Port (?) my VoIP number to a cellphone?

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Lizard1977

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#177579 7-Aug-2015 11:47

Apologies if this has been discussed elsewhere, but I'm not even sure if what I want is possible, let alone what to search for to find it.

We cut our landline when we switched to Xnet/VFX years ago and got our first VoIP service, and this continued when we switched to Snap. However, now that Snap are 2Degrees, and it looks like a "home" phone costs an extra $15, I'm wondering about getting rid of it. We hardly ever use our landline to make calls, and there are very few legitimate incoming calls (mostly telemarketers). But there may be some people who have our home phone but not our cellphone details, and I can't be sure who they are to be able to contact them and let them know.

So is it possible to purchase a (standalone) service that redirects calls to our landline number to my cellphone? If it costs less than the $15/month option from 2Degrees, then it could be a viable alternative. We can then progressively phase out giving out our landline number and maybe eventually ditch it altogether.

grant_k

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#1360617 7-Aug-2015 11:53

Why don't you port your number back to WxC and forward all calls from that number to your mobile? Cost $11.50 per month + forwarded calls @ 20c per minute. Then as you say, phase it out once you have advised callers of your mobile number. Forwarding is dead easy to set up from their portal.

Lizard1977

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#1360618 7-Aug-2015 12:03

Yeah, that was the only thing I could think of, but was wondering if there was an alternative. Porting back to VFX is only $3.50/month cheaper than 2Degrees, and in either case I might as well just leave the phones plugged in.

As I currently understand it, porting works a bit like an alias. My original landline acts like an alias for the VoIP number that the VoIP service generates for me. So dialing (09) 123-4567 goes to something like (08) 456-7890. What I was hoping for was a service that simply maps my landline number to my cellphone, without having to go through an extra jump. So instead of going from (09) 123-4567 to (08) 456-7890 to (027) 345-6789, it would just go from (09) 123-4567 to (027) 345-6789 in a single jump.

grant_k

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#1360634 7-Aug-2015 12:33

The only other alternative I know of is what used to be called Telecom 'Customer Link'. No doubt Spark have something similar, but it cost $20 per month last I heard, plus the usual exorbitant Land-to-Mobile calling rates of 35c plus per minute. I don't think you'll find a cheaper alternative than WxC although 2Talk may be a fraction less?

n4

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#1360638 7-Aug-2015 13:03

2degrees (mobile) have 'Landline on Your Mobile' (LOYM) as an add-on to their mobile plans, which is exactly what you want. Normal cost is $20/m so no saving there but it is free on some plans so depending on your mobile needs...

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sbiddle

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#1360700 7-Aug-2015 14:50

Lizard1977: Yeah, that was the only thing I could think of, but was wondering if there was an alternative. Porting back to VFX is only $3.50/month cheaper than 2Degrees, and in either case I might as well just leave the phones plugged in.

As I currently understand it, porting works a bit like an alias. My original landline acts like an alias for the VoIP number that the VoIP service generates for me. So dialing (09) 123-4567 goes to something like (08) 456-7890. What I was hoping for was a service that simply maps my landline number to my cellphone, without having to go through an extra jump. So instead of going from (09) 123-4567 to (08) 456-7890 to (027) 345-6789, it would just go from (09) 123-4567 to (027) 345-6789 in a single jump.

Incorrect. That is not how porting works.

If you port a number the number is moved to a different network. It is not an alias.

The only way to get the number ring your mobile directly would be to see if it's possible to port that to VF or 2d who offer a landline service on mobiles.

Lizard1977

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#1360710 7-Aug-2015 14:54

Interesting. I had always assumed the "alias" analogy because when I ported my landline to VFX years ago, I noticed a new telephone number was assigned, but the old number (obviously) continued to work. So I just figured that when people dialled my old number they were being redirected to the new, VoIP number.

DarkShadow

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#1360712 7-Aug-2015 14:59

If you port it to 2talk it's $6.9/month, call costs extra.

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networkn

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#1360718 7-Aug-2015 15:19

Lizard1977: Yeah, that was the only thing I could think of, but was wondering if there was an alternative. Porting back to VFX is only $3.50/month cheaper than 2Degrees, and in either case I might as well just leave the phones plugged in.

As I currently understand it, porting works a bit like an alias. My original landline acts like an alias for the VoIP number that the VoIP service generates for me. So dialing (09) 123-4567 goes to something like (08) 456-7890. What I was hoping for was a service that simply maps my landline number to my cellphone, without having to go through an extra jump. So instead of going from (09) 123-4567 to (08) 456-7890 to (027) 345-6789, it would just go from (09) 123-4567 to (027) 345-6789 in a single jump.

I tried to call you to discuss the matter, but I think you may have not paid your bill because all these numbers gave disconnected signals :)

kfella2000

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#1364794 12-Aug-2015 17:56

One other alternative is to port your number to 2talk. Their plans start at $11.50 a month and then set up a mobile sip app on your cellphone like the 2talk app for example and that way you can make and receive landline calls on your cellphone and that will only use your mobile data.