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Digital Voice/VOIP Premitel opinions

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  Digital Voice/VOIP Premitel opinions nospam@please.invalid (AnthonyL) - 2026-01-28 13:07 +0000
    Re: Digital Voice/VOIP Premitel opinions "J. P. Gilliver" <G6JPG@255soft.uk> - 2026-01-28 13:53 +0000
      Re: Digital Voice/VOIP Premitel opinions nospam@please.invalid (AnthonyL) - 2026-01-30 13:02 +0000
        Re: Digital Voice/VOIP Premitel opinions Theo <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> - 2026-01-30 13:26 +0000
          Re: Digital Voice/VOIP Premitel opinions The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2026-01-30 15:07 +0000
            Re: Digital Voice/VOIP Premitel opinions Pancho <Pancho.Jones@protonmail.com> - 2026-01-30 16:45 +0000
            Re: Digital Voice/VOIP Premitel opinions Theo <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> - 2026-01-30 17:19 +0000
          Re: Digital Voice/VOIP Premitel opinions nospam@please.invalid (AnthonyL) - 2026-01-31 21:22 +0000
            Re: Digital Voice/VOIP Premitel opinions jkn <jkn+nin@nicorp.co.uk> - 2026-02-02 09:11 +0000
              Re: Digital Voice/VOIP Premitel opinions Woody <harrogate3@ntlworld.com> - 2026-02-02 11:39 +0000
              Re: Digital Voice/VOIP Premitel opinions "J. P. Gilliver" <G6JPG@255soft.uk> - 2026-02-02 18:08 +0000
        Re: Digital Voice/VOIP Premitel opinions David Wade <g4ugm@dave.invalid> - 2026-01-30 15:03 +0000
          Re: Digital Voice/VOIP Premitel opinions "J. P. Gilliver" <G6JPG@255soft.uk> - 2026-01-30 16:38 +0000
            Re: Digital Voice/VOIP Premitel opinions Pancho <Pancho.Jones@protonmail.com> - 2026-01-30 17:00 +0000
              Re: Digital Voice/VOIP Premitel opinions "J. P. Gilliver" <G6JPG@255soft.uk> - 2026-01-30 17:09 +0000
                Re: Digital Voice/VOIP Premitel opinions Pancho <Pancho.Jones@protonmail.com> - 2026-01-30 20:26 +0000
                  Re: Digital Voice/VOIP Premitel opinions Theo <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> - 2026-01-30 23:16 +0000
          Re: Digital Voice/VOIP Premitel opinions nospam@please.invalid (AnthonyL) - 2026-01-31 21:22 +0000
            Re: Digital Voice/VOIP Premitel opinions Richmond <dnomhcir@gmx.com> - 2026-02-01 13:09 +0000
              Re: Digital Voice/VOIP Premitel opinions David Wade <g4ugm@dave.invalid> - 2026-02-01 13:40 +0000
                Re: Digital Voice/VOIP Premitel opinions nospam@please.invalid (AnthonyL) - 2026-02-01 14:53 +0000
                  Re: Digital Voice/VOIP Premitel opinions David Wade <g4ugm@dave.invalid> - 2026-02-01 15:36 +0000
              Re: Digital Voice/VOIP Premitel opinions nospam@please.invalid (AnthonyL) - 2026-02-01 14:37 +0000
                Re: Digital Voice/VOIP Premitel opinions Richmond <dnomhcir@gmx.com> - 2026-02-01 15:07 +0000
                  Re: Digital Voice/VOIP Premitel opinions Chris Green <cl@isbd.net> - 2026-02-01 15:31 +0000
                  Re: Digital Voice/VOIP Premitel opinions nospam@please.invalid (AnthonyL) - 2026-02-01 21:54 +0000
                    Re: Digital Voice/VOIP Premitel opinions David Woolley <david@ex.djwhome.demon.invalid> - 2026-02-02 08:32 +0000
                      Re: Digital Voice/VOIP Premitel opinions Theo <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> - 2026-02-02 17:10 +0000
                        Re: Digital Voice/VOIP Premitel opinions Richmond <dnomhcir@gmx.com> - 2026-02-02 17:34 +0000
    Re: Digital Voice/VOIP Premitel opinions Brian Gregory <void-invalid-dead-dontuse@email.invalid> - 2026-01-31 22:44 +0000

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#38745 — Digital Voice/VOIP Premitel opinions

Still on FTTC with BT phone but likely to go fully digital (one way or
another) soon.

