A European format for digital transmission. E1 supports signals at 2 Mbps (32 channels at 64Kbps, with 2 channels reserved for signaling and controlling), versus the T1, which carries signals at 1.544 Mbps (24 channels at 64Kbps).
Asterisk & Skype are becoming merged entities, once technology is integrating features and functionality of one into others software, allowing customers to make Skype calls from their Asterisk phones.