Skype Alternatives

Skype on 3G for iPhone is finally out!

Unfortunately, it is NOT free and it will be a premium service later this year. This was the wake-up call to resume my search for the ultimate Skype alternative.

HowTo: iNum

UPDATED (10 June 2010)

-- My new iNum Number and mentions of Nimbuzz and Nokia SIP Client

I am a firm believer in innovation and progress!

In the field of telecommunications, I predict that the next big wave will be INUM sweeping across the globe and taking the world by storm.

Now, that storm may take more than two years to materialise, but early adopters are invited to try out the service NOW.

What is iNum? It is a Telephone Number. Yes, it is. It starts with country code +(883)... wait a minute, a country code? Did you ask which country is it? It is a NEW Country Code approved by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for the global Internet Community.

In the near future, you will be able to dial +(883)xxxxxxxxxxxx (eg. my inum phone number is+(883) 51000-1190777) and reach me. The best part is, I may or may not pick up your call from a phone. I can choose to pick up your call from a SIP device or a software phone (such as Twinkle, QuteCom, X-Lite, Fring, Nimbuzz and even Nokia phones with the SIP Client).

In the meantime, you can call a local telephone number (known as Access Numbers) in your country and enter a person's iNum to reach him/her. The list of iNum Access Numbers is here.

It can be a slight hassle to call an Access Number and then to enter an iNum number. Thankfully, you can use the "Pause" function on your phone to save you time.

Give it a shot!

Call me on my iNum to say Hello to me - I promise you, I am really friendly and will NOT eat you up. :)

Rykel's iNum (calling from Singapore) - Dial 31581212 (enter iNum No. 883 51000 1190777) or31581212p(pause)883510001190777.

NOTE: To dial the "p" on Nokia phones, press the * key 3x until you get a "p".



God Bless,

Rykel
Singapore
+(883) 51000-1190777


UPDATE (28 April 2009) - I am using Callcentric instead of VoipDiscount, VoipBuster or any of the Betamax daughters, because Callcentric is one of the earliest pioneer to give out free iNums. However, people cannot call me back at +(883) 51000-1190777 because iNum is not recognised yet in Singapore. So, Callcentric has generously helped me set my Caller ID to my Singapore mobile. You might be able to do the same with your SIP provider.

UPDATE (23 May 2009) - To get your iNum, go to http://bit.ly/myinum, sign up for a FREE account and purchase an "Incoming Telephone Number". Choose "iNum" for your Country. Then, Add Funds so that you can forward your iNum calls to your existing phone number to enjoy crystal clear iNum-to-iNum calls without the need for wifi, 3G or the internet.

UPDATE (2 June 2009) - Please help accelerate the adoption of iNum in your country by using all your phones to call me at +(883) 51000-1190777, then, if it cannot get through, call up your telephone operator to check. You MIGHT be charged a minute of call even though you cannot get through. So ask your phone company why they are charging you for an invalid call, if they do. :)

For Singapore handphones, you may get help from your respective mobile service providers. Namely:

• Singtel: http://www.singtel.com/ or dial 1610
• Starhub: http://www.starhub.com/ or dial 1633
• M1: http://www.m1.com.sg or 1622

UPDATE (7 August 2009) - I just tested iNum in Malacca, Malaysia! Celcom Mobile has a "Daily Unlimited Broadband" plan running on their 3G Prepaid Card** and well, I was at this resort hotel at Jalan Melaka Raya with free wifi.

Results? With the free wifi provided, I was able to make and receive SOLID iNum calls. But with the Celcom 3G broadband, I was TOTALLY UNABLE to even get connected to the iNum service. I called their customer service a couple of times, and most of them have NO IDEA what "SIP Settings" is... so, morale of the story - until further notice - anyone travelling to Malacca, PLEASE ensure that you have wifi OR call forwarding to your Malaysian mobile number enabled. Speaking of which, I DID forward and the calls were GOOD. :)

