Phone calls using fibre lines

[websquadza]

Is there a fibre provider that gives a R0 p/m package like Afrihost for ADSL?

Unfortunately not - with ADSL, you to pay Telkom for the phone line and you had the option to pay Telkom/ISP for the ADSL service. Then the ISP would charge you for some data and that's where the marketing guys came up with 1 GB free - which really cost next to nothing to . Unfortunately, fibre chucked this on it's head and the ISP pays for the line, service and usually some freebie they cover like router and activation.

We just plugged in our normal phone into the fibre router Vodacom supplied, obviously after transferring our number over to their VOIP service.

No special phone needed.

Vodacom provides a Huawei router if i'm right? the B315 and a few others have a built in SIP server and RJ11 port to plug your good old phone into. However, these are a lot pricier than combining a decent router and ATA device.

 

[AsteriskUser]

So you can use VOIP without internet? As I understand it you need bandwidth and a line speed deal of +-5mb/s

You will need general internet access for VoIP because the servers are "cloud hosted", as for bandwidth, you really only need 50kb up and down for a single VoIP call, that's being highly generous, generally, on G729 the rate for RTP is 24k/24k. The main thing with VoIP is wanting low latency which Fibre can provide, ADSL can too but in some cases if your LTE signal isn't great you could experience call issues, the higher the latency the more you will notice that packets are arriving late, you will have a conversation where you speak over each other. That's an EXTREME case though and I have never really had that.

 

[Venomous]

Freshphone needs ftth, doesn't this mean my grandmother needs an internet package? Or is the ftth requirement just referring to the installed line?


BTW, the fibre was installed at the expense of the bodycorp, she needs to take out an internet package at her own expense, but I'm trying to save her some money with her phone contract

Rather get her one of those packages that is RX /call, or unlimited calls or some such and leave the fibre. You'll complicate the old lady's life.

I seem to recall there is a package where you pay Rx per call permitting its under an hour.
One of my client's are on that if I remember properly. Fibre was installed by her complex, she did the numbers after asking a few questions.
She is staying with telkom and the the cellc 50GB prepaid for the year. She saves a few rand every month so it doesn't hurt too much when she pays cellc.

Being somewhat older those folk might do email, skype, whatsapp and browse for the odd bit of info. They really don't need much data, nor do they need super fast data. Just something that works when they need it.

 

[Marcell1992]

Bumping my thread here. So we decided that the kids will throw in a few rands to help. What is the lowest package one can get for the purpose of skype calls and VOIP? I don't know if ISP's go as low as 5gb as I think this is probably all she'll need and probably a 2-4mb line?

 

[websquadza]

Check out the Cell C coverage at her place - then the Cell C fixed LTE packages are a good bet -you can get these through any ISP and feature a decent amount of data (10-15 GB for skype for 1 month). Otherwise, Vuma's 4/1 is becoming a 10/1 and that's probably your best bet. Hardly any price difference between capped and uncapped packages at that point.

 

[Charlvh]

We just plugged in our normal phone into the fibre router Vodacom supplied, obviously after transferring our number over to their VOIP service.

No special phone needed.

I've done this after porting my Telkom numbers to Vodacom but it doesn't work well with analogue phones. Calls received often kick the router off the Internet and then I have to reboot. Ongoing issue that Vodacom seems unable to fix. Any advice?

 

[Purply]

@Charlvh

Never had that issue, so can't really give advice.

I'm assuming we talking about Fibre here, cause if it's ADSL you'll need a pots filter.

 

[intikou]

You will need general internet access for VoIP because the servers are "cloud hosted", as for bandwidth, you really only need 50kb up and down for a single VoIP call, that's being highly generous, generally, on G729 the rate for RTP is 24k/24k. The main thing with VoIP is wanting low latency which Fibre can provide, ADSL can too but in some cases if your LTE signal isn't great you could experience call issues, the higher the latency the more you will notice that packets are arriving late, you will have a conversation where you speak over each other. That's an EXTREME case though and I have never really had that Subway Surfers Psiphon Hill Climb Racing .

oui c'est vrai si le signal LTE n'est pas excellent, des problèmes peuvent survenir,
Je vous remercie

 

[Nobody Important]

oui c'est vrai si le signal LTE n'est pas excellent, des problèmes peuvent survenir,
Je vous remercie

Cet effet est le plus perceptible lors d'un appel Whatsapp.

 

[AsteriskUser]

Cet effet est le plus perceptible lors d'un appel Whatsapp.

I think whats app uses OPUS and SILK which are variable rate codecs.

 

[Nobody Important]

I think whats app uses OPUS and SILK which are variable rate codecs.

I see. But latency on mobile data connections can still be an annoying impediment no matter what codec is being used.

 

[AsteriskUser]

I see. But latency on mobile data connections can still be an annoying impediment no matter what codec is being used.

No doubt, latency on mobile is always going to be a factor, depending on where you are you have to hop through towers to a backbone, this all adds latency. Generally, in a decently covered area close to a CBD, you should have around 150ms latency, that's not too bad to make a call over. When you get to 500ms you start to notice, up until 2000ms that's when you start talking over each other.

 

[pedruid]

There is also a Fanvil ATA device which works like a charm and will convert any existing handset to a voip device.

I’d like to look into this.can you please supply me with a link?

 

[ponder]

I’d like to look into this.can you please supply me with a link?

https://www.fanvil.hk/index.php/product-sip-device/
https://scoop.co.za/fanvil-single-port-fxs-gateway-ata-g100s.html

 

[websquadza]

I’d like to look into this.can you please supply me with a link?

There’s a granstream model too. PM me for pricing.

 

[r00igev@@r]

Telkom ports numbers to the phone port on the Openserve OTN. Neighbour did it.

 

[Dinks]

I applied for an upgrade from ADSL and landline with Telkom and MWeb to fibre and phone (same number) with Telkom in June last year. Only installed 20 August. Many, many problems with Telkom. First of all, they don't tell you if your ISP is other than Telkom, you have to port your phone number from your ISP to Telkom first. This takes forever - more than six weeks in my case. Then you have to wait an undetermined time to have the connection to fibre done - with no Internet and phone until they decide to do so. In may case they gave me a new number that I didn't want and it took forever to swap the fibre to the old number. I was first charged for all the free stuff, including fibre-to-fibre box, router box, TV Android box. Still paying over R 1100 a month for 10 Mbps internet and the "free" phone, plus the old ADSL line subscription plus phone, instead of R807 as advertised. If you are OK with this type of service, go ahead and use Telkom! After I cancelled the MWeb contract I found out that MWeb had incorrectly told me they don't do phone over fibre. Apparently they do offer this and you can port your number to MWeb. A total nightmare that shows no signs of ending in spite of going to Eastgate twice, Greenstone five times, Telkom Head office, dozens of calls, many Facebook messages, anger and frustration!

 

[spectrum.1]

Went through the same.
I have NEVER done business with a company that tries so hard to get rid of its customers.
Eventually I created a domain and switched my addresses to that domain, then just transferred that domain to a different service provider. I can now transfer that domain again, if...

 

[CB40]

How do the cost of calls compare from a Telkom landline to using a VOIP phone

 

[websquadza]

How do the cost of calls compare from a Telkom landline to using a VOIP phone

Minimum 50% saving (on average). Most VoIP providers' calls are at least 50% cheaper and also bill per second (unlike Telkom who still bill 1st minute, then per second). And International call rates are significantly cheaper.