There are just the two of us in the property and the Panasonic
Answerphone plus 3 handsets works fine.  Very occasional incoming or
outgoing calls but better in many situations than giving out mobile
numbers (eg either one of us can answer the incoming call if we're
home and wouldn't want to be having phone conversations whilst out and
about with those that have the home number).

Anyway, looking at options have come across Premitel.

https://www.premitel.uk/services/voip-phone-service-uk-homes-and-businesses/

This looks ideal.  Low cost, can port existing number, minor downside
of having also to pay for incoming calls.

Anybody used them and any views/opinions/alteratives?


-- 
AnthonyL

Why ever wait to finish a job before starting the next?

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#38746

(UTV added)
On 2026/1/28 13:7:56, AnthonyL wrote:
> Still on FTTC with BT phone but likely to go fully digital (one way or
> another) soon.
> 
> There are just the two of us in the property and the Panasonic
> Answerphone plus 3 handsets works fine.  Very occasional incoming or
> outgoing calls but better in many situations than giving out mobile
> numbers (eg either one of us can answer the incoming call if we're
> home and wouldn't want to be having phone conversations whilst out and
> about with those that have the home number).
> 
> Anyway, looking at options have come across Premitel.
> 
> https://www.premitel.uk/services/voip-phone-service-uk-homes-and-businesses/
> 
> This looks ideal.  Low cost, can port existing number, minor downside
> of having also to pay for incoming calls.
> 
> Anybody used them and any views/opinions/alteratives?
> 
> 
I'd be wary of the have-to-pay-for-incoming, whether per call or per
minute; worry about being susceptible to mal-intents (whether they get
anything out of it or not).

-- 
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()ALIS-Ch++(p)Ar++T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

so that the vendors can "serve you better". As if you were a
tennis ball, I guess. - Wolf K, in alt.windows7.general, 2014-7-21

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#38765

On Wed, 28 Jan 2026 13:53:37 +0000, "J. P. Gilliver"
<G6JPG@255soft.uk> wrote:

>(UTV added)
>On 2026/1/28 13:7:56, AnthonyL wrote:
>> Still on FTTC with BT phone but likely to go fully digital (one way or
>> another) soon.
>> 
>> There are just the two of us in the property and the Panasonic
>> Answerphone plus 3 handsets works fine.  Very occasional incoming or
>> outgoing calls but better in many situations than giving out mobile
>> numbers (eg either one of us can answer the incoming call if we're
>> home and wouldn't want to be having phone conversations whilst out and
>> about with those that have the home number).
>> 
>> Anyway, looking at options have come across Premitel.
>> 
>> https://www.premitel.uk/services/voip-phone-service-uk-homes-and-businesses/
>> 
>> This looks ideal.  Low cost, can port existing number, minor downside
>> of having also to pay for incoming calls.
>> 
>> Anybody used them and any views/opinions/alteratives?
>> 
>> 
>I'd be wary of the have-to-pay-for-incoming, whether per call or per
>minute; worry about being susceptible to mal-intents (whether they get
>anything out of it or not).
>

Is that a serious worry?  I suppose if they go to voicemail then they
could try hammering that.  If the call is from an unknown number we
would likely not answer at all.

What are the (very) low cost alternatives?  Last month we did not have
one non-0800 outgoing call.  We don't need 100mins.  


-- 
AnthonyL

Why ever wait to finish a job before starting the next?

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#38766

In uk.telecom AnthonyL <nospam@please.invalid> wrote:
> Is that a serious worry?  I suppose if they go to voicemail then they
> could try hammering that.  If the call is from an unknown number we
> would likely not answer at all.
> 
> What are the (very) low cost alternatives?  Last month we did not have
> one non-0800 outgoing call.  We don't need 100mins.  

https://www.aa.net.uk/voice-and-mobile/voip-information/
£1.80 per month.  Incoming calls free, outgoing calls charged per minute.

Theo

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#38769

On 30/01/2026 13:26, Theo wrote:
> In uk.telecom AnthonyL <nospam@please.invalid> wrote:
>> Is that a serious worry?  I suppose if they go to voicemail then they
>> could try hammering that.  If the call is from an unknown number we
>> would likely not answer at all.
>>
>> What are the (very) low cost alternatives?  Last month we did not have
>> one non-0800 outgoing call.  We don't need 100mins.
> 
> https://www.aa.net.uk/voice-and-mobile/voip-information/
> £1.80 per month.  Incoming calls free, outgoing calls charged per minute.
> 
> Theo
Can you use any SIP capable device with it?

