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Port cell number to Google Voice and use it on cell phone?

For the most part, you will find that VoIP/Google Voice/whatnot over anything less than an ideal 4G signal (so 3G is mostly out) will be quite poor.

Damn.. The handset I'm using; LG Optimus T; does HSPA+ via 1700 MHz UMTS band, aka 3G on steroids.

When you say poor, do you mean choppy and robot-like, or is it just delay?

Well, I guess I mean anything less than an ideal HSPA+ signal and when I say poor I mean no audio at times, choppy voice, heavy delay and whatever else makes for a largely unusable call.

I know HSPA+ coverage isn't as consistent as GSM but for the most I get all bars on HSPA+ at most locations where I frequent and where I live. And unlike Sprint, T-Mo's data network in New York City is actually fast and responsive.

I suppose the only way to try this out is by getting a new Google Voice number and check out the quality this way. The cost-savings is making this hard to pass up for me.

reply to Bink
Alright, so after looking into it some more, this isn't gonna work for me.

Google Voice isn't a cell phone provider (duh!). I would still need a number for forwarding all inbound calls, so I'd still receive calls via GSM/PSTN and very quickly deplete the 100 minutes that come with the $30 plan.

I was hoping this worked like Viber, where you place/receive phone calls via Internet right on your cell phone. Only drawback to Viber is that all your callers also have to use Viber, sort of how all other video chat apps work; Skype, Tango, etc.

I believe there are some apps that tie directly into Google Voice, but I haven’t used them.

reply to Network Guy
»play.google.com/store/apps/detai···ip&hl=en

»www.talkatone.com/

There are others. However, IMO VoIP over 3G is poor quality and unreliable, so I wouldn't recommend any of them.

How do you use your cell phone? If you have Wi-Fi available at your home and workplace, you might not need much cellular data and a plan such as the Talk n Text 1200 would be a good fit. »www.kittywireless.com/pageplus/p···ans.html .

If you need lots of 3G data, you could still save a little with »www.straighttalksim.com/shop.php ($45/mo. including fees and taxes).

reply to Bink
The Google Voice app doesn't appear to do any Internet-based calling at all. It simply connects all your outbound calls to 202-709-4258 and all your inbound calls are forwarded to the number of your choice, effectively chewing through your cell phone plan's minutes via PSTN.

This compares to a glorified calling card company from the convenience store with a neat voicemail product. lol

From what I've read, that's not accurate (not that what I've read is necessarily true); the Google Voice app (for Android) supposedly allows you to make and receive calls by *not* using your "minutes". Someone who actually uses the app will need to verify this.

Also, Sprint has more/better integration with Google Voice by some hook or crook than the other providers.
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"...but ya doesn't hasta call me Johnson!"

I guess it works that way with Sprint only. I went to the section in Google Voice where you can request to port your number and it clearly stated that I would still need a separate cell phone plan with it's own number to forward Google Voice calls to the phone.

It would be nice and ideal if the application integrated into the phone in such way that I'd place/receive calls via Internet only.

OK, something in my memory "tweaked"--it had something to do with a "friends and family" plan (you know, add the number to the list and all calls to/from it are "free") or something like (which may not help you).
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"...but ya doesn't hasta call me Johnson!"

I'm looking into T-Mobile's Monthly 4G $30 prepaid plan. That doesn't include Friends & Family.

reply to Network Guy
Alright, I stand corrected. It works using Talkatone! Thanks Stewart!

Call quality does sound grainy so far, somewhat equivalent of an MP3 file ripped at 56kbps, but I still have to test it out.

reply to Network Guy
Another app to look into is GrooVe IP.

reply to Stewart

reply to Network Guy
^^^ Yes: Talkatone and GrooveIP (and others) are smartphone apps that can use your Google Voice account for making and receiving calls over a data connection (only) using no cellular minutes at all.

I have used Talkatone for IOS over WiFi and it works great. I have used Talkatone over a good Verizon 4G signal and it works pretty good; more than acceptable. Talkatone and traditional SIP clients over a 3G connection is pretty much unbearable. The issue, I think, is primarily ping-related lag/jitter/delay, etc.

An alternative for a smartphone: install a good SIP client, create an account with the "simonics.com" Google Voice gateway (make a donation -- it's worth it), and register your phone's SIP client to the simonics gateway. I've done it and it works fine.

Final note: outbound calling under all of these scenarios, using 4G, can work well. The reliability of inbound calling on many smartphone data-only apps or SIP clients is, well, underwhelming...

So far my only gripe with Talkatone is quality. Sounds grainy at best and the party on the other end of the call is reporting echo on their end.

Is this an inherent symptom from using cellular data network or a better SIP client might help?

reply to Network Guy

Telecommunications isn't one of those things I'm a fan of expending big bucks on. I used to pay $75 with Sprint for mediocre 3G service and finally dropped them when contract expired.

I'm happy with Simple at their $50 price point considering what I'm getting; amazing 3G speed, unlimited calling/texting/web and a very competitive international rate to the one number in the Caribbean that I do call these days.

But T-Mobile's $30 offering for the same network access and speed as Simple Mobile's is something that made me look into what I'm asking about here. And the more I'm researching and testing this, the more I agree with general consensus; it isn't worth it.

There's nothing wrong with checking things out and seeing if it's worthwhile. It's what made me consider going prepaid to begin with.