On Fri, 24 Mar 2006 21:29:49 -0700, timeOday
<timeOday-UNSPAM@theknack.net> wrote:
> harold@hallikainen.com wrote:
>>> In my case it was $88 a month to Verizon vs. $27 a month to
>>> Vonage. Big difference. It's the only thing that hasn't inflated in
>>> the last year or two.
>> Of course, Vonage does not have to pay for the local loop, so there's
>> some savings there. How much are you paying for "last mile"
>> connectivity (cable modem or DSL or whatever)? I'm currently paying
>> Verizon about $25 per month for local dialtone. I'm paying about $3
>> per month in long distance to another company (about 5 cents per
>> minute, probably much of that is compensation to the terminating
>> carrier). I'm paying $70 per month to cyberonic.com for DSL (6Mbps per
>> second AND they let me run my own servers). I pay $0 per month to
>> http://www.sipphone.com . I also pay about 1 or 2 cents a minute to
>> them for calls into the PSTN. SIP calls (within siphone, to FWD,
>> Google, etc.) are free. I use http://www.ipkall.com to get a POTS
>> number on SIP for free (though the number is in Washington).
>> There certainly are LOTS of options.
>> Harold
> I'm annoyed with Vonage because they lock down the SIP box so it can
> only receive calls from Vonage. There's no real reason for Vonage even
> to be in the loop for an IP to IP call, but I guess they know that.
> However, I think they're the only company where I can keep my local
> number, so I do.
I went with Packet8 so I could get a local number. I call forward my
Verizon phone to my VOIP number and then ring both the VOIP and my
cell phone.
Features and price sold me. We just had a small argument with Verizon
because Circular hunt is not an option in Ohio. Name and number CID
delivery is not an option on Centranet, and the 1x2 grid is really a P
Poor implementation of a switching system in the first place.
So you get a line for $25 a month, plus $7 for CID, plus the $8.19
"poor and downtrodden" fee and you get a 1:2 ratio of lines, or you
get a VOIP line for about $44 and get unlimited Long Distance, or if
you're a residence, about $24 for the same thing.
Pretty easy choice for 1-3 lines.
Carl Navarro
[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: How this one for a good CHEAT from
Southwestern Bell? Although I have UNE-P from Prairie Stream
Communications, Prairie Steam by and large has to do whatever SBC
allows/requires. We _had_ been getting call forwarding at no charge
via Prairie Stream (part of the deal was 'select any three features
at no additional charge' in addition to the 100 minutes of free long
distance time). Because I have 'forward on busy/no answer' Prairie
Stream was charging $2.00 for each of those per month but _nothing_
for 'regular' call forwarding since it was part of the 'free package'.
SBC now demands that _everyone_ using call forwarding at all pay $5.00
per month for it, including UNE-P customers. So as of last month, my
bill to Prairie Stream went up $5 per month, compliments of SBC,
_even though I do not use it_. I do not need, nor want 'regular'
call forwarding, just forwarding on those occassions when I leave my
house and forget to turn it on, thus 'forwarding on no answer' or
possibly forwarding on busy. SBC keeps telling Prairie Stream 'you
must have regular call forwarding in order to get forwarding on busy
or no answer -- no way around it -- so now they get an extra $5.00 per
month from me. Of course I am still required to pay the $2.00 per
month each for cf/busy and cf/no answer as well. PAT]
Carl Navarro (cnavarro@wcnet.org)