provider recommendation
Felix:
I will quibble with the following statement:
Quote
Lowest cost international calling:
Betamax
If you use a lot of minutes to free destinations, and you have a Euro account - it might be true. However, for me CallWithUs turned out to be a better choice. Not to mention that CWU has support. I am not using it much, but it's nice to know that if you send an email you will actually get a response from a human - often as quickly as within an hour.
My last straw was when VoipDiscount (one of Betamax companies) stopped taking credit cards or PayPal - just Money Bookers, UKash, and some other weird methods that I've never heard of. Granted, they reversed this policy since.
(I am not affiliated with either Betamax or with Call With Us)
Felix:
Quote from: jimates on April 25, 2012, 10:03:01 pm
I don't know why one of these voip providers can't set up a 911 service based strictly on CID so we wouldn't have to set up a SIP configuration just for 911.
I remember somebody explained that if you provide 911 service, you fall into a different category of VSP and have to collect taxes that you otherwise wouldn't. The regulation is ridiculous and by now it is obsolete - but it's still on the books. So, Google and others may not want to set up a 911 service.
On a related note, this whole CID-based 911 service is bone-headed and obsolete. Voip providers should send IP address of the caller, not the telephone number. And emergency responders should have a system integration with ISPs that have exact location of that IP endpoint. Phone number is irrelevant to the location and Voip providers need not be in 911 path at all. Outbound calls may have 0, 1, or many phone numbers - but 1 and only 1 IP address...
jimates:
I don't want google to provide 911 service. I want one of the many voip providers that already provide the service (and collect the fees) to process it in a different way.
I agree the way it is done now may be antiquated, but it still "works" for the most part. I want exactly what is happening now to remain, just deliver the call from a different initiating process. The local infrastructures are so far behind that is a shame. Most that are currently pumping millions into so called upgrades are just upgrading the antiquated system they already have in place.
But I don't know how you would get any results without the provider being in the 911 path. Either the voip provider or the ISP. The main IP address can be used to pinpoint a service location, not the location of the originating request on a network.
I can obtain 911 service from a provider, and all information that is on file is based on information provided by me. Currently if I dial 911 the call is routed (by my provider) to my local call center. The same thing can be accomplished by my dialing 999, 876 or 1234567890; as long as the call is sent to the proper provider, and they process the call and route it to my local call center with the correct CID that is part of my account.
The advantage is that I can place that call using any device or service I desire without having to have that exact service providers service configured on my device. The burden of the initial call getting to the provider will be (and is now) the responsibility of the person configuring the calling device.
Felix:
Quote from: jimates on April 29, 2012, 07:25:53 pm
I don't want google to provide 911 service. I want one of the many voip providers that already provide the service (and collect the fees) to process it in a different way.
I agree with you here - in fact, I agree with most of what you are saying about 911 as well. In my vision, Voice provider (VSP) delivers the call to 911 (just like they deliver a call to any other number), and 911 call center infrastructure gets IP address, and instead of looking up address by CID, look it up by IP.
I would also want to make it easy for any VSP to not provide 911 service - like GV or Skype. I remember reading on DSL Reports that the rule is that if VSP provides an adapter, they need to provide E911. Well, I am making GV calls via adapter, and I am making Voipo calls through softphone... so the distinction is now without difference. Unfortunately, regulations only get more onerous - never less.
On this high philosophical note I realized that this is my 100th post... far cry from Ron, but a good reason to have a drink!
jimates:
Have two.
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