-- 
“Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, 
diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies.”
― Groucho Marx

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#38771

On 1/30/26 15:07, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
> On 30/01/2026 13:26, Theo wrote:
>> In uk.telecom AnthonyL <nospam@please.invalid> wrote:
>>> Is that a serious worry?  I suppose if they go to voicemail then they
>>> could try hammering that.  If the call is from an unknown number we
>>> would likely not answer at all.
>>>
>>> What are the (very) low cost alternatives?  Last month we did not have
>>> one non-0800 outgoing call.  We don't need 100mins.
>>
>> https://www.aa.net.uk/voice-and-mobile/voip-information/
>> £1.80 per month.  Incoming calls free, outgoing calls charged per minute.
>>
>> Theo
> Can you use any SIP capable device with it?
> 

Works OK with my Gigaset N300 IP.


I'm having a bit of trouble setting it up reliably with Asterisk, but I 
strongly suspect that is down to me.

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#38774

In uk.telecom The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote:
> On 30/01/2026 13:26, Theo wrote:
> > In uk.telecom AnthonyL <nospam@please.invalid> wrote:
> >> Is that a serious worry?  I suppose if they go to voicemail then they
> >> could try hammering that.  If the call is from an unknown number we
> >> would likely not answer at all.
> >>
> >> What are the (very) low cost alternatives?  Last month we did not have
> >> one non-0800 outgoing call.  We don't need 100mins.
> > 
> > https://www.aa.net.uk/voice-and-mobile/voip-information/
> > £1.80 per month.  Incoming calls free, outgoing calls charged per minute.
> > 
> > Theo
> Can you use any SIP capable device with it?

Yes.

(They make a thing of being grumpy about not wanting to debug people's IPv4
NAT issues because of course they offer IPv6, but in reality it's fine over
regular IPv4 and double NAT).

Theo

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#38777

On 30 Jan 2026 13:26:45 +0000 (GMT), Theo
<theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote:

>In uk.telecom AnthonyL <nospam@please.invalid> wrote:
>> Is that a serious worry?  I suppose if they go to voicemail then they
>> could try hammering that.  If the call is from an unknown number we
>> would likely not answer at all.
>> 
>> What are the (very) low cost alternatives?  Last month we did not have
>> one non-0800 outgoing call.  We don't need 100mins.  
>
>https://www.aa.net.uk/voice-and-mobile/voip-information/
>£1.80 per month.  Incoming calls free, outgoing calls charged per minute.
>

That's good to know.  In a different life I used to point our
customers towards AA for more complex internet needs and they are far
too expensive now for my broadband needs but the VOIP cost, from a
trusted supplier (if indeed that is needed) is quite reasonable.


-- 
AnthonyL

Why ever wait to finish a job before starting the next?

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#38808

On 31/01/2026 21:22, AnthonyL wrote:
> On 30 Jan 2026 13:26:45 +0000 (GMT), Theo
> <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote:
> 
>> In uk.telecom AnthonyL <nospam@please.invalid> wrote:
>>> Is that a serious worry?  I suppose if they go to voicemail then they
>>> could try hammering that.  If the call is from an unknown number we
>>> would likely not answer at all.
>>>
>>> What are the (very) low cost alternatives?  Last month we did not have
>>> one non-0800 outgoing call.  We don't need 100mins.
>>
>> https://www.aa.net.uk/voice-and-mobile/voip-information/
>> £1.80 per month.  Incoming calls free, outgoing calls charged per minute.
>>
> 
> That's good to know.  In a different life I used to point our
> customers towards AA for more complex internet needs and they are far
> too expensive now for my broadband needs but the VOIP cost, from a
> trusted supplier (if indeed that is needed) is quite reasonable.
> 
> 
A slight aside ... having recently got FTTP and moved our old landline 
to A&A - the plan is to redirect or leave a 'try this number' voice 
message for a year or so - ... we seem to be getting (presumably) spam 
calls to that number from Germany (country code 0049).

They hang up before the voicemail message kicks in. They are at a 
similar frequency to the old spam calls we would get on the actual 
landline (a few a week), but the caller ID number on those typically 
showed up as a UK number.

I was wondering - does my VOIP number now show up on some new list that 
the spammers from Germany have got access to? Or were they always coming 
from German and the CallerID info was wrong?

