Geographic Number for ZTE Blade

[Guest Pez1980]

Hi everyone,

I am running r4b gforums Custom Rom FROYO 2.2 on the ZTE Blade and I am on the 3 network.

I am setting up a business which requires me to travel a lot.

I need a geographic number (London) to ring though to my ZTE Blade by whichever mechanism is the cheapest.

I have tried the following:

1. Sipdroid with sipgate.co.uk

I was assigned a free 0203 number from sipgate.co.uk

I downloaded Sipdroid from the market and connected to sipgate and had the known problem of the sound coming out of the speakerpone. I then uninstalled this version of Sipdroid and installed an earlier version of Sipdroid (1.3.7). This version does not have the speakerphone issue and people are able to call me and the call quality is fine. However, It sometimes randomly goes offline and callers go straight to my sipgate voicemail. I find that dialling 10, 000 through Sipdroid puts me back in online mode. But this not reliable enough to run a business.

2. I tried Skype on 3 with a Skype Online Number

I had a Skype account already and I have Skype on 3 (downloaded the APK from this forum) which does not have the issue of the speakerphone. It is totally free and call quality is just the same as a mobile for me, as it does not use VOIP.

I paid for a 3 month subscription for an online number for Skype (0208). I tested this number on the PC when running Skype and it runs fine. However, when running Skype for 3 on the Android, the number does not ring though to Skype.

3. I tried Skype on 3 with a Ring2skype Number.

I signed up to Ring2skype (for free) and was given an 0203 number, however, the caller will have to also dial a 3 digit extension to connect (I find this inconvenient). This is the only solution which totally works. The call goes through to my Blade running Skype on 3 and the call quality is fine with no speakerphone issues.

4. I tried Skype from the market with my Skype Online Number

The caller can connect to Skype running on my Android, however the sound again comes from the speakerphone and the caller cannot clearly hear me.

Can anyone please give me any other low cost or free solutions? Option 3 would be the best for me if there was no 3 digit extension at the end.

[Guest kendon]

if you want to do serious business go to the network operator of your choice, let him explain the options, choose one, pay for it and get a solid nokia with it.

sounds harsh, but if you want to run a business do it right, people will not try to call your forever because the voip app on your blade has forceclosed or forgot to reconnect or something. also keep in mind the very limited battery time, esp. when connected to data network. if you really want a diy/hacked solution option 3 sounds like the most convinient.

[Guest Kingnet]

For my business I use Gradwell and as an I.T. consultant I tend to recommend them to my customers as well. They can either supply a dedicated SIM card and you can use your mobile and an extension on their virtual PBX or you can simply have you calls redirect to your mobile number if your SIP phone is offline, however this does cost 7p/min.

[Guest jonep]

I use Poivy.com. Voipbuster.com is their parent company

Easy to setup in five minutes cost 7.5p per minute redirect to a mobile with full caller ID.

[Guest Pez1980]

Thanks for the advice everyone.

Ideally, I would like some sort of workaround to use my Skype or Skype on 3 on the Blade. The Skype on 3 is very stable and is always running in the background. The battery is not a problem as it is always on charge when I arrive at a destination, as I carry the cable with me and I ensure it is charged before I leave.

I'll have a look into the costings for Gradwell, as it seems you have to subsrcibe too.

I don't understand why Skype are not allowing the use of ther online number with Skype on 3. They don't even allow the Online number to work with the 3 Skypephones: e.g The 3 Skypephone S2x.

The Poivy software does not work with Android yet:

http://www.poivy.com/en/mobilevoip.php?phonetype=android

I may have to purchase an iPhone 4. I tried it on a friend's model and it did work with Skype and the Skype Online number.

This is driving me nuts!

[Guest jonep]

No need to run poivy on the phone.

Just open an account and redirect the geographical number to you mobile.

I have a 0161 number that diverts to my mobile.

[Guest Pez1980]

Thanks again jonep.

I signed up to www.jetnumbers.com and I'm waiting for my number. But the poivy seems to be cheaper.

Are there any other costs involved apart from the 7.5p/min to mobile?

How reliable is the service and what is the call quality like?