VOIP Service Provider Recommendations

[wow08816]

I am looking for recommendations for a replacement VOIP service provider when Google Voice stops working with my Obi110.  My wife teleworks 3 days a week and is on the phone 1-3 hours a day.  So her estimated monthly phone minutes are between 1000-2000 minutes a month for the 48 US states.  Which service providers would be the most cost efficient for these requirements?  Thanks.

[lhm.]

localphone.com

[drgeoff]

Could be worth comparing other possibilities against the flat $5.75 a month for GoogleVoice via SipSorcery as mentioned in http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=7045.msg44535#msg44535.

[sdb-]

Localphone for outgoing at $0.005/minute or cheaper with one of their subscription bundles.

You can rent an incoming phone number from them ($1/month), maybe port your number to them ($?/month), or point a free IPKall incoming number at your SIP ID with them.

If the minutes are mostly incoming, Anveo with a $4/month business unlimited number gives you all kinds of nice features and has the cheapest E911 service I know of ($0.80/month).

For business use you might want to keep it simple and reliable...  Localphone or Anveo with an incoming number and maybe you'll want to forward your google voice number to that number.

Or set up your localphone account now, add and verify your google voice number.  No cost.  Sign up for an IPKall number, point it at your localphone SIP ID.  Call the IPKall number to make sure it is working.  Add the IPKall number to google voice and forward to it.  Now your incoming goes GV->IPKall->Localphone->OBi, no cost.  Outgoing goes OBi->GV, no cost.  Later you can add funds to your Localphone account and do outgoing via OBi->Localphone at low cost.

[Angelc19]

We just signed up with Intelafone for a free trial ( rates as low as $3.12a month). We going to keep our GV number, because we like GV, but have calls forwarded to the new Intelafone number.
The draw back is when we call out caller id will show the new number. Does anyone have a no cost solution?

[carl]

Localphone for outgoing at $0.005/minute or cheaper with one of their subscription bundles.

You can rent an incoming phone number from them ($1/month), maybe port your number to them ($?/month), or point a free IPKall incoming number at your SIP ID with them.

Or set up your localphone account now, add and verify your google voice number.  No cost.  Sign up for an IPKall number, point it at your localphone SIP ID.  Call the IPKall number to make sure it is working.  Add the IPKall number to google voice and forward to it.  Now your incoming goes GV->IPKall->Localphone->OBi, no cost.  Outgoing goes OBi->GV, no cost.  Later you can add funds to your Localphone account and do outgoing via OBi->Localphone at low cost.

Localphone's porting fee for US numbers is 25 $

Considered the reliability and CLID  issues with GV forwarding I would not for one second consider to keep them and forward the calls.

[giqcass]

Many people that work at home have their computer on the whole time they are working.  Localphone on the Obi for when the computer is off and GVmate(which will work post XMPP) connected to the computer.  I bet the bulk of the calls she makes will be with the computer on anyway.  Both can use the same outgoing number.  She could also just initiate the calls from the computer using one of the numerous plugins.  It's often more efficient then dialing a number because with the plug in it's one click to connect directly from an address book or website.

Localphone has the subscription plans that can make it pretty cheap for high volume calling.  Too bad they don't have a 2000 minute plan. That would be perfect.  If you go over your plan minutes they just bill you at the regular rate of 0.5¢ after that. 

United States 250    250    $0.75 0.3¢ United States 800    800    $1.60 0.2¢ United States 5000    5000    $5.00 0.1¢

[sdb-]

We just signed up with Intelafone for a free trial ( rates as low as $3.12a month). We going to keep our GV number, because we like GV, but have calls forwarded to the new Intelafone number.
The draw back is when we call out caller id will show the new number. Does anyone have a no cost solution?

Does Intelafone allow you to set your GV number as the outgoing caller id?  I would not consider them if they do not.  Anveo and Localphone both allow setting outgoing caller id to any phone number you can verify with them.

[watgundam]

We just signed up with Intelafone for a free trial ( rates as low as $3.12a month). We going to keep our GV number, because we like GV, but have calls forwarded to the new Intelafone number.
The draw back is when we call out caller id will show the new number. Does anyone have a no cost solution?

Does Intelafone allow you to set your GV number as the outgoing caller id?  I would not consider them if they do not.  Anveo and Localphone both allow setting outgoing caller id to any phone number you can verify with them.

Thanks for info.

I have just checked localphone about outbound caller ID, and here is stated from their web page (http://www.localphone.com/help/incoming_numbers).   Seems that it does not allow it to set the GV#  as Outbound Caller ID..  For localphone, we will have to port the number from GV# to Localphone then??

[Still searching for the GV replacement...]
=======================
Setting Outbound Caller ID

You can set your Caller ID for outbound calls in the 'Advanced Settings' section of the VoIP menu on your Localphone account: Your Caller ID is hidden (change)

Please be aware that you can only set your Caller ID to Hidden or to one of your 'Incoming Numbers'. Localphone do not provide you will the ability to set your Caller Id to any number as this could be easily abused.
=======================

[sdb-]

You cannot set it to "anything."

You can set it to any number at which you can receive calls.

As long as you can receive calls at a number, you can add it to localphone, they will call to verify, then you can set that number as your callerid.

[carl]

I have just checked localphone about outbound caller ID, and here is stated from their web page (http://www.localphone.com/help/incoming_numbers).   Seems that it does not allow it to set the GV#  as Outbound Caller ID..  For localphone, we will have to port the number from GV# to Localphone then??

[Still searching for the GV replacement...]
=======================
Setting Outbound Caller ID

You can set your Caller ID for outbound calls in the 'Advanced Settings' section of the VoIP menu on your Localphone account: Your Caller ID is hidden (change)

Please be aware that you can only set your Caller ID to Hidden or to one of your 'Incoming Numbers'. Localphone do not provide you will the ability to set your Caller Id to any number as this could be easily abused.
=======================

That statement is confusing. With Localphone you can set ANY registered number as your CLID, incl. GV DID's.
I have about 10 numbers registered with them and I do that.
If you had service with them you would understand what i am talking about, because when you set your CLID there is a drop down menu there with all your registered numbers. You just click on one of them.