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  #31 (permalink)  
Old 05-15-2008, 05:55 PM
Todd Allcock
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Posts: n/a
Default Re: analog sunset & 911 access

At 15 May 2008 16:44:38 +0000 Larry wrote:

> > Can Skype be trained to report your Skype-in number as the CID number
> > on forwarded calls? If so, that could be your "Circle" number and
> > they'd all be free.

>
>
> One of Skype's GREATEST ASSETS is its inability to report your telephone
> number you don't have to anyone...cops, Homeland Security, Council On
> Foreign Relations, FBI, Illuminati, the spammers...


So, in a word, "No." I get that it's convenient to Be anonymous, but it'd
be equally convenient to have a choice. Grandcentral, for example allows
you to select whether you want the CID on forwarded calls to display the
caller being forwarded (if you want to know who's calling) or the GC number
itself (if you want those calls to be a "free" circle/fave.)

So, if you're willing to give up caller ID, you can make any circle/fave
plan an unlimited free incoming plan By simply giving out your GC number
instead of your cellphone number.


> Nope....Skype in calls are forwarded through Skype Out so they all come

up
> with the number 000-123-4567, which I haven't tried to put into My

Circle,
> yet.


T-Mo won't accept "000" as a valid area code as a "fave," so you get the
worst of both worlds forwarding Skype- you don't now who's calling AND you
can't leverage your circle/fave plan.


> Every Skyper has the same Caller ID...(c;



I knew that was the default behavior- I just wondered if you could override
it to your advantage...



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  #32 (permalink)  
Old 05-16-2008, 04:28 AM
Larry
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Default Re: analog sunset & 911 access

Todd Allcock <elecconnec@AmericaOnLine.com> wrote in
news:tr%Wj.162$qQ5.159@fe091.usenetserver.com:

> I knew that was the default behavior- I just wondered if you could
> override it to your advantage.


I guess not. I've still not figured out what all the free toys will do.

I'm just curious and this isn't any kind of jab, but why are you so anti-
Skype, which is 95% free? You come across as really hating it for some
reason. I always find it hard to trash free stuff....


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  #33 (permalink)  
Old 05-16-2008, 02:00 PM
Todd Allcock
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Posts: n/a
Default Re: analog sunset & 911 access

At 16 May 2008 04:28:02 +0000 Larry wrote:

> I'm just curious and this isn't any kind of jab, but why are you so anti-
> Skype, which is 95% free? You come across as really hating it for some
> reason. I always find it hard to trash free stuff....



I'm not anti-Skype. As I've said, I use it for certain things- video calls
to the kids when I or my wife travel, for VoIP calls on "VoIP-hostile" WiFi
networks (due to it's ability o sniff out open ports) etc.

I _AM_, however, anti-Fanboy. Replace "Skype" with "iPhone" an your posts
read just like Oxford's or Vic's. Skype is a useful enough tool, but
you've "suggested" it many times where it simply doesn't apply to the
situation. If someone asks about a cheap cellphone plan, you suggest Skype
on a portable device- if someone specifically asks about a competing service,
you suggest they use Skype instead. I swear if someone posted they were
hungry, you'd suggest they grab two slices of bread with a thick slab of
Skype in the middle.

You're so very quick to point out the flaws in "sellphone" plans, or tell
all of us how overpriced something is- until it's Skype. If someone points
out that the they're the ONLY VoIP with a "connection fee," you'll tell us
it's "only four cents" and wander off into a Cute Story (tm) about how you
and a goat-herding friend in Outer Mongolia chatted for two hours yesterday
for free. If a cellphone company added a four-cent connection fee to any
calls, however, you'd be calling for the CEO's head on a pike!

Point out that international calls are 40-50% higher on Skype vs. other
VoIPs, you'll say how cheap they are vs. AT&T, yet when someone ELSE points
out Vonage or whoever is cheaper than AT&T you'll tell them how Skype is
only $x/month vs. Vonage's $y.



So, do I hate Skype? Not at all- on the plus side, Skype's free services
are fine, and the software works well, and their unlimited plans are
reasonably priced.

On the downside, their international rates are higher than their competitors,
often higher than just using a calling card or dial-around service. Their
system is non-standard, requiring either a PC to run, a proprietary phone,
or their software to be installed on a portable device. They aren't E911-
compliant (and I STILL haven't figured out how they offer US phone numbers
without being forced to be E911 compliant.)

