What do you look for in a VoIP provider?

Oasis-K made the following observation in another thread :-

Quote:

VoIP websites are springing up from the cyberturf overnight like mushrooms in a wet forest. They remind me of an expression I heard around the oil business in Texas in the eighties when oil blasted from $12 to just shy of $40. Pundits predicted $100 a barrel oil within the decade and everyone wanted a piece of it. Updated for today's 'voiportunity' it'd be... Question: How long you been in the VoIP business? Answer: All day!

I thought it deserved a thread in it's own right.

It's a fact that we're seeing voice-only providers springing up all over the place at the moment.

Which one is going to win your business, and why?

Reply from middletn on Nov 15, 2005 - 11:46 PM

I've tried a number of providers. I lik a regional number on the basic plan, but.... and here's the issue, both inbound and outbound DTMF doesn't work with this ISP. So no IVR, a pain if you want to phone your bank.

I like good customer support.

Call rates, well they're pretty much even on most plans, though the cost of mobile calls is definately a factor.

Codec support

Want a provider that supports gsm and g729 (low bandwidth)

IAX support is a must for me.

Clear billing, and ability to auto topup (don't want to run out of call credit and not know it)

Finally, reliablity and business/provider size. Want my calls to get through, and don't want the provider to go bust on me, so trust is a big factor.




<Edit by Dean>Cleaning up</Edit>

Reply from jacekalbert on Nov 28, 2005 - 03:24 AM

free call's and very good quality of sound (better than skype)

so I love free stuff




<Edit by Dean>Cleaning up</Edit>

Reply from mike772 on Nov 28, 2005 - 11:55 AM

1. reliable gateway to PSTN - it's going to be some time before everyone is on VOIP
2. Peering/Enum - universal connectivity to sip phones seems to have atalled
3. Configurable answering machine and call handling
4. Premium numbers - I want telemarketers and my bank to to pay to speak to me!

Medium term

1. Functional presence - video, messaging, whiteboard sharing, desktop sharing and conference calling.I know there are a number of proprietary solutions. However we seem very close to making it happen but again it seems to have stalled

Reply from dean on Nov 28, 2005 - 12:09 PM

Sorry for the edits in the thread. I wanted to steer clear of specific providers at the moment and look at general principles of what people want from service providers.

A specific providers thread, and what they offer, what's good what's bad about them etc, would justify it's own thread, which would be a good idea to have after this one...

Dean

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