     Thanks
     J^n

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#38810

On Mon 02/02/2026 09:11, jkn wrote:
> On 31/01/2026 21:22, AnthonyL wrote:
>> On 30 Jan 2026 13:26:45 +0000 (GMT), Theo
>> <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote:
>>
>>> In uk.telecom AnthonyL <nospam@please.invalid> wrote:
>>>> Is that a serious worry?  I suppose if they go to voicemail then they
>>>> could try hammering that.  If the call is from an unknown number we
>>>> would likely not answer at all.
>>>>
>>>> What are the (very) low cost alternatives?  Last month we did not have
>>>> one non-0800 outgoing call.  We don't need 100mins.
>>>
>>> https://www.aa.net.uk/voice-and-mobile/voip-information/
>>> £1.80 per month.  Incoming calls free, outgoing calls charged per 
>>> minute.
>>>
>>
>> That's good to know.  In a different life I used to point our
>> customers towards AA for more complex internet needs and they are far
>> too expensive now for my broadband needs but the VOIP cost, from a
>> trusted supplier (if indeed that is needed) is quite reasonable.
>>
>>
> A slight aside ... having recently got FTTP and moved our old landline 
> to A&A - the plan is to redirect or leave a 'try this number' voice 
> message for a year or so - ... we seem to be getting (presumably) spam 
> calls to that number from Germany (country code 0049).
> 
> They hang up before the voicemail message kicks in. They are at a 
> similar frequency to the old spam calls we would get on the actual 
> landline (a few a week), but the caller ID number on those typically 
> showed up as a UK number.
> 
> I was wondering - does my VOIP number now show up on some new list that 
> the spammers from Germany have got access to? Or were they always coming 
> from German and the CallerID info was wrong?
> 
>      Thanks
>      J^n
> 

If the CLI on your phone shows as International or + and then the number 
starts 0044 it is DEFINITELY a spam call. IME most spam calls from 
Germany are from mobile numbers which start +491 the digit 1 being the 
header for all German mobile numbers.

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#38828

On 2026/2/2 9:11:46, jkn wrote:

[]

> A slight aside ... having recently got FTTP and moved our old landline 
> to A&A - the plan is to redirect or leave a 'try this number' voice 
> message for a year or so - ... we seem to be getting (presumably) spam 
> calls to that number from Germany (country code 0049).
> 
> They hang up before the voicemail message kicks in. They are at a 
> similar frequency to the old spam calls we would get on the actual 
> landline (a few a week), but the caller ID number on those typically 
> showed up as a UK number.
> 
> I was wondering - does my VOIP number now show up on some new list that 
> the spammers from Germany have got access to? Or were they always coming 
> from German and the CallerID info was wrong?

[]
the ones I get on my (real, still) landline mostly do show up as UK (01
or 07) [or a small number 000], but I _know_ they're spoofed, since
although 1471 shows them as that, 1572-1 says they're unknown.

Actually, on the few occasions they get as far as actually saying
anything, they're usually phishing (e. g. "this is bank fraud
department") rather than spam, but the same applies (1471 usually shows
they're UK, 1572-1 says unknown).

So yours may be the same, especially if they're about the same
frequency. (Peaking around 10:30 a. m.?)
-- 
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()ALIS-Ch++(p)Ar++T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

"There is no such thing as bad weather - only the wrong clothes."
- Billy Connolly, in his World Tour of England, Ireland and Wales,
4 March 2002 (BBC1).

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#38768

On 30/01/2026 13:02, AnthonyL wrote:
> On Wed, 28 Jan 2026 13:53:37 +0000, "J. P. Gilliver"
> <G6JPG@255soft.uk> wrote:
> 
>> (UTV added)
>> On 2026/1/28 13:7:56, AnthonyL wrote:
>>> Still on FTTC with BT phone but likely to go fully digital (one way or
>>> another) soon.
>>>
>>> There are just the two of us in the property and the Panasonic
>>> Answerphone plus 3 handsets works fine.  Very occasional incoming or
>>> outgoing calls but better in many situations than giving out mobile
>>> numbers (eg either one of us can answer the incoming call if we're
>>> home and wouldn't want to be having phone conversations whilst out and
>>> about with those that have the home number).
>>>
>>> Anyway, looking at options have come across Premitel.
>>>
>>> https://www.premitel.uk/services/voip-phone-service-uk-homes-and-businesses/
>>>
>>> This looks ideal.  Low cost, can port existing number, minor downside
>>> of having also to pay for incoming calls.
>>>
>>> Anybody used them and any views/opinions/alteratives?
>>>
>>>
>> I'd be wary of the have-to-pay-for-incoming, whether per call or per
>> minute; worry about being susceptible to mal-intents (whether they get
>> anything out of it or not).
>>
> 
> Is that a serious worry?  I suppose if they go to voicemail then they
> could try hammering that.  If the call is from an unknown number we
> would likely not answer at all.
> 
> What are the (very) low cost alternatives?  Last month we did not have
> one non-0800 outgoing call.  We don't need 100mins.
> 
> 
I have voipfone.co.uk. Just pay for the number. Inbound calls free 
outbound land lines cheap.

