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dsl2u
join:2012-05-16
R3L3A1
·VMedia

dsl2u to Dan_voip

Member

to Dan_voip

Re: Callcentric in Canada using a softphone: Is it OK?

> What incoming feature for $0 are you talking about?

A while back I realized that incoming calls are really in 2 parts. The first part is whether or not its local for the calling party. This is ideal of course. So most of us strive to get a local number. But that can be forwarded anywhere in North America to another provider like Fongo/DellVoice/Freephoneline/Voxox that allows free incoming calls.

There's a real need for tons of local, forwardable DID numbers! Hopefully somebody will step up and see the need and provide them for very little cost. Since its a one time forward, the maintenance should be minimal on the system.

The issue here is if you need to display that same local number when you make an outgoing call. That is ideal of course. Voxox allows you to display whatever number you want but it charges for outgoing calls. So you need free outgoing calling with another calling company that allows you to input your other VOIP number so it displays properly. If you don't care then Fongo/DellVoice/Freephoneline or even Gmail will take care of your free outgoing calling needs. But more and more, the average caller is not picking up unrecognized calls from outside their calling area. Especially if they have credit problems! Then again, if they have credit problems, maybe they're not good for your business. Then again, maybe they would be VERY good for your business. Depends on your business.

So the quest is on for free or almost free, local, forwardable numbers! Suggestions? The great thing about free is then you can have them all over the place allowing unprecedented freedom in communication. Even if the traffic is strictly capped it would be fine. You can always call people back on Gmail if the call is going to go on for a while. Most people don't need a lot of minutes.
Stewart
join:2005-07-13

Stewart

Member

said by dsl2u :

]So the quest is on for free or almost free, local, forwardable numbers!

Canada is very unusual in this regard. In almost every other country, the cost of a domestic call from a mobile phone does not depend on the location called. In most countries, while traditional landlines still distinguish 'local' from 'long distance', few people still have them, and fixed lines from ISPs and independent VoIP companies are almost always distance independent.

It's unreasonable for you to expect free termination. Those calls, whether forwarded or placed by you directly, cost the provider. Anyone offering "free" service expects to profit in other ways (advertising, collecting data, selling add-on services, getting a small fee on incoming calls, etc.)

If you need inexpensive incoming numbers, look at Anveo Direct, serving more than 100 cities in Canada.

Localphone and Rebtel both have access numbers in ~18 cities in Canada. If one of those is local to a specific contact, you can set it up so a local call for them would ring your Callcentric iNum, at no cost to you.

For termination, look at Alcazar Networks or Voxbeam. Either allows you to set your caller ID as desired, even on a per-call basis. On Voxbeam Direct, the name that you send with each call will display correctly on Bell and Rogers fixed lines, and on most independent VoIP lines.
Dan_voip
join:2007-01-03
Saint-Hubert, QC

Dan_voip to dsl2u

Member

to dsl2u
said by dsl2u:

So the quest is on for free or almost free, local, forwardable numbers! Suggestions? The great thing about free is then you can have them all over the place allowing unprecedented freedom in communication. Even if the traffic is strictly capped it would be fine. You can always call people back on Gmail if the call is going to go on for a while. Most people don't need a lot of minutes.

When you forward a call you're making an outgoing call on the top of the incoming call so that might cost more than you expect.
A solution for you will be to take a FreePhoneline number and if you want to use it only on the computer that's totally free for incoming/outgoing with most of the destinations in Canada.
For US calls you can use a GV phone number and also incoming and outgoing will be free.
dsl2u
join:2012-05-16
R3L3A1
·VMedia

dsl2u

Member

> For US calls you can use a GV phone number and also incoming and outgoing will be free.

You mean if I needed a US number for some reason? Because almost all these companies don't seem to care if your incoming or outgoing calling is in Canada or the US.