HELLO & WELCOME

[SteveAtVoIP2Go]

I am a provider of VoIP service but although I am from the UK, all of my Customers are from outside of the UK. The market for VoIP services in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are clear to see, however, it seems to me like red tape has pretty much killed the potential for VoIP in the UK.

When consumers only have the following options for broadband, I am struggling to see why anyone would have a requirement for VoIP:

1. BT landline

2. Virgin cable

3. Mobile data

I don't currently live in the UK, so I don't know the finer details of what plans are available, so I'd appreciate any suggestions on where you would focus your attention if you were a new VoIP provider hoping to gain traction in the UK market.

[tiptopkev]

I can't speak for others only myself. I have a BT line and broadband with sky as Virgin Media don't have cable in my area!

I use voip as I need a second line at home; BT wanted to charge me a whopping £130 installation, an additional £16.99 a month line rental and lock me into another 12 month contract for a second line. Voip was a no-brainer really.

You don't really make much of a saving taking only Virgin Media'd broadband package, I think it costs just £3 a month more to take a PSTN line with their broadband package. Trouble is here in the UK you have to pay extra for things like caller display, call waiting etc. (That goes for all PSTN providers)

Virgin Media are also expensive on their call rates.

Virgin Media Call Charges
VM-Charges.png (122 KiB) Viewed 4095 times

So you can save money using voip there.
Actually a lot of Virgin Media's customers do make use of voip even though they have a Virgin Media landline.

I guess here in the UK the real benefit of voip is business use, explains why hardly any voip providers here in the UK push domestic voip services.

Mobile data and voip comes in handy if your out and about and want to take calls without having to pay for the cost of a diverted call to your mobile.

[SteveAtVoIP2Go]

Thanks.... so there is hope.

[WelshPaul]

Hey Guy's,

Virgin Media customer here! No landline here just standalone broadband 152MB and it cost s me £30 a month. Been with Virgin for years but purely for the speed. I can't get more than 20MB via fibre through BT even though I live a mile away from the main exchange here in Swansea!

I'm 100% VoIP too, Use it for work and home. As Kev mentions above, VoIP here in the UK seems aimed more towards Business than domestic. Sipgate, Voiptalk do plans aimed at home users but about all that is ever offered is around 1000 minutes for approximately £6 a month which isn't bad.

Voiptalk now impose contracts and minimum terms on you which suck!

Voipfone do offer landline and VoIP prioritised broadband http://www.voipfone.co.uk/broadband.php so there are people out there who want both.

What we need here in the UK are more residential VoIP providers who are going to stick around.

[SteveAtVoIP2Go]

Hey Guy's,
What we need here in the UK are more residential VoIP providers who are going to stick around.

Do you think I should stick to pay as you go, or would I be wise to offer a plan like 1000 minutes for £6 per month? I don't believe in tying my Customers to contracts, so whatever plan I offer, people would be able to vote with their feet if the service does not live up to their expectations.

[tiptopkev]

Hey Guy's,
What we need here in the UK are more residential VoIP providers who are going to stick around.

Do you think I should stick to pay as you go, or would I be wise to offer a plan like 1000 minutes for £6 per month? I don't believe in tying my Customers to contracts, so whatever plan I offer, people would be able to vote with their feet if the service does not live up to their expectations.

I would say both.

[SteveAtVoIP2Go]

Absolutely. I would always continue to offer PAYG as that's all that some people require.

[tiptopkev]

Absolutely. I would always continue to offer PAYG as that's all that some people require.

Sipgate do the 1000 minutes on a pay go bases, there is also an element of security in that you are less likely to receive a massive bill if someone abuses the line or if it get's compromised security wise. (That is if you don't have any automatic top ups enabled)

The sooner us Brits get standalone broadband the better.

[SteveAtVoIP2Go]

That is if you don't have any automatic top ups enabled
.

No auto top ups allowed.

The sooner us Brits get standalone broadband the better.

Many countries with a free market enjoy "Naked DSL", but from my research, it sounds like we'll never see it in the UK in our lifetimes

[WelshPaul]

No auto top ups allowed.

I wouldn't rule out the option to auto top-up! It is a great feature for many as it prevents a call getting dropped mid conversation. Having the option to enable or disable any auto top-up feature is a must in my opinion though.

[Nissemus]

While many people are stuck with having a landline and have a package that gives them free UK calls, they could still benefit from having VOIP if they tend to make overseas calls. BT's rates for international calls - especially to mobiles - are outrageous, even on one of their international calling plans.

