Removing Telkom lines & getting VOIP

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Mattyg

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Hi there,

I want to get rid of my telkom phone lines and install VOIP.

I have been tol that if I get a box, install linux & for about R400 per month this solution can become a reality in our office.

Is this a reasonable fee above? I am a bit clueless and would appreciate it if someone could steer me in the right direction.
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well does voip work with a normal line i mean could i call you from my lan line if you have voip? i doubt that

if what i think is true then how would ppl phone you, i dont think voip is that big so i doubt its an option YET
 
You guys might want to have a look at http://www.skype.com , specifically Skype out and in. I know Skype in is still in development but Skype out works perfectly, and I might add that I have tested Skype over normal 56k modems and it worked fine.

But in all honesty I wont throw away my hellkom lines just yet.
 
but lets say u own pc business with no telkom lines only skype, only ppl that have skype can contact you correct?
 
For VoIP you will need to be permanently connected to the Internet...

About the Linux box for R400/month, what is the monthly fee for? - is it on-site support in case the thing stops working...:confused:...is it for a subscription to an SA VoIP directory...?
 
well does voip work with a normal line i mean could i call you from my lan line if you have voip? i doubt that
Click to expand...

Err, yes of course you can...

SkyPE is not exactly "VoIP" in the lamen sense. You're sending your voice over IP sure, but its not exactly on the same par as the true VoIP phones etc with Astrix and other systems - SAOL is one place that offers such services (and yes it recieves and makes calls to land lines!)
 
We make use of the MITEL system and it works perfectly! Skype however is a very affordable way for the average Joe to get going especially seeing as "Skype out" (calling land lines) works well and Skype is currently busy developing "Skype in" where people can call you from a land line.
 
Skype In doesn't offer +27 #'s (Ek dink!!)

Angelis as far as I know, South African Skype In numbers are not yet available, and personally - I wouldn't call an international number for a South African company so that they can save money :rolleyes:
 
The R400 is for monthly maintenance and support. We do not want to manage the box ourselves as we already have enough to do around here!

And yes, I know I have to keep at least 1 Telkom line but I can remove my others that I have, yay!

So anyone know reliable companies that will install VOIP and manage my box for a good deal?

Dankie!
 
okay, I am a bit confused now. Basically we want to link our Johannesburg & Cape Town offices onto a box with linux (and some software) so we can all talk for free (using skype, to each other and others with skype) also when we phone out to others without skype it uses Skypeout. It also means that if a phone call comes into the office, they can dial an extension and even if I am not in the office but connected to the net I will be able to get my calls.

Now anyone know of anyone who supplies this type of service above?
 
Mattyg, I assume that both your Jhb & CT offices are permanently connected to the Internet, correct?

My recommendation is that you get familiar with Skype first before venturing into a R400/month solution that may or may not suite the needs of your company's two branch offices...

Goto www.skype.com and download the Skype software that corresponds to your Operating System, e.g. Windoze, install and get someone in the other office to do the same thing...as part of the installation you will each have to choose a Skype username, which identifies each of you and allows you to "call" one another over the Internet...
 
Some clarifications

Mattyg,

If I sound repetitive plse forgive me, but keep the following in mind:

1 You need the following for Skype (or any other Peer to Peer Software) -

Computers on either side with at least 64k connection to internet, but 192k would be advisable minimum. The internet connection should be clean with low latency. The wireless providers (Iburst & MyWireless) seem to have latency problems in some areas, and this degrades the call.

When using Skypeout to make calls to landlines in SA the savings are not that great, but when using Skypeout to make calls to international landlines there is a major saving.

SkypeIn offers users their own numbers in different countries, but this is not available in SA (thanks to Telkom)

Normal Skype (P2P) is free and offers fantastic voice quality calls anywhere in the world, as long as the software is loaded on both computers (as described above)

One thing overlooked is the amount of data that Skype can burn.....even when your computer is idle! Skype's software does turn some computers into Super Nodes, and basically use up your bandwidth. When you sign the user agreement with Skype you consent to this. This is not normally a problem with international users as they don't have to worry about the dreaded CAP. The problem is you have to leave Skype running if you want to receive calls, so keep an eye on your data consumption.