** Please note that MOST of the Celcom Prepaid Cards you find in the shops are NON-3G. You have to look at the physical SIM card (it will write "3G") AND call 1111 from another Celcom phone to double-check with the staff if the card you are looking at is 3G or non-3G. I know this is really troublesome, but then, give the Malaysians some time and I am sure they will catch up fast. At least with their SIM cards, you can receive FREE incoming calls (NOT like the fake "free" incoming calls in Singapore, where you pay 59-60 cents a day for the feature) and make outgoing calls, while surfing the net with an unlimited data plan! (ie. ONE single device does it all)

UPDATE (23 August 2009) - I just wrote to ITU a week back to see if they could help us accelerate the adoption of iNum in Singapore, and here is the letter... no reply todate, but I am keeping my hopes up! --

"Dear Sir/Madam,

Greetings and I hope this email finds you well.

First of all, I want to say a big thank you to everyone who works in your organisation, because you have made the world a wonderful place, especially with the recent release of the +883 country code. You are a visionary union and I am glad that an institution such as yours exists.

Therefore, I hope you can direct me to the relevant person/department who can assist me in the following matter. I am trying to call +883 telephone numbers from Singapore mobile phones, but unfortunately, I cannot seem to do so. Calling the mobile operators was no help too, because the staff claims that there is "no such country code" as +883.

I believe that You are the most appropriate agency which can assist the Singapore telecommunication companies understand iNum and to connect their users to the country code.

Thank you very much, and I hope to hear from you soon.

p/s. It would be fabulous if a +883 hotline was to be set up for ITU too. Your league is above all countries and it befits your image to be accessible from a +883 country code as well as the existing +41! :)

Best Regards,

Rykel

+(883) 51000-1190777

http://bit.ly/howtoinum "

UPDATE (10 JUNE 2010) - I wrote on Skype Forum about the cost of maintaining a Singapore mobile number and mentioned iNum.

I am a SkypeOut Unlimited Subscriber in Singapore.

Incoming Singapore numbers are exactly what Skype users like me need.

The situation here is this - there are NO free incoming calls at all from ANY of the carriers. There are only unlimited incoming calls. Notice the difference!

By FREE incoming calls, I mean you do not have to pay a monthly fee to receive phone calls. A good example of a FREE telephone number would be an iNum number. (See "How To Obtain An iNum" to learn more)

On the other hand, we pay approximately SGD 18.00 a month to maintain a Singapore mobile number for incoming calls. (both prepaid buyers and postpaid subcribers alike)

Meanwhile, 3G data plans are relatively affordable and Singapore has a robust 3G network. Using Skype Mobile, I have 90% reliability, including while travelling on buses and cars. (exclude underground tunnels)

The reason for this is that the country is heavily wired, especially in town areas and on the expressways, and the minimum speed from any mobile ISP is 1Mbps.

Even the FREE government Wireless@SG wifi networks are 80% reliable when sustaining proper SkypeOut/Skype-to-Skype calls.

What all this means is that an avid Skype Subscriber CAN indeed use SkypeOut heavily, BUT has to carry TWO devices - one with an incoming call number, and another for SkypeOut calls via an unlimited data plan.

There is one possibly good Singapore number provider though, but the only drawback with them is that the cost is USD 19.95 (approximately SGD 28.00) and the number CANNOT receive SMS. Compared to maintaining a SGD 18.00 prepaid card, that is EXPENSIVE. So unless you are OK with shelling out a lot more for less features, sticking to a prepaid card for incoming calls is a wiser use of your talents.

btw, using Skype on Mobile "Always On" via 3G DRAINS your mobile battery life, so carrying a second phone with you is also a good idea. Just switch it to 2G and you are good to go for at least 2-3 days!

If anyone up in Skype can help us, please help us find a SINGAPORE SkypeIn Number, which is:

1. AFFORDABLE - less than USD 12.00 a month (SGD 18.00); and

2. Able to receive FREE incoming SMS

This will be exactly what the carriers here provide for SGD 18.00 a month.

Thank you so much for listening!

p/s. Please support my iNum link above, as I believe that the ultimate solution to ANY incoming call number in any country is iNum. Here is the link again - "How To Obtain An iNum".