SkypeIn - I now have one phone number that will travel with me

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July 8th, 2007 - chosen as a TWTWTW article

I have a Wellington SkypeIn number +64 (0)4-889 0227
"And so, just another number to use to call Mike on ... isn't it?" Well, yes and no.

Call that number from within Wellington and it's a free call, just like any other person phone number - no change. The same for calling from anywhere else, it's whatever you'd pay to call me here in Wellington on any other phone.
Also I can set up a free voice mail so if I'm not on my PC* you can leave me a message and I will, probably, call you back. Normal stuff.

And so, there's no real benefit from having a SkypeIn number and any other Wellington telecom number.

However, the really cool thing is that I can forward, for a nominal charge, all calls to any other number** - aha, now we're talking. So, if I'm in the pub I tell Skype to forward my calls to my mobile. And don't forget, this costs Wellington people nothing and others a pittance.
Likewise, if I'm at work, forward to the work phone. Watching TV in the other room, forward it to the Riversdale Family Telephonic Device (tm).

And one last benefit to me - I have this phone number for life!
This is now MY number that is not dependent upon the actual service providers that I am using at any given time (mobile is Telecom, home is TelstraClear) and where I am in the world. Call this number and you will get me or my voicemail.

Txt's cost NZ$0.18 - that's about the same as Vodafone or Telecom if you're not paying up front for the 'so many txts a month' type plans.

Of course, use Skype and it's all free anyway!


[Updated an hour or so later]
As stuart points out in the comments - you don't have to get a phone number for where you are, you get the phone number for where your callers are. For him, living in NZ, he wanted a London number so his family can call. If your customers are based in Australia, get an Aussie number.
Thanks stuart for pointing out an obvious plus that I'd completely missed.

[Updated before I posted]
Having written the posting I set off to find the relevant links - mainly costs and comparisons with what else I could use in Wellington (Telecom, TelstraClear and/or Vodafone). And I have to say my initial "hot diggity shag, this is so cheap" has disappeared before my very eyes. Whilst it's free if you're on the PC it's actually not that better once you move away from the computer.

I still think it's the way of the future, and we're not losing anything by doing this. In fact it might be very advantageous to Liz and her Vista Coaching business to be able to give people an '04' number instead of her 025 one.

The next purchase will be to remove the current TelstraClear phone, buy an IP phone and hook it up to the broadband ... watch this space ...

* Only downside to Skype (for me) is that it's not Web based ... it's an application that in effect ties me to PC's with Skype loaded on it. I have take a step back
** Oh, and so do Vodafone, Telecom and TelstraClear

Comments

  1. AnonymousSeptember 01, 2009 8:43 am

    Hi Mike
    Any chnace I could contact you as I am looking to setup Skype @ home with a mobile skype phone ( local number etc.. )
    Just want to see how it is still going and if you would recommend it still
    Hamishconey@hotmail.com

    Cheers
    Hamish

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mike RiversdaleSeptember 08, 2009 7:52 pm

    I quickly stopped the experiment because, at the time, I couldn't connect to Vodafone numbers via VOIP (may be different now)

    ReplyDelete

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