broadband-help.com - Forums / Services Using Broadband / VOIP

VOIPBuster

Shadow1 — Sat, 28 Jan 2006 16:17:36 GMT

VOIPBuster is currently offering free calls to the following countries:

- Austria
- Czech Republic
- France
- Germany
- Latvia
- Netherlands
- Poland
- Switzerland
- United Kingdom

They will also set you up with your own phone number for free.
They seem to be a more basic service offering, which might be the thing if you are just looking for basic VOIP service without all the bells, whistles and complications.

http://www.voipbuster.com/en/splashvoipin.html

$80 cashback for sunrocket

gotvoip — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 17:45:37 GMT

I recently saw this deal for sunrocket - thought maybe you are interested.

You could get $80 cashback for sunrocket if you sign up through http://www.CrazyRefund.com

That's pretty good, considering their 2-year deal doesn't seem to be popping up anywhere.

Motorola A910

raven — Mon, 13 Feb 2006 09:23:55 GMT

Interesting developments keep on happening to bring mobilephones and broadband together.

[quote]Motorola (NYSE: MOT - message board) today announces yet another step forward in delivering their vision of Seamless Mobility with the launch of the Motorola A910 on BT's Fusion service.

The dual mode Wi-Fi/UMA (Unlicensed Mobile Access) handset is the latest in Motorola's portfolio of fixed-mobile convergence devices enabling seamless access to both Broadband and GSM networks.

PREVIOUS UNSTRUNG NEWS FEED

Moto Unveils Handsets
02.13.06
discuss >

BASINGSTOKE, U.K. -- Motorola (NYSE: MOT - message board) today announces yet another step forward in delivering their vision of Seamless Mobility with the launch of the Motorola A910 on BT's Fusion service.

The dual mode Wi-Fi/UMA (Unlicensed Mobile Access) handset is the latest in Motorola's portfolio of fixed-mobile convergence devices enabling seamless access to both Broadband and GSM networks.
ADVERTISEMENT
Meru Ad

BT Fusion works just like a normal mobile phone when you are out and about, automatically switching to UK landline rates whenever you're calling UK landline numbers from home. It offers the convenience and features of a mobile phone, however, when you're at home it recognizes where you are and using wireless technology, automatically links with the BT Hub, to route calls over a BT Broadband connection.

With the launch of the Motorola A910 on BT's Fusion service, users will be able to seamlessly connect between mobile and landline networks using Wi-Fi instead of the existing Bluetooth wireless technology. Users can make fixed rate calls away from the home or office by being able to seamlessly connect to BT's award winning public Wi-Fi access network - BT Openzone. [/quote]

Fixed Mobile Convergence

raven — Mon, 13 Feb 2006 09:21:46 GMT

I just found this article about how the next wave are devices that combine your mobilephone with your VOIP on your homebroadband.

For example you get a call when you are on the road, it rings to your mobile phone. If you are at home, the same call will route to your VOIP phone instead of your mobile.

Basically you would have one phone you use all the time, but the phone would decide how to route the call.

I think this is definately the wave of the future, but we are probably 10 years off before it works as it should.

Gizmo?

Stitch — Fri, 03 Feb 2006 10:42:38 GMT

Anyone heard of Gizmo? I guess they are supposed to be similar to Skype but with cheaper rates. It is free to talk to other on the pc like Skype, but the dial out rates are less. I think they *MAY* even give you some free minutes when you sign up.

http://www.gizmoproject.com/

GossipTel

Shadow1 — Sat, 28 Jan 2006 16:02:16 GMT

They offer free phone calls over your broadband connection. Even claim to offer a free PC telephone. You can even have an extra line, or more than one extra line for your kids, or the rest of the family.

