GV Outbound Calls After EOL

[AClaborn]

Yes, it's with Phone Power (formally Broadvoice) but they refuse to support (help) ObiTalk customers self provisioning them themselves, stating they will provision the ATA from their end, but it will lock out the 2nd port (GV).

Fully aware this is an older post, but wanted to provide some information regarding PhonePower for videobruce or anyone else utilizing or considering PhonePower.

In 2014, we signed up for an account with PhonePower using the OBiLite package which was ~ $35/year for 911 service and to have an alternative to GV as Google was ending support for some XMPP services, which might impact the ability to use GV+OBi devices.

The PhonePower service was quite decent for years.  The PhonePower customer service (billing and technical support) was also very decent - effective, responsive, and proficient at correcting issues or answering questions.

In early 2019, PhonePower changed the billing parameters to collect taxes for their services, including the OBi packages.  Not a huge issue.  But the billing rate for us jumped approximately 30% from ~ $35/year to ~ $45/year.

Later in 2019 and early in 2020, we contacted PhonePower support several times regarding some technical issues, ranging from connectivity issues on PhonePower's side of things to outright removal of PhonePower features that we were using (specifically, Incoming Call Manager or ICM).  There were large delays in their responses - we had to follow-up several times to even get the issues "acknowledged".  Few issues were solved.  After waiting nearly a year for an update on ICM, we contacted support again and were told, " Incoming Call Manager [ICM] [...is a ...] feature is no longer working and there is no estimated time of repair."  We issued one final ticket to request at least an ETA on restoration of ICM or that we would not renew. Months later, we had still received no response from PhonePower.  We checked other user forums and saw similar experiences from current or former PhonePower customers.  So, we cancelled our PhonePower services. 

Can't recall when, but PhonePower eventually got delisted from the OBiTalk "Approved Service Providers" in the dashboard portal as well.

As for replacement providers, thankfully there were and are better quality, feature- rich, price competitive alternatives.

We'd recommend:

• CallCentric
  
• Anveo
  
• VoIP.ms
  

[videobruce]

Thanks for the above. Yes, PP is surely not Broadvoice when they also were consumer. There is a "Broadvoice" now, but it is only commercial (AFAIK).

I took a look in obitalk's web site and PP is listed at least for the Obi202 adapters;

"Configure Service Provider Accounts
Please Choose Your Service Provider:
    Anveo
    Asterisk Compatible System
    Broadvox
    Callcentric
    Engin
    flowroute
    freephoneline
    Google Voice
    InPhonex
    ippi
    Localphone
    OneSuite
    Phonepower
    RealCalls
    RingCentral
    T38Fax
    Telecube
    Twilio
    Vitelity
    voip.ms
    VoIP2Go
    VOIPo
    Vonage"

When you say "we'd", just who are 'we'?

[videobruce]

And as far as outbound calls using GV, I haven't had a problem to date (knock on wood). 

[AClaborn]

I took a look in obitalk's web site and PP is listed at least for the Obi202 adapters;

Sorry for the confusion.

That statement pertained to the "Approved Service Providers" section.  PhonePower was listed there at one time.  It's no longer there (see screenshot). 



PhonePower is still listed in the "Compatible Service Providers" section, but so are many providers that wouldn't get a "recommend" these days.

Edited the previous post to better reflect that.

[videobruce]

Ok, understood. There is a difference.