So, for example, when I said Skype is unsuitable (for me) for landline
replacement because it can't run on my RJ-11 jacks without a PC running
24/7 and because it lacked E911, you gave the typical Oxford-like Fanboy
response- shove your favorite product/service down my throat anyway, and
tell me to ignore it's shortcomings I specifically objected to (i.e. don't
use my home wiring/home phones, and who needs 911 anyway when you already
have cellphones, etc.)

Does that answer your question?

Well, time for breakfast. Should I have my Skype poached, fried or
scrambled, Lar?



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  #34 (permalink)  
Old 05-16-2008, 02:57 PM
George
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Posts: n/a
Default Re: analog sunset & 911 access

Todd Allcock wrote:
>
>
> Does that answer your question?
>
> Well, time for breakfast. Should I have my Skype poached, fried or
> scrambled, Lar?
>
>


Well said and I agree.

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  #35 (permalink)  
Old 05-16-2008, 04:47 PM
Dennis Ferguson
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Posts: n/a
Default Re: analog sunset & 911 access

On 2008-05-16, Todd Allcock <elecconnec@AmericaOnLine.com> wrote:
> or their software to be installed on a portable device. They aren't E911-
> compliant (and I STILL haven't figured out how they offer US phone numbers
> without being forced to be E911 compliant.)


I haven't figured that out either, but I it is somehow related to
them not allowing the US phone numbers to be used for caller ID
on outbound calls even though they're fine with you instead using
any overseas SkypeIn number you have for caller ID on calls to US
phones.

Dennis Ferguson

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  #36 (permalink)  
Old 05-16-2008, 09:18 PM
Todd Allcock
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Posts: n/a
Default Re: analog sunset & 911 access


"Dennis Ferguson" <dcferguson@pacbell.net> wrote in message
news:slrng2rels.4n.dcferguson@akit-ferguson.com...
> On 2008-05-16, Todd Allcock <elecconnec@AmericaOnLine.com> wrote:
>> or their software to be installed on a portable device. They aren't E911-
>> compliant (and I STILL haven't figured out how they offer US phone
>> numbers
>> without being forced to be E911 compliant.)

>
> I haven't figured that out either, but I it is somehow related to
> them not allowing the US phone numbers to be used for caller ID
> on outbound calls even though they're fine with you instead using
> any overseas SkypeIn number you have for caller ID on calls to US
> phones.


I wondered if it has to do with where they're located (Luxemborg, or the
Duchy of Grand Fenwick or whatever.) I need to ask Bruce Nicklin, the
Voicestick Veep about that on the dslreports forums- he'd rather (like many
VoIP providers) to offer 911 as an optional service, since he claims it
costs them about a buck a month per line. His lawyers can probably explain
why Skype is exempt, but Vonage, Voicestick, et al, aren't.




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  #37 (permalink)  
Old 05-16-2008, 09:42 PM
Larry
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Posts: n/a
Default Re: analog sunset & 911 access

"Todd Allcock" <elecconnec@AmericaOnLine.com> wrote in
news:RSmXj.217$xb2.168@fe103.usenetserver.com:

> I wondered if it has to do with where they're located (Luxemborg, or
> the Duchy of Grand Fenwick or whatever.) I need to ask Bruce Nicklin,
> the Voicestick Veep about that on the dslreports forums- he'd rather
> (like many VoIP providers) to offer 911 as an optional service, since
> he claims it costs them about a buck a month per line. His lawyers
> can probably explain why Skype is exempt, but Vonage, Voicestick, et
> al, aren't.
>
>
>
>
>


Skype is in Luxembourg....for tax purposes. They are English, mostly, but
BT and taxes ran them out of that country.

It's why every time you dial out you must dial country code, area, number
completely.

(By the way, forgetting +1 for USA and dialing our 843 area code first gets
you +84 35551212 (or whatever number you dialed without +1). +84 is
Vietnam and I'd like to report Skype dials phones in Vietnam JUST FINE!)...
(c;

My apologies to all those startled Vietnamese people I've gotten out of bed
to answer their phones....


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  #38 (permalink)  
Old 05-16-2008, 10:12 PM
Ness-Net
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Posts: n/a
Default Re: analog sunset & 911 access


"Todd Allcock" <elecconnec@AmericaOnLine.com> wrote in message news:gxgXj.1230$ZB5.763@fe087.usenetserver.com...
>
> I _AM_, however, anti-Fanboy. Replace "Skype" with "iPhone" an your posts
> read just like Oxford's or Vic's.


