Best practice international GSM setup

[fsotirop]

Originally Posted by HappyCamp

localphone.com does. Though they require an actual IP address as opposed to a DNS name. So you can use foo@127.0.0.1 but not foo@example.com

so what is the IP address of hotvoip?


For a provider that does not support iNum, but will forward to a SIP URI, you can send the call to 88351000xxxxxxx@sip.inum.net . A minor disadvantage of the URI method is that the caller will occasionally hear a message "Please wait while we attempt to connect your call."

For use (free) with Rebtel or Localphone numbers that are not yours:

If you have a contact for whom one of these numbers is a local call »www.rebtel.com/en/Get-Help/Access-Numbers/ , add them as a Contact in your Rebtel account. Add (and verify) your iNum (with any provider) to your Rebtel Phones list. Set that number as Preferred.

On the main My Rebtel page. showing your Contacts, click the new entry, as if you were going to edit it. On the screen that appears, you'll see "xxxxx can call you back - Find out how". Click that link and a screen will appear that shows a number local to your Contact. When they call that number (from the number in your Contact list), your iNum will ring. The call is free for you and you don't even need to ever fund the Rebtel account, if you don't use it for any real calls.

On Localphone, it's a little tougher -- you have to use it "backwards", setting up your contact's number as 'yours' and your iNum as the Contact. Set your Location to the contact's city and you'll see the number s/he should call in your Local Numbers. This backwards mode creates a possible security issue, if you don't completely trust the contacts. You can prevent them from making arbitrary calls, by setting a PIN that they don't know, but they could still call your other Contacts. For example, if both your brother and sister were on your account as both Phones and Contacts, they could call each other on your nickel! Also, although calls forwarded to iNum are free, Localphone won't allow them without a positive balance. So, you'll need to pay at least $5, even if you don't use Localphone for any paid calls. Balances do not expire.

[rfranzq]

It seems to me, one partial solution is to ask that people who want to talk with
you send you an SMS and say what time would be good time to call back?
Perhaps they can even include the topic and you can always reply that you
can 't [don't want to] get back to them.

[MBK]

Originally Posted by rfranzq

It seems to me, one partial solution is to ask that people who want to talk with
you send you an SMS and say what time would be good time to call back?
Perhaps they can even include the topic and you can always reply that you
can 't [don't want to] get back to them.

Do you mean, by explaining this to some/your closest contacts and giving everyone else the local US number which goes to a voicemail that asks them to call you at or to send an SMS to +372... (or any other number)?

This way the people who don't want to call an expensive foreign number will know that they can send you an SMS?

Yes, this wouldn't be as transparent or convenient for the caller as forwarding the call, but it would save you the forwarding costs (as well as saving you the whole bamboola of setting up an efficient forwarding system ) .

[rfranzq]

Originally Posted by MBK

This way the people who don't want to call an expensive foreign number will know that they can send you an SMS?

I want everyone to send SMS--no phone calls!

[dg7feq]

wouldnt it be easy to do this if you have a VoIP enabled PBX box at home (e.g AVM Fritz!Box which is basically the standard router here in germany from all telco providers)?
I have set parallel calling on my landline number - so calling my landline rings our normal phone and two cellphones. first pickup gets the call.
With this function i also forward my calls to our XXSim and ToggleMobile if needed and can pick my provider as i wish...

[MBK]

Originally Posted by dg7feq

wouldnt it be easy to do this if you have a VoIP enabled PBX box at home (e.g AVM Fritz!Box which is basically the standard router here in germany from all telco providers)?
I have set parallel calling on my landline number - so calling my landline rings our normal phone and two cellphones. first pickup gets the call.
With this function i also forward my calls to our XXSim and ToggleMobile if needed and can pick my provider as i wish...

Yes, but this way you are depending on your home Internet connection.

Home connections are less reliable than the providers using datacenters, so when your router is offline or not reachable you calls won't go through.

[MBK]

Originally Posted by rfranzq

It seems to me, one partial solution is to ask that people who want to talk with
you send you an SMS and say what time would be good time to call back?
Perhaps they can even include the topic and you can always reply that you
can 't [don't want to] get back to them.

@ckh

Regarding this, Anveo supports Early Media (= the ring tone = audio that is played back before the call in answered = the caller is not charged for the call while he is hearing this media).

Early Media even supports key presses. So, for example with a call flow like the attached picture the ring tone is replaced. If the callers press 0 they will hear the song "remix". If they press 1 to 9 they will hear the song "original". And while doing this and hearing these songs they are not charged for the call (until you answer the phone).

This can also be a good way to playback a recorded voice message.