Dave

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#38770

On 2026/1/30 15:3:51, David Wade wrote:
> On 30/01/2026 13:02, AnthonyL wrote:
>> On Wed, 28 Jan 2026 13:53:37 +0000, "J. P. Gilliver"
>> <G6JPG@255soft.uk> wrote:
>>
>>> (UTV added)
>>> On 2026/1/28 13:7:56, AnthonyL wrote:

[]

>>>> Anyway, looking at options have come across Premitel.
>>>>
>>>> https://www.premitel.uk/services/voip-phone-service-uk-homes-and-businesses/
>>>>
>>>> This looks ideal.  Low cost, can port existing number, minor downside
>>>> of having also to pay for incoming calls.
>>>>
>>>> Anybody used them and any views/opinions/alteratives?
>>>>
>>>>
>>> I'd be wary of the have-to-pay-for-incoming, whether per call or per
>>> minute; worry about being susceptible to mal-intents (whether they get
>>> anything out of it or not).
>>>
>>
>> Is that a serious worry?  I suppose if they go to voicemail then they
>> could try hammering that.  If the call is from an unknown number we
>> would likely not answer at all.

Ah, if you only pay for them when you answer them, that makes it less of
a worry; I'd thought maybe it was a per-call charge (whether answered or
not), probably as well as a per-minute. If it was, someone could set up
an autodialler to rack up your cost. Whether that's a serious worry I
don't know: fortunately, I've never been subject to a DOS attack, either
by email or 'phone, but I've certainly heard of them being used against
e. g. websites.

>>
>> What are the (very) low cost alternatives?  Last month we did not have
>> one non-0800 outgoing call.  We don't need 100mins.
>>
>>
> I have voipfone.co.uk. Just pay for the number. Inbound calls free 
> outbound land lines cheap.
> 
> Dave

(Oh, I picked the wrong post to reply to and I'm not retyping all of the
above again. Someone mentioned A&A at a low monthly, with a low
pence-per-minute; I wanted to know if that was preloadable, or direct
debit. One of the _advantages_ of voipfone - AIUI - is that you can
preload the outgoing [at any time], but if at any point you used up all
of your monthly _and_ your preload, it would cut off - _not_ rack up a
huge bill. [You could always top up _during_ a call you actually needed.])

-- 
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()ALIS-Ch++(p)Ar++T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

If you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen. And I'm not
getting out of the kitchen for a long time yet.
- Petula Clark (at 83), RT 2016/10/22-28

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#38772

On 1/30/26 16:38, J. P. Gilliver wrote:

>  I wanted to know if that was preloadable, or direct
> debit. One of the _advantages_ of voipfone - AIUI - is that you can
> preload the outgoing [at any time], but if at any point you used up all
> of your monthly _and_ your preload, it would cut off - _not_ rack up a
> huge bill. [You could always top up _during_ a call you actually needed.])
> 

A&A is direct debit, no preload, no cap available. You can specify a 
Bill Warning limit, and you can put a hard limit on max charge rate (I 
have 20p in the first minute). You can also restrict the IP allowed to 
make outgoing calls.

I would have preferred preload like you say Voipfone is, and Sipgate 
Basic used to have. A £10 used to last me a year on Sipgate Basic, Billy 
no mates :o). To be fair to me, most of my calls are VoIP to VoIP, which 
are free, on Sipgate and A&A  (not sure if that is only for matching 
provider or for all VoIP to VoIP).

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#38773

On 2026/1/30 17:0:2, Pancho wrote:
> On 1/30/26 16:38, J. P. Gilliver wrote:
> 
>>  I wanted to know if that was preloadable, or direct
>> debit. One of the _advantages_ of voipfone - AIUI - is that you can
>> preload the outgoing [at any time], but if at any point you used up all
>> of your monthly _and_ your preload, it would cut off - _not_ rack up a
>> huge bill. [You could always top up _during_ a call you actually needed.])
>>
> 
> A&A is direct debit, no preload, no cap available. You can specify a 

Thanks for coming back so quickly!

> Bill Warning limit, and you can put a hard limit on max charge rate (I 
> have 20p in the first minute). You can also restrict the IP allowed to 

How does that limit work - if you dial something that's going to cost
more than 20p a minute, does it fail to connect? (If that's the case, do
you get a message?)

> make outgoing calls.

Hmm, that aspect of VoIP I'm not sure about - not sure what the IP would
be. If it means the device, then I'm a single-person household, so
unlikely to be a problem (though I'm still not sure if I can use "my"
VoIP when visiting someone else's house and using their broadband
connection).