Question (or consensus)...

Is Vic = Oxford, toned down or maybe back on his meds?
Seems to be the same message, just a little bit more lucid.
Certainly not as blindly rabid.

Or, did Oxford actually go away - to be replaced by Vic...?
Nutboy Oxford seemed to be from Minneapolis, Comcast if I remember.
Vic seems to be on Charter down south somewhere... (Smyrna, GA?)

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  #39 (permalink)  
Old 05-16-2008, 10:21 PM
danny burstein
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Posts: n/a
Default skype, was: analog sunset & 911 access

In <Xns9AA0B84E48FF6noonehomecom@208.49.80.253> Larry <noone@home.com> writes:

>Skype is in Luxembourg....for tax purposes. They are English, mostly, but
>BT and taxes ran them out of that country.


Can they still pull that off given ebay purchased them?

>It's why every time you dial out you must dial country code, area, number
>completely.


>(By the way, forgetting +1 for USA and dialing our 843 area code first gets
>you +84 35551212 (or whatever number you dialed without +1). +84 is
>Vietnam and I'd like to report Skype dials phones in Vietnam JUST FINE!)...
>(c;


Just wondering... does skype interconnect to
the Cuban, North Korean, and PSTNs ("regular phones")
in the other countries the US pretends don't exist?

Anyone know? Thanks
>My apologies to all those startled Vietnamese people I've gotten out of bed
>to answer their phones....


--
__________________________________________________ ___
Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key
dannyb@panix.com
[to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded]

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  #40 (permalink)  
Old 05-16-2008, 11:03 PM
Todd Allcock
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Posts: n/a
Default Re: analog sunset & 911 access

At 16 May 2008 15:12:30 -0700 Ness-Net wrote:

> > I _AM_, however, anti-Fanboy. Replace "Skype" with "iPhone" an your

posts
> > read just like Oxford's or Vic's.

>
> Question (or consensus)...
>
> Is Vic = Oxford, toned down or maybe back on his meds?
> Seems to be the same message, just a little bit more lucid.
> Certainly not as blindly rabid.
>
> Or, did Oxford actually go away - to be replaced by Vic...?
> Nutboy Oxford seemed to be from Minneapolis, Comcast if I remember.
> Vic seems to be on Charter down south somewhere... (Smyrna, GA?)


I've always worked on the assumption that Ox and Vic aren't the same guy.
Besides the geophraphical difference, while Oxford did change nyms often,
he never actually replied to himself to pretend he was someone else
supporting his crazed rantings, while Vic HAS replied to Oxford's posts
before Ox disappeared.


Vic is certainly a fanboy, but is a lot more reasonable than Oxford ever was.
He has even, on rare occasions, taken issue with some of the iPhone's flaws.
Vic seems to Believe that the iPhone is an amazing device that can still
be improved upon (which I have no quarrel with. It IS an amazing chunk of
silicon, IMO.) Oxford, on the other hand, treated it as if were created by
the hand of God (or Jobs- same thing) and any flaw was somehow actually an
advantage ("flash eats batteries") and we mere mortals were simply unable
to comprehend the "mysterious ways" in which it's creator worked!
Vic is actually fun to have around and posts the occasional nugget of
interesting info among his PR fluff pieces. Oxford was just a delusional
waste of bandwidth.

Of course, if the "Vic=a relocated Oxford on meds" theory is true, let's
hope he doesn't let his Blue Cross payments lapse! ;-)




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  #41 (permalink)  
Old 05-16-2008, 11:12 PM
Todd Allcock
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Posts: n/a
Default Re: analog sunset & 911 access

At 16 May 2008 21:42:43 +0000 Larry wrote:
> "Todd Allcock" <elecconnec@AmericaOnLine.com> wrote in
> news:RSmXj.217$xb2.168@fe103.usenetserver.com:
>
> > I wondered if it has to do with where they're located (Luxemborg, or
> > the Duchy of Grand Fenwick...


> Skype is in Luxembourg....


Same difference... ;-)


> It's why every time you dial out you must dial country code, area, number
> completely.



That's actually pretty standard for all VoIPs regardless of location. The
"smarter" VoIPs allow, through software or hardware to preprogram certain
dialing patterns to skip the country or area codes. (I.e. you dial a seven-
digit number, so the software/hardware assumes it's "local" and adds the
"1" and preset local area code for you.)

