Re: GVGW (Google Voice GateWay) service shutting down

[RFC3261]

Saw the following posted elsewhere (probably repeat news for some here, but just in case):


***

THIS IMPORTANT SERVICE CLOSURE ANNOUNCEMENT IS BEING SENT TO ALL USERS OF SIMON TELEPHONICS GOOGLE VOICE GATEWAY.

You may have read that in late April, Google announced that they will be discontinuing XMPP Interop with Google Voice. See our news posting at https://simonics.com/2018/05/future-of-google-voice-gateway/ . Since that time, we have worked on an updated Google Voice Gateway implementation that would allow us to connect to Google using their new SIP-based protocol. From late May to mid-June, we ran a beta test of this new software to find bugs and determined that it would be suitable for production.

On Sunday, June 24, we attempted to put the new software into production. A serious problem was uncovered at this point related to the large number of accounts we are registering to Google Voice. On Tuesday, the system was rolled back and we studied the problem. Unfortunately, what we found was a very large increase of computing resources needed in order to support the new platform at production scale. We attempted some optimizations, but the problems are fundamental to the VoIP engine, and the resource requirements to run the new platform are not sustainable.

With regrets, I am announcing the discontinuation of Google Voice Gateway at the time when Google fully discontinues their XMPP interop. This was slated to begin on June 18, so we expect that the remaining time is short--perhaps another week. Thank you to all of you who have supported this service over its 6+ year history.

Accounts should be working at this time using the Google Chat (XMPP) connections. If you are not receiving calls, please see the post by me on this forum thread: http://support.simonics.com/support/discussions/topics/3000170148/page/3 .

Users looking to continue service with Google Voice using regular phones should consider the Obihai 2xx, 10xx, and 2xxx series phones, or use the new Google Voice app for Android (wi-fi calling).

Again, thank you for a good run with the Google Voice Gateway.

Sincerely,
Bill Simon
Simon Telephonics

[zsak23]

azrobert has provided a solution to those users who have both an OBi100 and OBi200 device

http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=13933.0

[SkOrPn]

So I assume there is no more alternatives to GVGW simonics gateway? Is my Obi110 for sure a brick now?

[drgeoff]

So I assume there is no more alternatives to GVGW simonics gateway? Is my Obi110 for sure a brick now?

There are more (and in some aspects better) ITSPs than GV.  The OBi1x0 devices continue to work fine with them.

[Sam_from_CircleNet]

I wanted to make mention of our Obi offer for those who have devices that are being orphaned by the loss of GVGW.
CirlceNet will port your number if possible to our service for $0.00 and provide you with inbound service for $0.00 for three months. Outbound calling would be billed at our current rates. At any time during this period your of course free to port out to another provider if you want.

When that period ends your accounts would become normal CircleNet DID accounts with a $1.50 monthly fee + $0.002 per minute for inbound. We provide E911 and CNAM, we do NOT provide SMS support.


Thanks!
Sam

[et_phone_home]

Sam from circlenet, if i wanted to keep my google voice  (and use your service as forwarding), are you able to spoof outbound callerid number to my google voice number?
I know another company was able to do this...(had to verify google voice number before they could change the outbound caller id ofcourse).
Just curious.

[vtsnaab]

Yay - Sam has arrived !!

We're adding a number from Circlenet as forwarding from that GV account.
A very good way to keep the additional features that GV has no matter how they are nuking the XMPP.

[voip4me]

Yay - Sam has arrived !!

We're adding a number from Circlenet as forwarding from that GV account.
A very good way to keep the additional features that GV has no matter how they are nuking the XMPP.

I am going to do the same thing and yes, Circlenet can spoof the number "mine works fine". This gives me all of the same features I had before for a very very small monthly cost! Also I can add 911!!

[MLD100]

I have been using the Simonics GVGW with no problems until this shutdown.  Here is what I did.  From the beginning I was using Anveo for E911 (80 cents per month).   Back when we started about 5 years ago my wife thought we needed fax so I got a number from Anveo ($1 per month). I found that that also includes 40 min inbound per day.  Outbound is 1 cent per min in US.   So, today I deleted Simonics from the OBI110 and from GV.  I registered the Anveo number with GV and now have calls being forwarded to it.  I also forward to my cell.  So, it works fine as before.  An incoming call rings the house and my cell.  Outbound calls work fine just as before.  I had long ago set the caller id in Anveo for the GV number.  So, we will see.  It is just me and my wife and we are much more tethered to our cells these days.  If it gets too hard I may just do my own shutdown!  :-)

[MLD100]

I should add that the Anveo phone plan I have which is $1 per month is apparently no longer offered.  You can still roll your own like I did or Anveo offers several packages for OBI folks.   I guess it would work with the OBI110 too.

[Sam_from_CircleNet]

et_phone_home,
Yep you can spoof your number. Getting a DID from our pool, forwarding your GV number to it and then spoofing the outgoing does sound like a good way of retaining GV features.

Sam

[MLD100]

Yes, the OBI110 lives on for now!  One more Anveo addition.  Since we are using it as fax too. (The Anveo number is the 'fax line') I had to build a little 'call route' in the Anveo config.   Not that hard but not totally mindless either.   As an update the setup with Anveo that I described above is working great so far.   Makes me wonder if Anveo and Callcentric and others can do this then why . . . .

[RFC3261]

On another forum, Bill indicated that the (legacy) GVGW has finally been shutdown(*), and the beta, which a small number people had been using but was found not to be scaleable, will be shutdown in the next few days.  The end of an era has finally arrived.


(*) So I would not be surprised to see a small uptick of people reporting here that their OBi1xx (which connected via GVGW) are now getting connection errors.