[Asterisk-Users] VoIP Termination

[Jay Milk]

These or very similar policies are found with all providers of
"unlimited" service.  Fact is, unless you're paying for every one of the
43,000 minutes possible each month, they can't guarantee you "unlimited"
service... so they sneak sanity clauses into their contracts to prevent
you from using the phone above and beyond their profit margin.  The only
way to get around this is to get metered services, and those are, in my
experience, quite competitive with "unlimited" plans.  Termination can
be had for 1.3c/minute to anywhere in the US, origination can be found
for between $7.50/unlimited to $1.50/month+0.014/minute.  Do the math
and see how many minutes you *actually* use.  In our case, we found it
easier and *cheaper* to simply get a toll-free number rather than
multiple DIDs to be reached locally.

All that said, I would avoid Packet8 for other reasons, most importantly
the fact that they won't let you terminate into * directly.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mike Diehl (Encrypted email preferred) 
> [mailto:mdiehl at diehlnet.com] 
> Sent: Thursday, December 16, 2004 2:54 PM
> To: asterisk-users at lists.digium.com
> Cc: Andrew Kohlsmith
> Subject: Re: [Asterisk-Users] VoIP Termination
> 
> 
> On Thursday 16 December 2004 05:17 am, Andrew Kohlsmith wrote:
> > On December 16, 2004 12:03 am, Mike Diehl (Encrypted email 
> preferred) 
> > wrote:
> > > One of the catches is that I often telecommute and sometimes I do 
> > > some side business; these practices violate many provider's 
> > > acceptable use policies. So, I need a provider who 
> doesn't care how 
> > > I use the phone, and one that works well with Asterisk.
> >
> > You've gotta be kidding, VOIP providers are trying to 
> regulate who you 
> > can call?  Go with Nufone or iax.cc or even voicepulse 
> connect -- use 
> > IAX2 over SIP, IMO it's just better.
> 
> Thanx, I will look into these providers.
> 
> This is an exerpt from Packet8's Terms of Use statement.  
> I've edited it for 
> space, but I've tried to retain the context:
> --------------------------------------------------------------
> --------------------
> PERSONAL USE. 8x8's Service Plans for residential subscribers 
> that offer 
> unlimited minutes of PSTN calls ("Unlimited PSTN Plans") are for the 
> reasonable personal residential use of End User only. End 
> Users of Unlimited 
> PSTN Plans shall not use the Services for commercial or 
> governmental purposes 
> or for profit or non-profit activities, including, but not 
> limited to, home 
> office, business, sales, tele-commuting, autodialing, 
> continuous or extensive 
> call forwarding, continuous connectivity, fax broadcast, fax 
> blasting, 
> telemarketing or any other activity that would be 
> inconsistent with personal 
> and residential usage. 8x8 reserves the right to immediately 
> terminate or 
> modify the Services of any End User using Unlimited PSTN Plans if 8x8 
> determines, in its sole discretion, that End User is not 
> using the Unlimited 
> PSTN Plans for End User's reasonable personal residential use.
> --------------------------------------------------------------
> --------------------
> 
> Now I agree with their policy on fax-blasting, etc.  But 
> according to them, I 
> can't use my own phone for charity work?  I work at a 
> national lab; would my 
> wife be alowed to call me at work?  Or would the be a 
> "governmental purpose?"
> 
> It gets better... If Packet8 decides, in THEIR SOLE 
> DISCRETION, that I'm 
> conducting a business with my phone, they can terminate my 
> service, or 
> increase the price of it.
> 
> I'm trying to make an issue out of this because I think it 
> needs to change and 
> I'm hoping people who are affiliated with these providers are 
> reading this.  
> I was going to go with Packet8.  I was going through the 
> "final checklist" 
> before subscribing when I came accross this fascist policy.
> 
> Sure, I can go with a business plan, but that would cost me 
> $39.95.  That's $5 
> more than I'm spending for an analog phone line!  Part of the 
> reason for me 
> to go with VoIP is to become "Quest Free."  But suddenly, 
> Quest is starting 
> to resemble the Boy Scouts when compared to the types of 
> usage policies I'm 
> seeing from some of the VoIP providers.
> 
> Sorry for the rant, but I hope you understand.
> 
> -- 
> Mike
> gpg key: http://diehlnet.com/~mdiehl/mdiehl.asc
> 83AD D927 758D 4BFC A800 0277 4B26 75A4 F0D1 C7EB
> 
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