> (By the way, forgetting +1 for USA and dialing our 843 area code first

gets
> you +84 35551212 (or whatever number you dialed without +1). +84 is
> Vietnam and I'd like to report Skype dials phones in Vietnam JUST FINE!)...


> (c;
>
> My apologies to all those startled Vietnamese people I've gotten out of

bed
> to answer their phones....


This is where preset dialing patterns help- if you program your VoIP
hardware to assume any 10-digit number that doesn't begin with "1" is a US
domestic number (so the software/hardware automatically adds the "1" for
you,) you end up with fewer misdials, and don't need to train anyone
borrowing your telephone how to dial! ;-)




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  #42 (permalink)  
Old 05-16-2008, 11:25 PM
Todd Allcock
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Posts: n/a
Default Re: analog sunset & 911 access

At 16 May 2008 16:47:56 +0000 Dennis Ferguson wrote:
> > I STILL haven't figured out how they offer US phone numbers
> > without being forced to be E911 compliant.)

>
> I haven't figured that out either, but I it is somehow related to
> them not allowing the US phone numbers to be used for caller ID
> on outbound calls even though they're fine with you instead using
> any overseas SkypeIn number you have for caller ID on calls to US
> phones.



Ignore my last post! On further reflection, I think you nailed it.
Looking at various VoIP services, it seems incoming-only numbers are exempt
from 911- only services with outbound capability require 911 location.

Since Skype sells Skype-In and Skype-Out separately, I suspect the "in"
numbers are exempt by not having any outbound capability in and of
themselves. It's probably also the reason that the new unlimited USA Skype-
Out plans don't include free "in" numbers like the European plans do, but
instead just get a generous discount on a Skype-In number- if they included
the incoming number, it'd be a lot harder to convince regulators they were
separate services, under any "if it walks like a duck" scrutiny... ;-)




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  #43 (permalink)  
Old 05-17-2008, 01:27 PM
SMS
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Posts: n/a
Default Re: analog sunset & 911 access

Todd Allcock wrote:

> On the downside, their international rates are higher than their competitors,
> often higher than just using a calling card or dial-around service. Their
> system is non-standard, requiring either a PC to run, a proprietary phone,
> or their software to be installed on a portable device. They aren't E911-
> compliant (and I STILL haven't figured out how they offer US phone numbers
> without being forced to be E911 compliant.)


They have convinced the FCC that they are not a landline or cell phone
replacement, but something of an auxiliary service, because a computer
is required to use it (unlike something like Vonage which can use an
adapter to RJ11). It's not a specious argument that Skype is using.
There are very, very, few people that use Skype as their primary phone
service.

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  #44 (permalink)  
Old 05-17-2008, 02:49 PM
Larry
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Posts: n/a
Default Re: skype, was: analog sunset & 911 access

danny burstein <dannyb@panix.com> wrote in
news:g0l1dc$7ag$2@reader2.panix.com:

> Can they still pull that off given ebay purchased them?
>

I've never been charged a dime in addons and taxes.

Ebay holds controlling interest in Skype, the company. Just because Bill
Gates owns most of some water company on Tuvalu, that doesn't subject the
water company to American taxes and other ripoffs. Skype is not "pulling
off" anything. They are a legal, registered business in Luxembourg and
subject to its low taxes, in one of the richest countries on the planet.

>
> Just wondering... does skype interconnect to
> the Cuban, North Korean, and PSTNs ("regular phones")
> in the other countries the US pretends don't exist?


http://skype.com/prices/callrates/
These are rates w/o VAT (US)
Cuba is $1.025 to phones.
Korea Dem People's Rep $ 0.684
Check the huge list for rates to other places, many of whom most never
heard of. Skype is not limited by any US bureaucracy because it is not a
US company.

One of the misdialings I made on Skype resulted in a call to Hanoi. They
were very nice and said lots of Americans now come to Hanoi, mostly ex-
servicemen, and are very welcome in Hanoi without their weapons and jets.
Vietnam desparately needs the money.

