Voice Over IP in UK - How do they (voicheap, et al.) do it?

Author

How do they (voicheap, et al.) do it?

Gordon Henderson

2007-03-25, 7:11 am

Following on a thread last week about voicecheap.com, I thought I'd
give them a try.

And it "just works". Downloaded their client onto a sacrificial old
laptop (just in-case), got an account, transfered it into my asterisk
system and it did exactly what it says on the tin.

I had a half-hour chat with a friend (in 5-minute segments!) yesterday
and didn't pay a penny. (It wouldn't normally as I'd call him via VoIP,
so this was a novelty to call his landline number!) I understand that
if I put some (any) credit on my account, I can chat for more than 5
minutes, however...

I used a g711 codec and call quality was perfect - or as perfect as all
other VoIP calls I make @ g711. Certainly better than a call over the 30
year old BT copper that comes in.

But I really can't work out how they are doing it... It must cost someone,
somewhere, something to connect into the PSTN, yet these people are doing
it for free and to a good selection of international destinations too!

I'm really puzzled, but I suspect that won't stop me using them, and
given my calling pattern, I'd really struggle to get anywhere near their
limit of 300 minutes a week.

I can't help thinking it's going to turn into another RedHotAnt, and
one day it just won't be there, but I guess while it is there, I might
as well make use of it!

Gordon

Graham

2007-03-25, 1:11 pm

"Gordon Henderson" <gordon@drogon.net> wrote in message
news:46062e30$0$28985$da0feed9@news.zen.co.uk...
> Following on a thread last week about voicecheap.com, I thought I'd
> give them a try.
>
> And it "just works". Downloaded their client onto a sacrificial old
> laptop (just in-case), got an account, transfered it into my asterisk
> system and it did exactly what it says on the tin.
>
> I had a half-hour chat with a friend (in 5-minute segments!) yesterday
> and didn't pay a penny. (It wouldn't normally as I'd call him via VoIP,
> so this was a novelty to call his landline number!) I understand that
> if I put some (any) credit on my account, I can chat for more than 5
> minutes, however...
>
> I used a g711 codec and call quality was perfect - or as perfect as all
> other VoIP calls I make @ g711. Certainly better than a call over the 30
> year old BT copper that comes in.
>
> But I really can't work out how they are doing it... It must cost someone,
> somewhere, something to connect into the PSTN, yet these people are doing
> it for free and to a good selection of international destinations too!
>
> I'm really puzzled, but I suspect that won't stop me using them, and
> given my calling pattern, I'd really struggle to get anywhere near their
> limit of 300 minutes a week.
>
> I can't help thinking it's going to turn into another RedHotAnt, and
> one day it just won't be there, but I guess while it is there, I might
> as well make use of it!
>
> Gordon

Greetings from another very satisfied voipcheap.com customer.
I also have an old voipcheap.co.uk account with a few pence credit
left in that I use for incoming calls. The number (0161 700 xxxx)
is much more memorable than my BT number, and most people
would assume it was a North Manchester landline.

Go ahead and put 10 euros in, you wont regret it.
What service were you using before?

Oh yes, and my teenage son wants to know if all your laptops
have now been sacrificed ;-)

--

Graham.
%Profound_observation%

Gordon Henderson

2007-03-25, 1:11 pm

In article <eu5rss$up9$1@news.datemas.de>, Graham <me@privacy.com> wrote:
>
>"Gordon Henderson" <gordon@drogon.net> wrote in message
>news:46062e30$0$28985$da0feed9@news.zen.co.uk...
[vbcol=seagreen]
>Greetings from another very satisfied voipcheap.com customer.
>I also have an old voipcheap.co.uk account with a few pence credit
>left in that I use for incoming calls. The number (0161 700 xxxx)
>is much more memorable than my BT number, and most people
>would assume it was a North Manchester landline.
>
>Go ahead and put 10 euros in, you wont regret it.
>What service were you using before?

I'm not actually "using" any service right now - although I have
trialled a few (Sipgate, VoipTalk and I'm currently experimenting with
a wholesaler) and they all "just work" too.

I have little need for PSTN connectivity myself, as almost everything
I do is purely VoIP these days with little PSTN intervention - I use
my mobile with a few 100s of minutes included for that... I currently
publish my sipgate number and haven't had any problems with it.

However, some of my PBX customers are now looking at using VoIP as their
business expands - they're typically SMEs with a few analogue lines and
are looking at VoIP -> PSTN solutions and/or get in a 2nd ADSL line
rather than an ISDN2/30, and so on, so I've been looking about again to
see what's what ... I may not neccessarily recommend voipcheap to them,
but it's an interesting concept!

But I really can't see how they are going to make money on it - maybe
I shouldn't look too closely though and just accept it ;-)

>Oh yes, and my teenage son wants to know if all your laptops
>have now been sacrificed ;-)

Er ... This is an older model, Celeron 900MHz job - which 4.5 years
ago was "the biz", and Linux runs on it very well, and XP is bareable
as it's almost a vanilla install (I don't use XP much!) and I paid £400
for it 2nd hand ... but these days, it's a bit slow, and the charging
circuit is broken, so I retired it a few months ago and splashed out
£400 for a new Acer, which I'll probably use for the next 4 years,
and then see what £400 can get me :-)

And my laptop before that cost me just under £400 and lasted 3
years... (and still works apart from the battery - P200 though!)

Gordon