There is no monthly fee or rental fee. You simply pay for the calls you make.

http://www.gossiptel.com/explore/?whydoiwantit=yes

Vonage UK

Shadow1 — Sat, 28 Jan 2006 16:09:26 GMT

Vonage is one of the largest VOIP providers in the entire world. They have deals with many different hardware manufacturers where you can buy routers and such and then get rebates that make the equipment free or nearly free when you sign-up for their service.

http://www.vonage.co.uk/

Their unlimited residential plan is only 9.99 a month and you can call anywhere in England or Ireland. They also have other plans targetted at businesses. They include simplified rate structures for mobile calls as well.

If you are looking for a solid provider with a lot of support, this is probably the biggest one you will find, behind the likes of BT.

Skype's the Limit

Stitch — Sat, 28 Jan 2006 20:54:10 GMT

I thought I would through in my limited contribution here since Shadow has been doing such a good job.

Skype is a good service. I use it both for its instant messenger capabilities and its ability to freely call other people all over the world for free. On top of that they have some paid services. One is Skype Out and this is where you can dial out to most places in the world. To call mobiles, I think it is like .27 a minute, and like .017 a minute for local calls.

They also have a Skype In service where you can get your own phone number in any number of countries that rings to your computer. You get free voicemail and it is only 30 euros a year.

I have had good luck with the service and very few problems. The one problem I have had is calling some mobiles out because it does not send caller id information which is blocked by some cell phones.

Babble

Shadow1 — Sat, 28 Jan 2006 16:24:51 GMT

Babble is another popular VOIP provider. The offer free voice-mail as well as free-text messaging to mobile phones.

They are a company following the Skype model in terms of providing free access in a lot of ways and only charging for more exotic destinations or mobile calls. Even for those calls, though, they claim they are able to do it for much cheaper.

http://www.babble.net/

How do you pronounce Skype?

missie — Thu, 02 Feb 2006 15:25:41 GMT

I have been pronouncing it like sky pee but then I heard a recoding and it sounded like skipe.

So what is the official pronounciation and what does it mean?

Question for Shadow1

Stitch — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 13:42:47 GMT

I appreciate all the information for these voice-over-ip providers, my question for you is have you had a chance to try any of them out so we have some guidance in quality?

Branded ISP VOIP Challenging Skype

Shadow1 — Sat, 04 Feb 2006 08:56:28 GMT

The branded ISP VOIP offerings are taking a lot of the minutes and usage away from Skype. Skype used to have the market cornered, but with all the big broadband providers getting into the VOIP market themselves things are changing.

"Research carried out by network management firm Sandvine at the end of last year reported that ISP-branded VoIP represented 51.2 per cent of all VoIP minutes in Europe.

Skype followed closely behind with 45 per cent of all VoIP minutes, and Vonage took less than one per cent. Other third-party VoIP providers represented 3.5 per cent of all VoIP minutes.

The situation in Europe almost mirrors that of North America, according to the study, where ISP-branded VoIP represents 53 per cent of all VoIP minutes on broadband networks. Vonage is a clear second with 21.7 per cent share of minutes."

http://www.itweek.co.uk/vnunet/news/2149700/isp-branded-voip-challenges

BT Broadband Voice

Shadow1 — Sat, 28 Jan 2006 15:55:55 GMT

BT has their own VOIP service called Broadband Voice.

*

Enjoy the flexibility of an additional phone line
*

Unlimited UK (Local and National*) weekend and evening landline calls up to an hour per call for £4.99** a month
*

Or take advantage of our Anytime plan and make unlimited UK (Local and National*) landline calls up to an hour per call at anytime for £10.99** a month
*

Telephone adapter included***
*

No Connection Charge
*

Fantastic International Rates to 24 countries
*

Available for Cable and non - Broadband from BT customers as well

Evening and Weekends are free within the UK. Which is nice.

http://www.btbroadbandvoice.com/broadband_voice/bb_voice_home.html

MyVillageOnline Creating VOIP-Enabled Communities

Stitch — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 07:19:53 GMT

Apparently MyVillageOnline is working with a VOIP Company, Voice Commerce Group, to create Voice-Enabled Online Communities.

