Life after Skype

[carride]

Free google voice is not available for sign-up outside the US. However, once signed up, you can use it for texting and calling while outside the US

You do not need to be in US to sign up. You just need to own or borrow a real US phone number to create the GV account. Google will verify with a call, so old-school landlines work, or SMS. So if borrowing a friend's phone number, ask then to answer and use the verify code you tell them. With your verified GV account you turn off forwarding to that real number. Done.

 

[Johnny]

A Colombia expat forum currently has a similar thread. A member posted this:

Skype Number Alternative

What is the best Skype alternative? Get a phone number in any city of choice from $1.79 per month and unlock features Skype never had.

sonetel.com

This is an interesting read. Has anyone here signed up with Sonetel? I'm getting ready to pull the trigger soon on something. Tello sounds good but I'll need to buy a new phone as mine doesn't support an ESIM.

 

[lunar]

Has anyone here signed up with Sonetel?

Sonetel is just one of many SIP providers. SIP is a protocol used to make VOIP (Voice Over IP) calls. The SIP protocol and SIP providers existed long before Skype. Skype simply introduced its own proprietary protocol, and became very popular. Now, with Skype's demise, many people are returning to SIP.

The three biggest SIP VOIP providers for residential users offering U.S. phone numbers are Callcentric.com, VoIP.ms, and Anveo.com. In SIP provider terminology, the phone number you use for incoming calls is called a DID number (Direct Inward Dialing number). Since SIP is a protocol, you usually have to assemble the things you need, rather than getting a single all-in-one package like Skype offered.

If you need simple advice, just go with Callcentric. It has been around for a long time and is known for being reasonably reliable. I've heard good things about their SMS app. The prices aren't the cheapest, but they are reasonable. (Google Voice is free, but I’m guessing you’re unable to get a Google Voice number for some reason.)

To get a phone number from Callcentric, check the plans on their website. The "Dollar Unlimited" plan gives you a number in certain selected states - likely rural areas. The "Pay Per Minute" plan is better if you want the number to match your preferred U.S. location.

You can add their basic SMS messaging feature on top of your phone number plan. It costs $1/month, plus 1 cent per message.

When you sign up with a SIP provider, you’ll get a SIP address like "[email protected]". To place calls, you can use a softphone such as Zoiper (there are many other options). Zoiper has a desktop and mobile clients. Incoming calls to your phone number will ring through the softphone app.

It’s kind of the same story as with email. You can get an email account and address from one provider, but then use Thunderbird on your desktop and a third-party email app on your mobile device. With SIP providers, it’s similar: you get a SIP address, which you can use with different apps or devices, and connect phone numbers, depending on your needs.