> 
> I would have preferred preload like you say Voipfone is, and Sipgate 
> Basic used to have. A £10 used to last me a year on Sipgate Basic, Billy 

Johnny no mates here too - but could imagine it clocking up if on hold.
I have had one case of being on hold exceeding the free hour on my
current landline contract; for a friend call you redial, but of course
when on hold you can't.

> no mates :o). To be fair to me, most of my calls are VoIP to VoIP, which 
> are free, on Sipgate and A&A  (not sure if that is only for matching 
> provider or for all VoIP to VoIP).
> 
> 
When you do a VoIP to VoIP that's free (and I too would like to know
whether that's any VoIP or only matching provider), how do you know the
remote person is on VoIP (other than, obviously, asking them)?

-- 
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()ALIS-Ch++(p)Ar++T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

"OLTION'S COMPLETE, UNABRIDGED HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE
Bang!      ...crumple." - Jerry Oltion

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#38775

On 1/30/26 17:09, J. P. Gilliver wrote:
> On 2026/1/30 17:0:2, Pancho wrote:
>> On 1/30/26 16:38, J. P. Gilliver wrote:
>>
>>>   I wanted to know if that was preloadable, or direct
>>> debit. One of the _advantages_ of voipfone - AIUI - is that you can
>>> preload the outgoing [at any time], but if at any point you used up all
>>> of your monthly _and_ your preload, it would cut off - _not_ rack up a
>>> huge bill. [You could always top up _during_ a call you actually needed.])
>>>
>>
>> A&A is direct debit, no preload, no cap available. You can specify a
> 
> Thanks for coming back so quickly!
> 
>> Bill Warning limit, and you can put a hard limit on max charge rate (I
>> have 20p in the first minute). You can also restrict the IP allowed to
> 
> How does that limit work - if you dial something that's going to cost
> more than 20p a minute, does it fail to connect? (If that's the case, do
> you get a message?)
> 

I don't know. I've never hit it.

I did try reducing the limit on the website, but you can't then put it 
back up again, on the website, you need to contact support. So not 
something I want to play with to test.

>> make outgoing calls.
> 
> Hmm, that aspect of VoIP I'm not sure about - not sure what the IP would
> be. If it means the device, then I'm a single-person household, so
> unlikely to be a problem (though I'm still not sure if I can use "my"
> VoIP when visiting someone else's house and using their broadband
> connection).
> 

You can have a list of allowed IPs, or not restrict it at all. I only 
restrict it because I'm nervous about uncapped charges.


>>
>> I would have preferred preload like you say Voipfone is, and Sipgate
>> Basic used to have. A £10 used to last me a year on Sipgate Basic, Billy
> 
> Johnny no mates here too - but could imagine it clocking up if on hold.
> I have had one case of being on hold exceeding the free hour on my
> current landline contract; for a friend call you redial, but of course
> when on hold you can't.
> 

I just use a mobile for the rare on hold calls.

 From my bill I see I messed up last October and had a 40 minute wait 
call to my GP surgery cost me 50p. In general, my call charges are 
ridiculously low. I wonder how A&A make a profit, Sipgate clearly didn't 
make a profit, or at least I guess that is why they closed their service.

>> no mates :o). To be fair to me, most of my calls are VoIP to VoIP, which
>> are free, on Sipgate and A&A  (not sure if that is only for matching
>> provider or for all VoIP to VoIP).
>>
>>
> When you do a VoIP to VoIP that's free (and I too would like to know
> whether that's any VoIP or only matching provider), how do you know the
> remote person is on VoIP (other than, obviously, asking them)?
> 

I know the remote people are A&A because I set up their phones.

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#38776

In uk.telecom Pancho <Pancho.Jones@protonmail.com> wrote:
> On 1/30/26 17:09, J. P. Gilliver wrote:
> > On 2026/1/30 17:0:2, Pancho wrote:
> >> On 1/30/26 16:38, J. P. Gilliver wrote:
> >>
> >>>   I wanted to know if that was preloadable, or direct
> >>> debit. One of the _advantages_ of voipfone - AIUI - is that you can
> >>> preload the outgoing [at any time], but if at any point you used up all
> >>> of your monthly _and_ your preload, it would cut off - _not_ rack up a
> >>> huge bill. [You could always top up _during_ a call you actually needed.])
> >>>
> >>
> >> A&A is direct debit, no preload, no cap available. You can specify a
> > 
> > Thanks for coming back so quickly!
> > 
> >> Bill Warning limit, and you can put a hard limit on max charge rate (I
> >> have 20p in the first minute). You can also restrict the IP allowed to
> > 
> > How does that limit work - if you dial something that's going to cost
> > more than 20p a minute, does it fail to connect? (If that's the case, do
> > you get a message?)
> > 
> 
> I don't know. I've never hit it.
> 
> I did try reducing the limit on the website, but you can't then put it 
> back up again, on the website, you need to contact support. So not 
> something I want to play with to test.

