Quote from: C6silver on September 11, 2014, 04:58:51 PM
I wasn't inferring that they weren't. In fact I saw the release from Google themselves so certainly there was no reason for anyone to not believe they were pulling the plug. However, there was never any indication I saw from Google that this was not anything but a 100% firm decision. They were very clear and even provided a specific date. I am certainly glad they reversed course and wonder what the reason for the change of heart was. I just wish they came to that decision before I spent a bunch of time and money to find and setup a new provider.
There is a lesson to be learned here and that is things change quickly in the telecommunications industry, especially with all the corporate buyouts, mergers and restructuring. It's best not to have all your eggs in one basket and to work out different scenarios in advance depending on what actually happens.
I've had Google Voice as my primary provider since I bought my OBI110 three years ago, but have pay-as-you-go accounts with both
voip.ms and Callcentric, the latter of whom provides free inbound calls to a free DID number (or at least did when I signed up). My worst case scenario was to use Callcentric for inbound calls and both
voip.ms and Callcentric for outbound calls. Most people want a fixed cost for unlimited inbound and outbound, but I've found that's not the most cost effective option, especially as a fallback strategy.
Another benefit of having accounts with multiple VoIP providers is that they both work quite well with Android's integrated Internet calling, so I have backup for Google Voice over LTE there as well.
The bottom line is that it is always best to have a plan, preferably with alternatives, worked out in advance of when you need it. Even though it now looks like Google Voice will be supported with the Obihai devices for the foreseeable future there is no guarantee that it will stay free.