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  #45 (permalink)  
Old 05-17-2008, 02:51 PM
Larry
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Posts: n/a
Default Re: analog sunset & 911 access

Todd Allcock <elecconnec@AmericaOnLine.com> wrote in
news:%8pXj.254$og1.226@fe117.usenetserver.com:

> This is where preset dialing patterns help- if you program your VoIP
> hardware to assume any 10-digit number that doesn't begin with "1" is
> a US domestic number (so the software/hardware automatically adds the
> "1" for you,) you end up with fewer misdials, and don't need to train
> anyone borrowing your telephone how to dial! ;-)
>
>


Skype on Windows does preset the dialing prefix for you. I rarely make
Skype calls from the computer, though.


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  #46 (permalink)  
Old 05-17-2008, 03:00 PM
Larry
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Posts: n/a
Default Re: analog sunset & 911 access

SMS <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote in
news:q%AXj.4704$nW2.26@nlpi064.nbdc.sbc.com:

> Todd Allcock wrote:
>
>> On the downside, their international rates are higher than their
>> competitors, often higher than just using a calling card or
>> dial-around service. Their system is non-standard, requiring either
>> a PC to run, a proprietary phone, or their software to be installed
>> on a portable device. They aren't E911- compliant (and I STILL
>> haven't figured out how they offer US phone numbers without being
>> forced to be E911 compliant.)

>
> They have convinced the FCC that they are not a landline or cell phone
> replacement, but something of an auxiliary service, because a computer
> is required to use it (unlike something like Vonage which can use an
> adapter to RJ11). It's not a specious argument that Skype is using.
> There are very, very, few people that use Skype as their primary phone
> service.


Your omnipotent view of the FCC and USA Bureaucrats is flawed. Skype is
NOT a USA company, so is NOT subject to its laws/flaws. When you make
payment to your Skype account, you are making payments to Luxembourg.
Skype has no presence in the United States so is not subject to its laws
just because a majority of its users are US Citizens living in the USA.

I bought MP3 Catalog Pro from the Russians at wizetech.com. They aren't
subject to the FCC or US Government, either. Same reason. There is no
law that says if I run Russian or Luxembourgian (is that a word??)
software it subjects the foreign country with no offices whatsoever in
the USA to USA laws/regulations/taxes/etc.

The only people paying taxes on Skype are residents of the EU because
Luxembourg is an EU state and signor to those agreements. It's why you
see the VAT prices on their overseas services and see Skype's special
services for EU residence different from ours.

The USA doesn't....YET....control the whole world. I don't want to be
here when it does, do you?


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  #47 (permalink)  
Old 05-17-2008, 06:54 PM
Dennis Ferguson
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: analog sunset & 911 access

On 2008-05-15, Larry <noone@home.com> wrote:
> My SELLphone is my Skype phone because I have my Skype In number
> FORWARDED to my SEllphone number if I don't answer Skype calls....even
> Skype-to-Skype calls! So, if a friend in Japan, for instance, wants to
> call me, he calls me on Skype-to-Skype, my SELLphone rings and I talk to
> him....from anywhere I happen to be, without a Skype phone, by just using
> airtime if he calls me from Japan at 3AM in the morning! If he calls me
> on Skype-to-Skype at NOON in Japan, I'm on free N/W airtime on Alltel and
> that call costs both of us NOTHING! My bill has LOTS of evening
> "Unknown" calls from the Skype-to-Skype callers.....long winded calls...


If you are using Skype call forwarding to forward inbound calls to
your cell phone the calls aren't free, they're 2.1 cents/minute
plus the 4 cent connection charge. Unlike other VoIP operators,
Skype's flat rate plans only cover calls you dial. Forwarded calls
are charged at normal per-minute rates.

This is one of the reasons why comparing Skype charges to other
companies on an apples-to-apples basis is so difficult. Skype
isn't usually feature-for-feature equivalent.

Dennis Ferguson

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  #48 (permalink)  
Old 05-17-2008, 07:54 PM
Ness-Net
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: analog sunset & 911 access


"Todd Allcock" <elecconnec@AmericaOnLine.com> wrote in message news:W8pXj.253$og1.240@fe117.usenetserver.com...
> At 16 May 2008 15:12:30 -0700 Ness-Net wrote:
>
>> > I _AM_, however, anti-Fanboy. Replace "Skype" with "iPhone" an your

> posts
>> > read just like Oxford's or Vic's.

