[Asterisk-biz] 800 number

[Scott Laird]

On Feb 11, 2005, at 11:16 AM, Kevin Bockman wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I am looking for an 800 number provider in the US.  I want the ability
> to port an 800 number FROM another provider and to port the number TO
> another provider.
>
> It would be nice to have the ability to instantly change the 
> destination
> number that the 800 number connects to (via the web).
>
> I would also want the call to go to the provider's voicemail in case I
> am not registered (optional).
>
> I would of course prefer to use IAX, but SIP is also OK.
>
> I want to be able to have multi-line capability (accept more than 1 
> call
> at once).
>
> I have saved information for several providers, but I am just testing 
> to
> see what providers monitor the lists and how fast they respond.  Any
> recommendations of course will be appreciated.
>
> In your response, please address each requirement and give full pricing
> information.  I will also need to know how long it will take for the
> number to be provisioned.  If billing is prepaid, please tell me how
> payments are made (PayPal or credit card) and if you have a post-paid
> option.
>
> At this time, I will be looking for 2 toll-free numbers.

While a lot of people aren't happy with their support system, I have to 
say that NuFone does a good job providing this sort of service for me.  
They'll port 800 numbers for $25 each or assign new numbers for free 
(unless this has changed recently).  Monthly costs are a flat 
$0.02/minute, prepaid.  They do IAX.  They don't do voicemail, but you 
can provide a backup number to use in case registration fails; it's 
worked perfectly for me during outages.  I've only had a couple calls 
going at a time with them, but people on this list have reported up to 
30 calls at a time without a problem.

I'm not sure what you mean by "instantly change the destination number 
that the 800 number points to"--with most (all?) VoIP 800 providers, 
the 800 number goes directly into IAX or SIP, it's not just a front-end 
for a traditional local phone number.  If you have multiple Asterisk 
servers, it should be trivial to swing a single 800 number between them 
by changing which one registers with your provider.

On the service and support front, my latest experience with NuFone was 
pretty positive.  I reported a problem via email late at night and 
found a response from Jeremy waiting when I woke up.  I had a couple 
more questions which he answered promptly, and I had things back up and 
running after fixing some problems on my end.  My previous experience 
was similar, but there was a stretch where it was almost impossible for 
me to get support out of them.  Others have reported similar 
experiences, including much more recent problems.


Scott