On Thu, 11 Nov 2004 21:22:47 +0000, Ex Alfa Adam wrote:
> Is there anywhere I can read who is offering what in the way of packages for
> VOIP here in the UK?
>
> Is anyone offering a service that is free? (But not dependent on a
> subscription to something else)
sipgate (
www.sipgate.co.uk) and gossiptel (
www.gossiptel.com) have free
services - although you can't call out to the PSTN (normal old phone
lines, mobiles, etc) without paying, of course, but you can get incoming
calls via the PSTN. no doubt there are several others that offer the same.
some of the other VOIP services are: sipcall.co.uk, gradwell.com,
calluk.com. there are probably others. you'll have to check them out
yourself.
one difference between sipgate and gossiptel is gossiptel's minimum
amount of credit you can put on your account is £5 and sipgate's is £20
(for credit cards, or £10 for bank transfer). this, surely, must mean
gossiptel is the best bet if you want to try out VOIP. however,
gossiptel's incoming numbers are 0870 numbers, whereas sipgate's are
geographical numbers (e.g., you could have a london 0207 number). sipgate
also seems to have cheaper call charges. which possibly means sipgate's
the best bet long term. ??? (*that*, of course, remains to be seen!)
those two issues are a couple of things you could consider when choosing a
service provider.
naturally there are other issues.
e.g.: gossiptel seems to have a good voicemail service, whereas sipgate
doesn't appear to have one at all.
etc, etc....
will