The R400 Rand per month service sounds like the VOX product they are marketing at present. A lot of users have had problems with this service, so if it is tempting enough, keep a few of those Telkom lines for a few months until you are sure the service works.

Hope this clears up some of your questions
 
@ mbb, sound advice there :).

@ Mattyg, don't get tied into anything contractual until you are 100% sure that it is what you want for your business, and even then I would advise against any contract longer than 30 days notice - VoIP business solutions are still new to SA & you don't want to be tied into something long-term when something better can come along...
 
Forgive me if I missed it...

But has anyone addressed the issue of RECIEVING calls on VoIP in south africa yet? Can VoIP phone be used to receive calls from SA landlines (or abroad for that matter)? - I am not talking skype here - just VoIP in general. What would you telephone number be and where would it be registered. NOT TALKING SKYPE IN either as we know that isn't working in SA as yet....
?
 
mancombseepgood said:
But has anyone addressed the issue of RECIEVING calls on VoIP in south africa yet? Can VoIP phone be used to receive calls from SA landlines (or abroad for that matter)? - I am not talking skype here - just VoIP in general. What would you telephone number be and where would it be registered. NOT TALKING SKYPE IN either as we know that isn't working in SA as yet....
?
Click to expand...

You still have a local number or numbers registered with telkom. Depending on what setup you are going for. You can use Astrix and then register with a sip account provider and buy minutes. I have been installing and setting up voip networks in SA for about 3 years now. Its really easy and there is a lot to of directions to go. Voip in SA works great or cr@p depending on how you deploy it.
 
killadoob said:
well does voip work with a normal line i mean could i call you from my lan line if you have voip? i doubt that

if what i think is true then how would ppl phone you, i dont think voip is that big so i doubt its an option YET
Click to expand...

No you can phone a VOIP number from a normal landline. You VOIP service still assigns you a telephone number. You make use of what is called a media gateway that handles the communication between the VOIP phone and your analogue phone.

@Angelis: I have actually been thinking about skype just for personal use not an office and this is what I am planning on doing / testing for a while just to see how well works.
1. Install the Skype client on my cellphone
2. Buy a SkypeIn number
3. Signup for SkypeOut

I have checked and the SkypeIn numbers looks the same as a telkom landline number in other words 021 XXX XXXX. That costs likee R550 a year I think. SkypeOut I will only go for the 60 minute bundle as I really don't phone a lot. And that costs like R90 a month. At work my phone is connected to the work network with Skype access allowed. At home it will be connected to my ADSL. When on the road I have a Cell C 3g sim that will provide the connection needed. That means just like a cellphone I will always be available on my Skype which asks the question do I then really need a cellphone contract ?? That saves me about R400 to R500 a month on contract fees + calls etc.

There are only two problems I have run into so far. Incomming SMS to a SkypeIn number doesn't work so I will still have to use the number associated with the 3G card for receiving SMSs. I can however send SMS via Skype as long as you register your cell number with Skype that means you will still see an SMS from me sent via Skype as if it comes from my cell number and you can just reply on that. The second problem I have is that Skype running 24/7 with a connection to wireless really chows up the battery.

@Dovi SkypeIn does offer SA numbers but only in the Jo'bur, Cape Town and Durban range. In other words 011, 021 and 031.
 
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For the people who seem to think skypein doesn't work in SA. Here is a copy and paste of what happens when you signup for SkypeIn. I was too lazy to make a screenshot and you need to login to skype to get this far so I didn't want to put a URL in that you need to sign in to as well.

Step 1: State and area code
Step 1: State and area code



I declare that I am a resident of South Africa.
Step 2: Number
Step 2: Number

Choose one of the numbers available below or search for a favored combination.

Enter your favourite combination:
Use the character ‘*’ to represent any digit.

(21) 813 5842 | (21) 813 5916 | (21) 813 6392 | (21) 813 5912
(21) 813 6148 | (21) 813 6529 | (21) 813 6728 | (21) 813 6492
(21) 813 5927 | (21) 813 5876 | Show ten new suggestions...

(21) 813 6529 is your new Online Number.

Display this number when I call phones from Skype
 
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