>>
>> Question (or consensus)...
>>
>> Is Vic = Oxford, toned down or maybe back on his meds?
>> Seems to be the same message, just a little bit more lucid.
>> Certainly not as blindly rabid.
>>
>> Or, did Oxford actually go away - to be replaced by Vic...?
>> Nutboy Oxford seemed to be from Minneapolis, Comcast if I remember.
>> Vic seems to be on Charter down south somewhere... (Smyrna, GA?)

>
> I've always worked on the assumption that Ox and Vic aren't the same guy.
> Besides the geophraphical difference, while Oxford did change nyms often,
> he never actually replied to himself to pretend he was someone else
> supporting his crazed rantings, while Vic HAS replied to Oxford's posts
> before Ox disappeared.
>
>
> Vic is certainly a fanboy, but is a lot more reasonable than Oxford ever was.
> He has even, on rare occasions, taken issue with some of the iPhone's flaws.
> Vic seems to Believe that the iPhone is an amazing device that can still
> be improved upon (which I have no quarrel with. It IS an amazing chunk of
> silicon, IMO.) Oxford, on the other hand, treated it as if were created by
> the hand of God (or Jobs- same thing) and any flaw was somehow actually an
> advantage ("flash eats batteries") and we mere mortals were simply unable
> to comprehend the "mysterious ways" in which it's creator worked!
> Vic is actually fun to have around and posts the occasional nugget of
> interesting info among his PR fluff pieces. Oxford was just a delusional
> waste of bandwidth.
>
> Of course, if the "Vic=a relocated Oxford on meds" theory is true, let's
> hope he doesn't let his Blue Cross payments lapse! ;-)


Maybe it's the mean streak in me, or just a bit of neener-neener...
I just wish I could rub Oxy's nose in the demise of muni WiFi.

And, then there were those flippant 3G comments in the past.....


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  #49 (permalink)  
Old 05-17-2008, 08:04 PM
Dennis Ferguson
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: skype, was: analog sunset & 911 access

On 2008-05-17, Larry <noone@home.com> wrote:
> danny burstein <dannyb@panix.com> wrote in
> news:g0l1dc$7ag$2@reader2.panix.com:
>> Just wondering... does skype interconnect to
>> the Cuban, North Korean, and PSTNs ("regular phones")
>> in the other countries the US pretends don't exist?

>
> http://skype.com/prices/callrates/
> These are rates w/o VAT (US)
> Cuba is $1.025 to phones.
> Korea Dem People's Rep $ 0.684
> Check the huge list for rates to other places, many of whom most never
> heard of. Skype is not limited by any US bureaucracy because it is not a
> US company.


If you want to phone one of these countries, however, you might be
better off using Rebtel, another European company, at $0.989 to
Cuba and $0.410 to North Korea for both mobiles and landlines
(Skype adds on an extra, gratuitous 10 or 20 cents per minute for
mobiles in these countries). Or as good is all-American Voicestick
at $0.984 to Cuba and $0.426 to North Korea, again the same for mobiles
and landlines.

In real life it takes real infrastructure like telephone switches
and transmission facilities to deliver phone calls in a country, so
in every country there are usually only a small number of players who
will service VoIP operators (in those particular countries there's
probably only one). All VoIP operators deal with the same small
set of carriers, perhaps through the same small set of wholesalers,
so all VoIP operators will have about the same connectivity. It is
also no surprise that Rebtel and Voicestick are charging about the
same amount to call countries with monopoly carriers since they're
probably being charged about the same amount by those carriers, and
both those companies seem to operate on fairly small margins.

Skype's costs are probably, if anything, lower than those other
two companies since Skype's volumes are a lot higher, but Skype
is a money-making operation and buy-low-sell-high is a good way
to make money. Charging differential rates for mobiles in countries
which don't seem to actually charge differential rates to call
mobiles is a particularly nice touch.

Skype has a few nice things on their price list, if you can stick
to those and avoid the other stuff, and Skype's free stuff is
always good if you can make use of it. Skype is not a particularly
cheap way to make overseas calls to phones, however.

Dennis Ferguson

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  #50 (permalink)  
Old 05-17-2008, 10:46 PM
Larry
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: analog sunset & 911 access

Dennis Ferguson <dcferguson@pacbell.net> wrote in
news:slrng2uags.4t.dcferguson@akit-ferguson.com:

> If you are using Skype call forwarding to forward inbound calls to
> your cell phone the calls aren't free, they're 2.1 cents/minute
> plus the 4 cent connection charge. Unlike other VoIP operators,
> Skype's flat rate plans only cover calls you dial. Forwarded calls
> are charged at normal per-minute rates.


