBC and it works very well.
Take a look at some CODEC comparisons here: http://www.voip-info.org/wiki/index....bandwidth+iax2

-kwag

@BP,
Thanks for the bandwidth comparison table :).
Anyway, I do know those figures because I'm a telephony tech and nowadays we only sell IP PBXs ;).

@Karl,
Thanks for the voip-info.org link :).
Anyway, I had already been there and I knew the article.
I am plenty aware that G.729/G726/G.723 are commercial codecs.
I was just wondering if there was a free softphone that would support them.
Seems like there isn't.

Thank you both for the replies ;-)