Voip Costs

[Donald Bradbury]

With voip becommig more and more popular, the true costs need to be made more public.

All voip service providers are on about cheap outgoing calls and rebates on incomming. However, to the end user, often what is overlooked is data consumed.

Also on normal landlines and cell phones, there are no charges for incomming calls, but on voip, you will be paying for data movement.

Secondly, often it is free calls (excluding unseen data expenses) between calls on the same network, however, it is difficult to work out who is on your same network.

The voip SP's also played a big part in getting intercall charges lowered, yet one voip SP call to a different voip SP is more expensive than dialing a Telkom number.

With SA bandwidth costs still high, and bandwidth/latency improving, the call quality is being improved, but at a higher data cost.

Maybe a MYBB reporter can give a decent report on this, and face the war that it will create from the Voip ISP's.

Especially the interconnect rates.

 

[kissingmybbgoodbye]

I can't speak for the South African situation as I haven't used any of the SA providers, but I am using an international voip provider and the cost are a lot lower even if I have to take data into account. I amke a lot of overseas calls and they are basically free with my voip provider (if I phone land lines) I also used them now when i was traveling overseas to call back home to SA and with the current exchange rates I paid like R0.27 per minute to call land lines and R0.72 per minute to call cell phones in SA (My entire phonebill for 3 weeks daily calling to SA from overseas with VOIP to cell and landline numbers came to about R120,00 with that I made some international free landline calls as well and some international cell phone calls (which turned out to be more expensive than SA cell numbers (france cell numbers like double the price)

So even if there might be hidden data cost I think with the correct VOIP provider there are huge savings to be made

 

[MVGL]

I can't speak for the South African situation as I haven't used any of the SA providers, but I am using an international voip provider and the cost are a lot lower even if I have to take data into account. I amke a lot of overseas calls and they are basically free with my voip provider (if I phone land lines) I also used them now when i was traveling overseas to call back home to SA and with the current exchange rates I paid like R0.27 per minute to call land lines and R0.72 per minute to call cell phones in SA (My entire phonebill for 3 weeks daily calling to SA from overseas with VOIP to cell and landline numbers came to about R120,00 with that I made some international free landline calls as well and some international cell phone calls (which turned out to be more expensive than SA cell numbers (france cell numbers like double the price)

So even if there might be hidden data cost I think with the correct VOIP provider there are huge savings to be made

Can you share some details here. I use Vox on occasion which is not that cheap taking all things into account. Would like to look into this as I have to make loads of calls to Europe for the next three months

 

[spikegv]

Check out www.fnbconnect.co.za they currently running a special. All call at 25c per minute, Including mobile calls. This is to anywhere, local and international

 

[kissingmybbgoodbye]

Can you share some details here. I use Vox on occasion which is not that cheap taking all things into account. Would like to look into this as I have to make loads of calls to Europe for the next three months

I am using www.voipbuster.com (To make the free calls you have to do an initial deposit of 10 Euro's) I ahve used it succesfully (Also used their phone to phone service)

 

[warwickw]

Check out www.fnbconnect.co.za they currently running a special. All call at 25c per minute, Including mobile calls. This is to anywhere, local and international

Pity the special ends on the 22nd January, wonder what the pricing will be after this.

 

[webdude2000]

This is so true. We provide SIP accounts but for reliability we have connects to multiple upstream VoIP providers. We found, even the big players sometimes have issues such as calls being dropped, one way audio etc...

When I do an IP PBX and VoIP LCR proposal I include the data link details however most times we compete against other players in the industry who leave out all the hidden costs.

 

[warwickw]

Excellant news, FNB Connect 25c per minute special has been extended to end March 2011.

 

[execMobile]

who can spill the beans on 087 interconnect fees - Telkom publishes rates to these providers, but what do the networks pay the 087 providers for call termination?

 

[mh348]

Excellant news, FNB Connect 25c per minute special has been extended to end March 2011.

I'm also using FNB Connect, whats their normal rates once their special ends??

 

[XConnect]

who can spill the beans on 087 interconnect fees - Telkom publishes rates to these providers, but what do the networks pay the 087 providers for call termination?

Since 1 March the rate has come down dramatically (and put an end to some ridiculous charges). Exact amount is supposed to be 'agreed between parties' but is usually set at the highest rate ICASA allows, of 34c/min peak and 23c/min off-peak.

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XConnect SA
Empowering the VoIP telco industry