VOIP FAQ

Do I need a BT telephone line?

Probably. You must have an internet connection and nowadays most business locations are linked to the internet via one or more broadband connections. The broadband is normally delivered via a BT telephone line.

Other viable internet connections include leased lines and cable.

You do not have to actually place any telephone calls via BT. Therefore, BT will only bill you for the line rental and broadband, if you have subscribed to BT broadband. The exception to this rule is sending faxes.

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What happens if my broadband fails?

If you have the optional office telephone exchange, the BlackBIT VoIP system will detect the broadband failure and automatically place the incoming call to (an) alternative number(s).

If you do not have the optional office telephone exchange, your incoming calls will be answered by your normal BlackBIT VoIP voicemail, as the voicemail system is located on our dedicated VoIP servers.

You are able to retrieve your voicemail messages from any operational telephone.

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Which internet connections are not viable?

As a rule, dial up modem and ISDN connections are not viable for use with VoIP. Business broadband services are recommended over home or residential services.

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Can I use the BT line that the broadband is delivered over for faxing?

Yes. This is the recommended route for sending outbound faxes. Please note that your telephone line provider, usually BT, will charge you for the cost of placing the fax calls.

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Does BlackBIT offer a fax to email service?

BlackBIT Limited does offer a fax to email service for inbound faxes. When you receive a fax using the fax to email service it will arrive as an email attachment, so you do not need to have a physical fax machine for receiving faxes. This means that you choose which faxes you print out and keep, thereby saving money in paper, ink as well as helping to protect the environment.

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How many telephone handsets can I operate through one broadband connection?

An almost unlimited number. The telephones use a tiny amount of bandwidth when not on an active call.

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How many active calls can I have over one broadband connection?

At normal quality, three conversations can take place concurrently over a standard business broadband service. If voice codec compression is utilised that number may be increased to as many as 23 concurrent calls over a single broadband connection.

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Do I get a proper telephone number?

Yes. You get proper telephone numbers – and you can have as many as you require.

BlackBIT Limited can offer great flexibility in telephone number allocation and can offer any geographic area code(s). The telephone numbers that BlackBIT Limited offers are not tied to the geographic location in which they are to be used.

The VoIP telephone can even identify for you the number that was called. This would enable you to operate multiple companies / multiple office locations from one VoIP telephone as you would be able to answer the call appropriately.

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Can I keep my BT telephone number?

Yes. There are two ways to achieve this:

     1. setting up a call diversion; or
     2. porting the telephone number away from BT.

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Does it cost anything to keep my BT telephone number?

Yes.

Option 1, setting up a call diversion: you will pay for each call you receive as BT will charge you to forward the call.

Option 2, porting the telephone number: there is a one off charge of £30.00 + VAT for carrying out the number port.

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Is VoIP as reliable as traditional telephone technology?

VoIP relies upon your internet connection. The most common method for connecting to the internet is broadband. Very few broadband connections are supplied with uptime guarantees of 100% which means that VoIP can be affected by internet downtime. However, BlackBIT VoIP will automatically detect internet failure and place the incoming call to alternative number(s). Outgoing calls can be placed via traditional telephone lines although the number of concurrent calls is reduced to the number of physical telephone lines in place.

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What are the billing arrangements?

BlackBIT Limited will invoice you monthly in arrears for your VoIP telecom services, providing you with an electronic, itemised bill of all calls placed, their date/time, duration and cost.

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Will the VoIP system cope if we grow our business substantially?

The BlackBIT VoIP telephone system is one of the most flexible systems on the market today. When comparing the time, effort and expense of adding new extensions and/or features to the VoIP system against that of standard systems, the BlackBIT VoIP system will prove to be the more cost effective and efficient.

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My friend uses Skype/Vonage, etc and the call quality is poor. Isn’t your system the same?

No. BlackBIT Limited provides enterprise class VoIP solutions. The call quality is as good as a conversation held over a BT telephone line. Call us on 01392 279999 and have a conversation: it will be a VoIP call and indicative of the quality. Alternatively, contact us to arrange a demonstration at your site (geographic limitations apply).

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What is a codec?

An acronym for "compression/decompression". In the context of telephone calls, it means the compression and transmission of the audio part of the telephone call. There are several codecs that could be employed for a telephone call. There are some codecs that are optimised for good quality audio and there are some codecs that are optimised for making best use of all available bandwidth. Most people are familiar with the term “mp3” which is one particular codec that is well suited to the compression of music.

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Do I need a PC? Do I have to use a headset plugged into my computer?

No. You do not need a PC and you do not have to use a headset. The VoIP system works independently of computer equipment. The VoIP telephones are professional, high quality, telephones and to look at them, you would not know that they are VoIP based.

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Can I dial 999?

Yes you can make emergency calls from the BlackBIT VoIP system. The emergency call can be placed over the internet (using VoIP) or, if you have the optional office based telephone exchange as well as a telephone line available to the telephone exchange, the emergency call can be placed over the telephone line.

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What happens to my number if I move my business to a new address?

Your telephone number travels with the VoIP telephone or, if you have the optional office telephone exchange, it travels with that.

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Are all my calls free?

Calls to other users on the BlackBIT VoIP system are free and calls to 0800 numbers are free. BlackBIT Limited offers some of the most competitive call tariffs on the market. Contact us for full details.

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Are calls to other VoIP providers free?

BlackBIT Limited is forming agreements with other VoIP providers to allow free inter-provider calls. Watch this space.

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Can I check my messages abroad?

Yes. You can retrieve your messages from any country using your account number and PIN.

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Can I manage my account online?

BlackBIT is developing an online billing system. Watch this space.

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Can I connect your system to my VoIP phone?

Yes. You can provide your own VoIP telephone and, using the account credentials that BlackBIT provides you, you would be able to use your own equipment.

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What if I’m not in the office to answer the phone?

You can set a call divert from the VoIP telephone. Alternatively, BlackBIT can offer the advanced find me/follow me service in which the system will call a pre-defined set of telephone numbers and, when you answer, you are given the opportunity to accept or reject the incoming call. The benefit of this approach is that callers will never be put through to mobile or home voicemail systems as it is necessary to press the 1 button on the telephone in order to accept the call.

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What happens if another call comes in when I’m on the phone?

You are able to manage all calls properly as they arrive. You will see the number and, optionally, the name of the second caller. You can make an informed decision as to whether to take the call. If you decide to take it, you can switch back and forth between callers using the user friendly and intuitive VoIP telephone’s coloured line buttons.