voip as main telephone service?

[darkangel]

is anyone here using voip as thier main telephone service has it developed to the stage that it's usable at that level?
Is thier any service that offers incoming calls on voip?
Is thier any service in the uk that offers voip does the companies/servers location matter?

[andyl]

I have a VOIP phone, using skype, which I've tried to use to cut my NTL bill with varying degrees of success. TBH call quality to landlines is not yet good enough for me to use for business calls but is OK for elongated chats to mates - and the call rate is a lot cheaper than my NTL tariff. What I'm trying do is get my family and mates who live abroad to get skype which [I]will make a difference.

Also, headphones are better and cheaper than the phone IMO.

[darkangel]

I have a VOIP phone, using skype, which I've tried to use to cut my NTL bill with varying degrees of success. TBH call quality to landlines is not yet good enough for me to use for business calls but is OK for elongated chats to mates - and the call rate is a lot cheaper than my NTL tariff. What I'm trying do is get my family and mates who live abroad to get skype which [I]will make a difference.

Also, headphones are better and cheaper than the phone IMO.what it's mainly for is calls abroad to france,spain,norway,uae and saudi have used skype to talk to my brother in spain

[Chris W]

www.vonage.co.uk

These people provide incoming calls and call divert services- you can also have a variety of "normal" numbers, eg 0207 123 1234. You can also have a US number so if people in the US call you, they will only be charged at national rates- can be good for business users. With Vonage you can have an adaptor so you can use a normal phone with VOIP.

The main problem with only using VOIP is that if your connection dies, you lose your phone line too- could be problematic for calling the emergency services, or your ISP to report a broken connection.

[andyl]

what it's mainly for is calls abroad to france,spain,norway,uae and saudi have used skype to talk to my brother in spain

I'd go for it for that kind of usage, no question (assuming you can get all those overseas contacts to go VOIP!)but I'd certainly take on board ChrisW's comments viz emergency services etc. And Vonage looks good :)

EDIT: PC World has offers on Plantronics headphones at the mo - get 120 mins skypeout credit.

[SMHarman]

www.vonage.co.uk

The main problem with only using VOIP is that if your connection dies, you lose your phone line too- could be problematic for calling the emergency services, or your ISP to report a broken connection.
The Time Warner Cable Road Runner service in the US now offers triple play (BB/CATV/Telco) through the use of VOIP telephony, they highlight that you will also need to get a mobile phone as you cannot call them if your BB service is out and also that in the event of a power outage you cannot call the emergency services on your digital phone.

http://timewarnercable.com/CustomerService/FAQ/TWCFAQCategories.ashx?CatID=654&MarketID=68

Sheesh and look what they have just done with their BB speeds.

STAMFORD, CT, December 14, 2004 †“ Time Warner Cable today announced it will increase the maximum download speed of its high speed Internet service to 5 mega-bits per second (mbps) from 3mbps. Time Warner Cable of New York and New Jersey broadband customers will see the increase in speed beginning today. Customers in the companyââ‚à ‚¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s other markets across the country will receive the faster speed in January.

http://content.rr.com/rdrun/increase.htm

Comeon NLT/TW keep up.

[etccarmageddon]

is anyone here using voip as thier main telephone service has it developed to the stage that it's usable at that level?
Is thier any service that offers incoming calls on voip?
Is thier any service in the uk that offers voip does the companies/servers location matter?yes my BT line has now been dropped in favour of sipgate as my main phone service.

http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/showthread.php?t=31669

it does incoming calls and out going with a genuine 0161 660 nnnn number so no-one should notice the difference.

if you want an easy solution then go with vonage which is especially good if you will benefit from the 'free' uk calls which costs £10 a month. this is the mass market product which is ideal for NTL/Telewest customers especially those that aren't technical experts.

both these offer you the ability to plug in your standard BT phone into it.
__________________

what it's mainly for is calls abroad to france,spain,norway,uae and saudi have used skype to talk to my brother in spainyou should be able to find a tarrif which offers this at 1p per min.

for example these people offer 500 mins for £5 a month for a selection of countries. http://www.voipfone.co.uk/builder.php their saudi and uea rates are extra though at around 12p

[etccarmageddon]

here's another voip supplier which offers minutes in bulk:-

www.gossiptel.com/plans/?features=yes

[Halcyon]

Im certainly thinking of trying Skype out, especially with family abroad using it too. I can see the quality of this getting better over time and I will definately be giving it a go.

[jcr]

Hi,

Has anyone seen the new VoIP extension for Microsoft Teams?
It's called Teams Calling... a really handy thing as internal and external calls are integrated.
This guide has some more information about it: https://www.amvia.co.uk/microsoft-teams

[Halcyon]

And the award for resurecting a 16 year old thread goes to: jcr :cleader:

[jcr]

Well, VoIP seems to be the mainstream these days... that's what I'm discovering haha.

Interesting to see how things have moved on!