IIRC it does fail to connect with a message.  Contacting support is not a
problem - they just want to make sure that someone who has hacked the
control panel password is not able to up the spend limits.  When I wanted to
call an expensive internation destination I contacted them and they lifted
the limit.

> >> make outgoing calls.
> > 
> > Hmm, that aspect of VoIP I'm not sure about - not sure what the IP would
> > be. If it means the device, then I'm a single-person household, so
> > unlikely to be a problem (though I'm still not sure if I can use "my"
> > VoIP when visiting someone else's house and using their broadband
> > connection).
> > 
> 
> You can have a list of allowed IPs, or not restrict it at all. I only 
> restrict it because I'm nervous about uncapped charges.

If you have a static IP then you can set it in the control panel.  A&A
broadband customers get a static IP, of course. 

>  From my bill I see I messed up last October and had a 40 minute wait 
> call to my GP surgery cost me 50p. In general, my call charges are 
> ridiculously low. I wonder how A&A make a profit, Sipgate clearly didn't 
> make a profit, or at least I guess that is why they closed their service.

A&A serve primarily businesses, who have a lot of numbers and make a lot of
calls.  Domestic customers aren't something they were set up to handle,
but their pricing makes them attractive to those suddenly finding themselves
without landline service.

(They were previously £1.44/number/month and they increased the price to
£1.80/number/month partly because those domestic customers were incurring more
costs.  Presumably the new price better reflects their current costs)

> >> no mates :o). To be fair to me, most of my calls are VoIP to VoIP, which
> >> are free, on Sipgate and A&A  (not sure if that is only for matching
> >> provider or for all VoIP to VoIP).
> >>
> >>
> > When you do a VoIP to VoIP that's free (and I too would like to know
> > whether that's any VoIP or only matching provider), how do you know the
> > remote person is on VoIP (other than, obviously, asking them)?
> 
> I know the remote people are A&A because I set up their phones.

Typically it's same-provider VOIP that's free.  You can do things with ENUM
to publish a SIP address for a specific number to route calls SIP-to-SIP
without going through a provider, but that's a route for spam (such calls
have no costs to make, which spammers love) so few do it:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telephone_number_mapping

Theo

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#38778

On Fri, 30 Jan 2026 15:03:51 +0000, David Wade <g4ugm@dave.invalid>
wrote:

>On 30/01/2026 13:02, AnthonyL wrote:
>> On Wed, 28 Jan 2026 13:53:37 +0000, "J. P. Gilliver"
>> <G6JPG@255soft.uk> wrote:
>> 
>>> (UTV added)
>>> On 2026/1/28 13:7:56, AnthonyL wrote:
>>>> Still on FTTC with BT phone but likely to go fully digital (one way or
>>>> another) soon.
>>>>
>>>> There are just the two of us in the property and the Panasonic
>>>> Answerphone plus 3 handsets works fine.  Very occasional incoming or
>>>> outgoing calls but better in many situations than giving out mobile
>>>> numbers (eg either one of us can answer the incoming call if we're
>>>> home and wouldn't want to be having phone conversations whilst out and
>>>> about with those that have the home number).
>>>>
>>>> Anyway, looking at options have come across Premitel.
>>>>
>>>> https://www.premitel.uk/services/voip-phone-service-uk-homes-and-businesses/
>>>>
>>>> This looks ideal.  Low cost, can port existing number, minor downside
>>>> of having also to pay for incoming calls.
>>>>
>>>> Anybody used them and any views/opinions/alteratives?
>>>>
>>>>
>>> I'd be wary of the have-to-pay-for-incoming, whether per call or per
>>> minute; worry about being susceptible to mal-intents (whether they get
>>> anything out of it or not).
>>>
>> 
>> Is that a serious worry?  I suppose if they go to voicemail then they
>> could try hammering that.  If the call is from an unknown number we
>> would likely not answer at all.
>> 
>> What are the (very) low cost alternatives?  Last month we did not have
>> one non-0800 outgoing call.  We don't need 100mins.
>> 
>> 
>I have voipfone.co.uk. Just pay for the number. Inbound calls free 
>outbound land lines cheap.
>

Ł6/month, if I've read it correctly, is way over my budget.

-- 
AnthonyL

Why ever wait to finish a job before starting the next?