Not if you have Skype Out Unlimited, then they're free.

Forwarding to my cell costs me nothing extra....about $2.08/month
unlimited.

>
> This is one of the reasons why comparing Skype charges to other
> companies on an apples-to-apples basis is so difficult. Skype
> isn't usually feature-for-feature equivalent.
>
> Dennis Ferguson
>


Skype is terrible and should be avoided at all costs....



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  #51 (permalink)  
Old 05-18-2008, 03:10 AM
Todd Allcock
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: analog sunset & 911 access

At 17 May 2008 15:00:14 +0000 Larry wrote:

> Your omnipotent view of the FCC and USA Bureaucrats is flawed. Skype is
> NOT a USA company, so is NOT subject to its laws/flaws.


It is when it starts selling US phone numbers. A little Googling shows
that they talked to the Feds to get an exemption from E911. The Feds seem
to have classified them as a voice IM system like GoogleTalk, rather than a
true VoIP, which protects them from the 911 rules.

> When you make
> payment to your Skype account, you are making payments to Luxembourg.
> Skype has no presence in the United States so is not subject to its laws
> just because a majority of its users are US Citizens living in the USA.



Again, they sell US numbers, so they probably have to comply, else they
wouldn't have had to seek an exemption..





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  #52 (permalink)  
Old 05-18-2008, 04:13 AM
Dennis Ferguson
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: analog sunset & 911 access

On 2008-05-17, Larry <noone@home.com> wrote:
> Dennis Ferguson <dcferguson@pacbell.net> wrote in
> news:slrng2uags.4t.dcferguson@akit-ferguson.com:
>
>> If you are using Skype call forwarding to forward inbound calls to
>> your cell phone the calls aren't free, they're 2.1 cents/minute
>> plus the 4 cent connection charge. Unlike other VoIP operators,
>> Skype's flat rate plans only cover calls you dial. Forwarded calls
>> are charged at normal per-minute rates.

>
> Not if you have Skype Out Unlimited, then they're free.
>
> Forwarding to my cell costs me nothing extra....about $2.08/month
> unlimited.


Ah, you're right. It wasn't included with Skype Pro or the
old US & Canada unlimited, but it is now. Now it is like
the other operators.

Dennis Ferguson

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  #53 (permalink)  
Old 05-18-2008, 04:27 AM
Larry
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: analog sunset & 911 access

Todd Allcock <elecconnec@AmericaOnLine.com> wrote in
news:A6NXj.1334$ZB5.603@fe087.usenetserver.com:

> It is when it starts selling US phone numbers. A little Googling
> shows that they talked to the Feds to get an exemption from E911. The
> Feds seem to have classified them as a voice IM system like
> GoogleTalk, rather than a true VoIP, which protects them from the 911
> rules.
>
>> When you make
>> payment to your Skype account, you are making payments to Luxembourg.
>> Skype has no presence in the United States so is not subject to its
>> laws just because a majority of its users are US Citizens living in
>> the USA.

>
>
> Again, they sell US numbers, so they probably have to comply, else
> they wouldn't have had to seek an exemption..
>
>


But, as someone said earlier, Skype In has no calling from those numbers so
cannot initiate a 911 call on an incoming-only line. Skype Out goes
through the internet to Luxembourg where the call is internet distributed
to a regional interconnect center even the Mossad may not be able to listen
in on.

The split system, sold in pieces may have been a very good political move.


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  #54 (permalink)  
Old 05-18-2008, 04:30 AM
Larry
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: analog sunset & 911 access

Dennis Ferguson <dcferguson@pacbell.net> wrote in
news:slrng2vb8p.o7.dcferguson@akit-ferguson.com:

> Ah, you're right. It wasn't included with Skype Pro or the
> old US & Canada unlimited, but it is now. Now it is like
> the other operators.
>
> Dennis Ferguson
>
>


I installed Skype into a Best Buy demo Sony PSP-2000 video game, this
afternoon, but was unable to use it because there was no headphone/mic
available, a proprietary, of course, headphone with a wierd plug. I did
call it from my Skype on the tablet and I could hear it ringing. I called
the tablet from it and it rang the tablet so I guess it really does work.
I was using the hobbled up Best Buy wifi through BB's filter, which, of
course, is quite useless to filter out Skype.


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