VOIP is an acronym for Voice Over Internet Protocol.

You will need an ADSL line or diginet line installed. In South Africa this is usually done by Telkom and/or its range of sub-providers.

If you are connected to the office phone system, nothing changes. On the road, you can use a USB phone connected to your laptop or a dedicated phone that supports both PSTN and VoIP.

The call goes through your VoIP provider and either out to the phone network or to another on-net phone.

How Much Will VoIP Save Me?

VoIP will save you costs of between 30% and 80% off your monthly bill. International calls have the most savings whilst local and cellular calls will reduce by up to 40% in certain instances.

Example: If you have a phone bill of R10 000 per month and most of your calls are international you can expect up to R6000-R8000 off your monthly bill. That is a saving of around 60% - 80%.

Example: If your bill is around R50 000 per month and most of your calls are local and cellular you can expect a savings of around 30% or 40%. This is a saving of around R15 000 – R20 000.

Example: If your call bill is below R2000 (excl rental) per month then VOIP will probably save you up to 40% but the bigger your bill the more significant will your monthly savings be.

How Much Will It Cost To Install?

The cost of installation is generally free and varies from provider to provider. The cost of the gateway (type of modem) will vary and will depend on the type of PBX, number of ports and lines and the setup of your telephone systems. It is for this reason that a quote can only be done after a site visit to your place. Prices for the smallest gateways can range between R600 to R60 000. There exist over ten different types of gateways for this VOIP system.

Do I Have To Sign a Contract on Your Product?

No, you do not have to sign a contract with our VoIP product. In fact your agreement is a month to month arrangement and you are not obligated to continue in a contractual manner. Some providers offer sliding scale packages that attract users.

Where you have a number of Telkom lines, our technicians will advise you on how many of these lines you can retain and terminate. This VoIP system is linked to your PBX and therefore functions of electricity. In times of a power cut or blackout your system will depend on its UPS (uninterrupted power supply unit) or in the absence of such unit will revert back to your Telkom line for the duration of the power cut. It is for this reason that we recommend that you keep a certain number of Telkom lines as a backup to continue your service uninterrupted.

What Kind of Equipment Do I Need?

A broadband (high speed Internet, ADSL or DIGINET) connection is required. This can be through a high speed service such as DSL or a local area network. If you are connecting your existing telephone PBX to VoIP, you will need a VoIP gateway. If you already own an IP PBX, then this can connect directly to VoIP service without a separate gateway.

Our VOIP product allows you to have a flat rate for both local and national calls in South Africa. For example, we can charge you a flat rate of 43c and only charge you for the seconds you speak. This is genuine per second billing. We therefore do not charge you different rates for distances up 50 km or greater in South Africa. In addition we do not charge for 30 second increments as some telephone companies do.

If I have a VoIP service, who can I call?

Our VoIP service allows you to call any phone number, anywhere in the world. At this point our offering will link you up to 3500 destinations worldwide.

The call can be made to a local number, a mobile phone, to a long distance number, or an international number. You may even utilize the service to speak with more than one person at a time. The person you are calling does not need any special equipment, just a phone.

A person or organisation that uses a similar VOIP gateway or modem can have the benefits of a vastly reduced call costs. In some instances “on-net” calls are virtually free. Organisations or individuals with more than one branch may therefore benefit immensely by fitting gateways in related branches. As our VOIP system grows subscribers will therefore reduce call cost further.

Wi-Fi areas allow you to make calls and surf the internet free within this areas. This is usually provided by a service provider who has contracted with a municipality or government partner. The Johannesburg International Airport is one such wi-fi enabled area. Our product will integrate seamlessly with wi-fi areas and will also allow you to break out of these areas and maintain the benefit the of low-call cost.

Because Internet Voice is digital, it may offer features and services that are not available with a traditional phone. If you have a broadband internet connection, you need not maintain and pay the additional cost for a line just to make telephone calls.

With many Internet Voice plans you can talk for as long as you want with any person in the world (the requirement is that the other person has an Internet connection and VoIP gateway). You can also talk with many people at the same time without any additional cost.

If you're considering replacing your traditional telephone service with Internet Voice, there are some possible differences:

Some Internet Voice services don't work during power outages and the service provider may not offer backup power;

It may be difficult for some Internet Voice services to seamlessly connect with the emergency (000) dispatch centre or identify the location of Internet Voice 000 callers, or they may or may not offer white page listings.

For this reason VoIP services are not recommended to completely replace all existing phone lines.

Can I use my Computer While I talk on the Phone?
Yes

Can I Take My Phone Adapter with me when I Travel?

You may be able to use your VoIP service wherever you travel as long as you have a high speed Internet connection available. In that case it would work the same as from your home or business.

Not if you are making calls with a phone and adaptor or special VoIP phone, but your broadband Internet connection needs to be active. You can also use your computer while talking on the phone.

Your phone will ring like any other call.

Who Are You and Your Channel Partners?

TalkWithUs is an information, technology and telecommunications company that delivers a very specialized Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) solution to businesses. The VOIP solutions offered by the company are believed to be unique to South Africa in its ability to reduce telephone costs. TalkWithUs is a listed provider with Talknet Africa, a license holder to provide this unique product to South Africa with Talknet Australia. Both these companies are wholesalers of VOIP in South Africa. TalkWithUs has appointed a list of sub-distributors to install and maintain clients. These distributors are the interface between the client and the rest of the channel partnership. Please see www.talknetafrica.co.za.