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#38788

nospam@please.invalid (AnthonyL) writes:

> On Fri, 30 Jan 2026 15:03:51 +0000, David Wade <g4ugm@dave.invalid>
> wrote:
>
>>On 30/01/2026 13:02, AnthonyL wrote:
>>> On Wed, 28 Jan 2026 13:53:37 +0000, "J. P. Gilliver"
>>> <G6JPG@255soft.uk> wrote:
>>> 
>>>> (UTV added)
>>>> On 2026/1/28 13:7:56, AnthonyL wrote:
>>>>> Still on FTTC with BT phone but likely to go fully digital (one
>>>>> way or another) soon.
>>>>>
>>>>> There are just the two of us in the property and the Panasonic
>>>>> Answerphone plus 3 handsets works fine.  Very occasional incoming
>>>>> or outgoing calls but better in many situations than giving out
>>>>> mobile numbers (eg either one of us can answer the incoming call
>>>>> if we're home and wouldn't want to be having phone conversations
>>>>> whilst out and about with those that have the home number).
>>>>>
>>>>> Anyway, looking at options have come across Premitel.
>>>>>
>>>>> https://www.premitel.uk/services/voip-phone-service-uk-homes-and-businesses/
>>>>>
>>>>> This looks ideal.  Low cost, can port existing number, minor
>>>>> downside of having also to pay for incoming calls.
>>>>>
>>>>> Anybody used them and any views/opinions/alteratives?
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> I'd be wary of the have-to-pay-for-incoming, whether per call or
>>>> per minute; worry about being susceptible to mal-intents (whether
>>>> they get anything out of it or not).
>>>>
>>> 
>>> Is that a serious worry?  I suppose if they go to voicemail then
>>> they could try hammering that.  If the call is from an unknown
>>> number we would likely not answer at all.
>>> 
>>> What are the (very) low cost alternatives?  Last month we did not
>>> have one non-0800 outgoing call.  We don't need 100mins.
>>> 
>>> 
>>I have voipfone.co.uk. Just pay for the number. Inbound calls free
>>outbound land lines cheap.
>>
>
> £6/month, if I've read it correctly, is way over my budget.

You can try it out with a free 056 number, pay as you go. (Unless I am
out of date). I've been doing that for years.

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#38789

On 01/02/2026 13:09, Richmond wrote:
> nospam@please.invalid (AnthonyL) writes:
> 
>> On Fri, 30 Jan 2026 15:03:51 +0000, David Wade <g4ugm@dave.invalid>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> On 30/01/2026 13:02, AnthonyL wrote:
>>>> On Wed, 28 Jan 2026 13:53:37 +0000, "J. P. Gilliver"
>>>> <G6JPG@255soft.uk> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> (UTV added)
>>>>> On 2026/1/28 13:7:56, AnthonyL wrote:
>>>>>> Still on FTTC with BT phone but likely to go fully digital (one
>>>>>> way or another) soon.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> There are just the two of us in the property and the Panasonic
>>>>>> Answerphone plus 3 handsets works fine.  Very occasional incoming
>>>>>> or outgoing calls but better in many situations than giving out
>>>>>> mobile numbers (eg either one of us can answer the incoming call
>>>>>> if we're home and wouldn't want to be having phone conversations
>>>>>> whilst out and about with those that have the home number).
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Anyway, looking at options have come across Premitel.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> https://www.premitel.uk/services/voip-phone-service-uk-homes-and-businesses/
>>>>>>
>>>>>> This looks ideal.  Low cost, can port existing number, minor
>>>>>> downside of having also to pay for incoming calls.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Anybody used them and any views/opinions/alteratives?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>> I'd be wary of the have-to-pay-for-incoming, whether per call or
>>>>> per minute; worry about being susceptible to mal-intents (whether
>>>>> they get anything out of it or not).
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Is that a serious worry?  I suppose if they go to voicemail then
>>>> they could try hammering that.  If the call is from an unknown
>>>> number we would likely not answer at all.
>>>>
>>>> What are the (very) low cost alternatives?  Last month we did not
>>>> have one non-0800 outgoing call.  We don't need 100mins.
>>>>
>>>>
>>> I have voipfone.co.uk. Just pay for the number. Inbound calls free
>>> outbound land lines cheap.
>>>
>>
>> £6/month, if I've read it correctly, is way over my budget.
> 
> You can try it out with a free 056 number, pay as you go. (Unless I am
> out of date). I've been doing that for years.

No £6/month is for a call package. If you don't mind having an 056 
number you can just pay for the calls you use. If you want an 01/02 
number that is £3.00/month + VAT so £3.60

Dave

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