":The Whitephone technology employed includes advanced features such as CastAlive broadcasting and click-to-talk, which enables users and advertisers to opt in to be alerted to local offers and news in their region."

This sounds pretty interesting. So instead of sitting here writing about broadband, you could have a community where people are actively chatting in real-time. Not entirely sure that is the best medium for large group discussions though. To many voices make a dialog difficult to maintain. The written word is much more controlled by the individual user when they see it and when they respond. All of that is lost in real-time voice chat.

Superior VOIP

Shadow1 — Wed, 01 Feb 2006 02:33:57 GMT

Here is a little blurb from a Superior VOIP press release:

"SuperiorVoIP powered by 3WTel has just launched and is already exploding in the global market place with their new VoiP telephony technology that allows you to call anyone, anywhere in the world 24/7 for FREE, that is subscribed to the Network.

WHY Superior VoiP is Different to all other VoiP Provider
This service will work over any connection whether it is Dial up, Broadband, Wireless or Satellite. SuperiorVoIP also works on it's own private network and platform using a very high end encryption codex program to assure maximum security and privacy to its user base. It is not Peer-to-Peer Technology like most other VoIP's. SuperiorVoIP has been Rated #1 for VoIP Security in Europe."

The good thing is they offer a 7 day free trial so you can test the service out to your liking. This is the first such offer I have seen. Others may have free trials but I have not seem them prominently displayed.

http://www.my3wtel.com/awa/

IPSpeak

Shadow1 — Wed, 01 Feb 2006 02:26:02 GMT

IPSpeak is a VoIP provider who offers what they label an "integrated" VOIP package. For £50, buyers get a VoIP handset that plugs into a PC or laptop, the necessary software to get it up and running, and ten dollars worth of call time. They can then use the service to call any landline or mobile number worldwide, or to make free calls to any other IPspeak customer.

A call to a UK or a US line will cost a customer 2.2p per minute, compared to 3.9p per minute to Australia, 8.4p per minute to Russia and 26p per minute to India.

Nidram

Shadow1 — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 13:40:07 GMT

Yet another contender in the UK VOIP Market.

There cost structure is very simple:

Other VoIP Phones FREE
UK Landlines 1p
UK Mobile 6p
International 2.5p

Seems like a straightforward clean site. They also apparently offer broadband access.

http://voip.nildram.net/

Tesco to begin offering VOIP Services Soon

Shadow1 — Sat, 28 Jan 2006 16:21:52 GMT

I will take my groceries and a side of VOIP please!

Tesco is going to begin offering VOIP from its over 350 stores in the coming months. The company says call rates will be "slashed to rock-bottom prices compared to existing fixed-line services." Tesco will be charging 17.57p per minute to connect to Mobile phones, which is less than VOIP leaders such as Skype.

To access the service, consumers will need to buy a $35.10 pack from a Tesco store that includes an $8.79 call voucher and a USB handset. The pack also gives the user a phone number at which non-VoIP users can reach them.

VOIPTalk

Shadow1 — Sat, 28 Jan 2006 16:11:52 GMT

VOIPTalk is another VOIP provider for the UK. They seem to offer a variety of packages and services. Nothing really stands out from their offerings in relation to other providers. I think it might be good to check out their comparable offerings when you find something interesting with another provider.

http://www.voiptalk.org/products/index.php

SipGate

Shadow1 — Sat, 28 Jan 2006 16:05:51 GMT

The claim the following features of their program:

- Worldwide free calls
- Free telephone number
- Usuable without computer
- No setup fees
- No contracts

They have a store on their site where you can buy various VOIP equipment to use with their service. Included is the Netgear TA612V which lets you plug in two regular telephones and then use them to dial-out over the internet net.

Their per minute charges seem a bit higher. I think others were close to .03p and they are advertising for .059p in England, on their 1000 minute plan.