Has One An Automatic Right To A Geo Number

tak

Have VoIP.

But foreign callers - UK at least - have repeatedly failed to get through to me.

I'm told that this is due to fact that certain new number ranges that are used by VoIP cannot be handled by the foreign PSTN exchanges.
So the attempted call never even reaches the VoIP server, let alone gets relayed on to me.

The obvious way out of this is to use a geographical number.

As a user of a putatively equal service to the PSTN, do I have a right to a free geographical number ?
If not is there a market for these ?
Or can one go to ComReg and buy a nice easy to remember one ?

Cabaal

Who's your voip provider?

tak

That's beside the point, mate.

GerardKeating

tak wrote:

do I have a right to a free geographical number ?

Why would you, no one has the right to a free phone service.

GerardKeating

tak wrote:

That's beside the point, mate.

Actually this is the entire point, some voip provider will supply a Geo-number as part of a package, some don;t.

Without knowing your voip provider, it is impossible to answer your question.

tak

Maybe I'm wrong but I thought that VoIP providers - regardless of who they are - were licensed in this country.
As with most licenses, I'd have expected that certain requirements were made of these VoIP operators in respect to their obligations to their customers, to any agreed telcoms industry standards in Ireland as well as to the general public.
Maybe additional requirements apply also, particularly in respect of this country's official policy on VoIP development - I don't know much on this.

Allowing VoIP operators to offer the 076 service alone, with its exciting rates for outgoing calls all over the world but limited in the calls that it can receive, is not very fair. The customers want to avoid missing calls (esp. business calls) and are effectively forced to adopt a call plan that gives them the full access associated with a geographical number.

Seems to me that it would be fairer if customers could buy the geo number from ComReg (on producing a VoIP service contract) and choose whether to PAYG or go on a plan for themselves.

Rather_b_diving

The issue is not to do with the VoIP operators - the 076 range hasbeen opened since May 2005 however as there is still very little traffic on it you get various service providers in other countries that haven't opened these ranges on their switches. These are normally small operators -I know of a few in the Netherlands that a friend uses and can't call my 076 number.

Regarding Geo numbers - Comreg are actually progressive here with the 076range - a Geo number implies you are at a specific location and you are not allowed to present that number on outbound calls if you are not at that location. If there are specific areas where people can't call you ask your callers to raise it with their service provider.

Another known anomolie was Vartek who are based in the UK - they charged people a mobile rate to call 076 numbers and wouldn't change.

As for Geo number rights - eircom have a universal service obligation to provide a phone service with a number - so get an eircom line then port the number - but something tells me if your existing SP can't provide a geo number they won't port your number....

GerardKeating

tak wrote:

Allowing VoIP operators to offer the 076 service alone, with its exciting rates for outgoing calls all over the world but limited in the calls that it can receive, is not very fair.

WHY. Such a service would be cheaper than a service with a Geo number. You want to force those people do not want a Geo number to pay for one, just because you want one.

If your voip provider does not give a Geo number, no one is forcing you to stay with them..

tak wrote:

Seems to me that it would be fairer if customers could buy the geo number from ComReg (on producing a VoIP service contract) and choose whether to PAYG or go on a plan for themselves.

ComReg are a industry regulator, not a retail outlet for phone numbers.

tak

Having looked at the way the VoIP <--> PSTN network interacts, and the extra hardware & software adjustments needed to supply geographical numbers to VoIP customers, it is clear that there is a cost involved to the VoIP providers for this service. Probably not as much as is charged - but the insurance against losing calls has to be worth something - and in the end what choice is there between VoIP and the rest ?

amby666

tak wrote:

That's beside the point, mate.

Some Irish voip providers can provide a UK voip number (056) which may help get around the problem for you. Doesn't solve the problem as that appears to be with the UK telcos.
You can get a Geo number here for a once off top-up fee or with a subscription account. There is also at least one UK provider who offers Irish landline numbers. And I have several free UK Geo numbers that ring out to my Irish Voip Geo number.

Hard to help more without having more info.

Rather_b_diving

tak wrote:

Probably not as much as is charged - but the insurance against losing calls has to be worth something - and in the end what choice is there between VoIP and the rest ?

What are you trying to say? Your 076 number is not working because the external operators are slow to change their dial plan. Get someone to call them and it will work. Simillar things happen to 083 mobile numbers initially and believe or not O2 were very slow to open 076 ranges.

Me thinks your time would be better spent emailing the service providers where you say your number doesn't work than moaning here about the commercial realities of telecoms.

Cabaal

tak wrote:

That's beside the point, mate.

Its a valid question, at the end of the day you have no right to a telephone number, hell their were people in the black valley in kerry who couldn't even get phone services up untill a few years ago.

Its not your providers fault if 3rd partys won't get their systems to work with a 076 number, as already mentioned the same stuff happened with Three mobiles prefix (083)..it wasn't Three's fault in that situation either