[JohnBrack]

I use VoIP to save money, plane and simple, there are some minor annoyances when using VoIP regularly, but I save enough for it to be worth the hassle.

[CJT-80]

Hi there,

I am a new forum member.

I actually decided to join, after noticing this post.

I currently have Virgin Media Broadband and a Phone Line with them, initially I paid upfront for a years line rental but that comes to and end soon. Not wanting to sign up for another 12 months, I have worked out that using VoIP instead of a regular land line will actually work out better for me.

So here I am to find out the best provider/s and hardware to use. So far I have looked at Sipgate UK (who appear to have suspended registering for new basic accounts), VoIP 2 Go, and Voipfone.co.uk

I have sent and e-mail to VoIP 2 Go but am waiting on a reply. I will look forward to the opportunity to contribute to the forum.

[WelshPaul]

Hi there,

I am a new forum member. :D

Hi and welcome to the forums Chris

I currently have Virgin Media Broadband and a Phone Line with them, initially I paid upfront for a years line rental but that comes to and end soon. Not wanting to sign up for another 12 months, I have worked out that using VoIP instead of a regular land line will actually work out better for me.

This was me just over a year ago! I called virgin and got their 152Mb BB stand alone for £28 a month fixed for two years. I'm 100% VoIP now and have never looked back!

When choosing a VoIP provider the first thing you need to look at is usage... Do you need free minutes? Sipgate and Voiptalk offer a monthly bundle of 1000 minutes for around £4.99 +VAT a month. You can get unlimited calls from just £9.99 +VAT a month or if you're not a big talker go pay go and pay by the minute - most VoIP providers charge around 1p per minute for calls to numbers beginning with 01, 02 and 03.

I use Voipfone, Voicehost and Sipgate myself.

Both Voipfone and Voicehost have amazing uptime, Voipfone work out a little more expensive as their prices are +VAT yet Voicehost's prices are inclusive of VAT. Voipfone do have amazing support though! Sipgate is ok but I wouldn't use them as a replacement for your landline as reliability and support just isn't there. Sipgate are overhauling their residential package though so it will be interesting to see what they come up with.

As for hardware if your going to go down the analogue telephone adaptor (ATA) road then get yourself an Obihai! Those things have all the bells and whistles and more. I wouldn't use anything but anymore when it comes to ATA's! Or would you rather a SIP phone?

[CJT-80]

Good Evening WelshPaul thank you for the Welcome :D

This was me just over a year ago! I called virgin and got their 152Mb BB stand alone for £28 a month fixed for two years. I'm 100% VoIP now and have never looked back!

When choosing a VoIP provider the first thing you need to look at is usage... Do you need free minutes? Sipgate and Voiptalk offer a monthly bundle of 1000 minutes for around £4.99 +VAT a month. You can get unlimited calls from just £9.99 +VAT a month or if you're not a big talker go pay go and pay by the minute - most VoIP providers charge around 1p per minute for calls to numbers beginning with 01, 02 and 03.

I use Voipfone, Voicehost and Sipgate myself.

Both Voipfone and Voicehost have amazing uptime, Voipfone work out a little more expensive as their prices are +VAT yet Voicehost's prices are inclusive of VAT. Voipfone do have amazing support though! Sipgate is ok but I wouldn't use them as a replacement for your landline as reliability and support just isn't there. Sipgate are overhauling their residential package though so it will be interesting to see what they come up with.

As for hardware if your going to go down the analogue telephone adaptor (ATA) road then get yourself an Obihai! Those things have all the bells and whistles and more. I wouldn't use anything but anymore when it comes to ATA's! Or would you rather a SIP phone?

I have been tempted to go with a few of the listed providers, mainly the fact that I don't/won't use the landline that much. It will mainly be for incoming calls.

I was given a basic Philips handset that frankly I would like to get shot of, but I am wondering between trying an ATA to start with to see how it go's or just getting a VoIP handset such as a Gigaset unit.

What I really need/want to be sure is that it will all work ok with my VM Broadband. I have the Super Hub 2. Will everything be easy to set up?

I was thinking along the lines of a Gigaset N300A IP and a couple of suitable Gigaset handsets. With regards to VoIP providers one that provides a UK Geographic number would be good, preferably London. I did e-mail VoIP 2 Go but have yet to have a reply. Voipfone were tempting but was a bit unsure on the prices, and Voicehost looked good. They maybe tempting if the price for an incoming Geo number is worth while.

I look forward to anyone's comments