Ryan Feeley » Telecom

Look Ma, No Bell

Ryan Feeley — Thu, 10 May 2007 02:39:40 +0000

So my transition from traditional phone line (aka POTS) is now complete. No longer dependent on the likes of Bell or Rogers, I and am using Chatham, ON based Teksavvy for both VoIP and Dry-loop DSL. I even ported my original phone number and waited the ceremonial five weeks. Internet has been incredibly reliable, and phone has been decent although sometimes exhibits VoIPish qualities, especially during big transfers. I never hear problems but the people I’m talking to sometimes do. I guess the provider knows where there bread is buttered.

Here are my suggestions for a reduced hiccup transition, which is a lot harder than it should be:

Using your existing internet connection, pick a VoIP provider that will provide you with a new local number.
Get VoIP hardware; either a VoIP adaptor or a SIP-capable phone and plug it into your router or DSL modem.
Forward your traditional phone line to your new number.
Use your new VoIP phone to place all outgoing calls.
- Hiccup: the people you’re calling will see your new unknown number in their Call Display.
Switch to a DSL provider that supports Dry-loop (aka Naked) DSL.
- Hiccup: they will likely install a new line in a different room which means your phone and router must move with it.
Thanks to phone number portability regulations, you should inform your VoIP provider that you would like to port an existing number.
Wait minimum 5 weeks for the phone number transfer to take place. Your traditional phone service will be automatically cancelled when you remove the number.

Done!

Pay less as you go

Ryan Feeley — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 19:23:01 +0000

It’s been four months since wifey Julia purchased a Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) mobile phone and minutes from 7-11. As an illustrator chained to her home studio, she has very little need for a mobile phone. But when she’s away at Sheridan teaching, or meeting up with friends, a handy comes in handy.

For $100 she got 500 minutes and a very simple but nice Nokia handset. That’s less per minute than most of us pay during peak hours on a monthly plan. The best thing about 7-11’s minutes is that, unlike other PAYG programs, they last a full year. I was worried she would burn through her minutes fast enough to justify committing to a monthly plan, but I my fears have been allayed. After four months, the numbers are in and she’s spent $65 of the $100. That’s $16.25/month!

Telus how we’re getting Rogered.

Ryan Feeley — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 13:05:40 +0000

With the iPhone on the horizon, and the dream of usable mobile browsing on the way, local telecom heavy-user Tom Purves posts a very disturbing graph about the cost of mobile data rates in Canada. Let’s say you want to download a few albums worth of data to you iPhone from somewhere on the net that is not one of the “authorized providers”. With current data plans it will cost in the hundreds if not thousands of dollars. CRTC: please wake up and smell my ass burning because this is ridiculous.

Write to your MP. The CRTC needs to be taken out and shot*, originally uploaded by Tom Purves.

Net Neutrality Niceness

Ryan Feeley — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 12:58:30 +0000

Is it me or does Net Neutrality sound like something nice and possibly Swiss? The name itself evokes the same warm fuzzies plaguing the name Global Warming. Not that this train has time to slow down for a re-branding, but when I explain this concept I always use the term “unfiltered internet”. Perhaps “unfettered” is even better.

Jumping into the VoIP

Ryan Feeley — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 03:27:01 +0000

I made my first foray into VoIP by placing an order for the dry DSL/VoIP combo with Chatham’s Teksavvy.

Other contenders for VoIP included: Zingotel, Vbuzzer, Babytel and Iristel (who also provide DSL).

Now for the hardware. I can forego the cost of a VoIP router and just buy a SIP capable VoIP phone. I can’t justify the cost of this Linksys beauty down the block but it’s tempting.

I’ll keep you all updated.

Ditching the Dial Tone. VoIPing in Toronto.

Ryan Feeley — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 14:15:24 +0000

For years I’ve paid the big telcos Bell, Rogers and Sprint far too much for my landline and long distance. Seeing as SkypeIn won’t be in Canada anytime soon, I decided to brave the VoIP landscape of Toronto. This is tricky because I don’t get my Internet from cable and many of the DSL providers are unable to provide dry loop DSL. My current home ISP is Magma with whom I am extremely happy. Very reliable, fast speeds, and responsive service. But they won’t let me ditch my dial tone, so I’m looking elsewhere.

The only option I have come across for far is Iristel. Their Ultimate Bundle promises very fast Internet speeds and a VoIP telephone line. It’s basically the VOiP equivalent of Primus’ phone and internet bundle.

Does anyone have any tips?

The number you are dialling is annoying

Ryan Feeley — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 13:15:28 +0000

Since the great 416/647 split of 2001 most of us living in Southern Ontario have become accustomed to dialling 10 digits to make local calls. I haven’t.

While I rarely forget to dial the area code (416, 647 or 905), I often mistakenly dial 1 first as if I were dialling long distance. In either instance, I am informed of my mistake by a robot and forced to hang up and dial again.

Dear POTS head executives:

In the instance of a superfluous 1, why not connect me anyway? (warning optional)
In the instance where I neglect to include the area code, why not assume I mean my area code and proceed with the call? (warning optional)

Fido and Google SMS

Ryan Feeley — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 14:27:14 +0000

I just received my first mobile phone bill from Fido after a month of using Google Calendar and SMS. It wasn’t free.

I do not have an SMS package, but was told I would be receiving unlimited text messages free of charge. Unfortunately contrary to what Google says Fido categorizes their alerts as premium messages at 15Â¢ each. Oddly, outgoing messages to Google SMS were not charged.

Not a big deal for the odd Google SMS request, but when I have a day booked full of activities, the calendar alerts can really add up.

I called Fido and have upgraded my plan to include a $3/month SMS package and have been told I will no longer be charged for incoming messages.

Google SMS, now in Canada

Ryan Feeley — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 16:35:05 +0000

According to their FAQ, Google SMS is now (finally) available in Canada. This means that you can send text messages to Google and receive a response in seconds.

From their instructions:

To get movie showtimes, enter the name of a CURRENT movie and include a city and province, or postal code (ex: moviename laval qc, moviename R3H 0H4).

To get business listings, enter what you want to find and include a city and province, or postal code (ex: pizza laval qc, cafe m2n 5s3).

To get translations, enter ‘translate’ (or ‘t’) followed by the expression, ‘to’ and a destination language (ex: translate dog to french, t new to german).

To find definitions on the Web, enter ‘define’ (or ‘d’) followed by the word or phrase (ex: define ubiquitous, d network).

For NBA/NHL/MLB/NFL/NCAA scores/schedules, enter a team name (ex: Lakers, Sharks, Mets, Jets, Duke). Available only for sports in season.