Using VOIP for main number and voicemail. Need to disable voicemail on Public Mobile

[Vancouverbc]

I'm looking to switch to Public Mobile from Virgin. My main number is a Voip.ms number. The voip.ms number rings a number of devices and also rings the cellphone. If I don't answer, I want voip.ms to handle the voicemail, I don't want Public Mobile to pickup. However reading the forums, seems there is no way to disable voice mail in PM. The extended vacation option won't work for me because PM will still answer the call. I need the call on PM to keep ringing or fail and for voip.ms to answer and take a message. 

Anyone have a solution so that PM either keeps ringing and ringing (voip.ms times out and sends the call to voice mail) or for PM to give up and hang up and voip.ms manages the call. 

[Nezgar]

@kselmak ahhhh thanks, I get it now - my brain couldn't figure out that one! 😁 "MVNOs" 

[kselmak]

🙂 @Nezgar no clue

For some reason it's in my auto-correct it seems to be a word and it replaced mvnos since mvnos is not a word. Those virtual providers. I guess Publicmobile qualifies, but there are still not true virtual ones in Canada. The only one that was granted the right to operate is dormobile apparently and they only struck a deal with one operator, iristel.

[Nezgar]

@kselmak what's a movnis?

[kselmak]

@Vancouverbc 

Since others started offering'unlimited'

Publicmobile started offering these gifts about two times per year. If your plan really works for you and your usage is always about there these gifts are more than enough to cover you that odd month when you had to use a bit more, i never had to buy an add-on thanks to that, so i really don't care about unlimited data at pretty much dial up speed, it's pretty smart move on their part.

I am also firm believer that people would be much more casual with their data and would buy those add-ons by buckets if they were affordable. Dropping price from 30 to 15 was a great move. I believe once mvnos are here it will go even lower

[LurganIeUk]

---

@kb_mv wrote:

---

@Vancouverbc wrote:

kb_mv

That is great to hear, I will periodically check the add-ins. Thanks!

---

@Vancouverbc just keep an eye on the forums, that's where you will first see targeted offers, flash sales and freebies.

---

To be more precise....check the Community "Announcements" here. 

[kb_mv]

---

@Vancouverbc wrote:

kb_mv

That is great to hear, I will periodically check the add-ins. Thanks!

---

@Vancouverbc just keep an eye on the forums, that's where you will first see targeted offers, flash sales and freebies.

[Vancouverbc]

kb_mv

That is great to hear, I will periodically check the add-ins. Thanks!

[kb_mv]

---

@Vancouverbc wrote:Wow, that's even better! No expiry date on the bonus 2 GB. Is this bonus offered with any regularity? 

---

@Vancouverbc I have been with PM for about 18 months one one account and have gotten 4GB free data (3 lots) and 900 mins International Long Distance (2 lots) and on a second account  of about 6 months, I have received 7Gb of data (2 lots), 1000 mins of Canada wide time (once) and one lot of 500 mins International LD. Keep looking in here, you never know when something good will pop up.

[Vancouverbc]

---

@kselmak wrote:

The 2gig add-on will not expire at the end of the year, it stays asv long as you don't costume the last megabyte,ci have an add-on for almost two years now. December 31 is the cutoff for getting it as we have to purchase it (for $0), those who findv out later will probably be upset so i remind all my friends to login and get it before New year

---

Wow, that's even better! No expiry date on the bonus 2 GB. Is this bonus offered with any regularity? 

[kselmak]

@Vancouverbc 

Welcome aboard

The 2gig add-on will not expire at the end of the year, it stays asv long as you don't costume the last megabyte,ci have an add-on for almost two years now. December 31 is the cutoff for getting it as we have to purchase it (for $0), those who findv out later will probably be upset so i remind all my friends to login and get it before New year

[Vancouverbc]

Update

The sim card arrived, activated it, and ported the number. I didn't change any of the settings in PM for time-out before voicemail kicks in. Voip.ms is set to ring for 30 seconds then send the call to voip.ms vm. It takes a few seconds before the cellphone starts ringing so that consumes some of the voip.ms 30 seconds. I tested 6 times. Voip.ms rings (caller hears) 2 rings before cellphone starts ringing. Cellphone rings 7 times before voip.ms sends call to its vm. So it seems to be working just fine. 

The 2GB data bonus until the end of the year is a nice bonus. Moving to PM cuts the monthly cost by half and the network is the same as before Virgin/Bell/Telus.3G is fast enough. 

Thanks everyone for all your help, it took the concern out of switching carriers. 

[Vancouverbc]

Cool, that really helps to be able to port after activation. Thanks, that's exactly what I'll do.

---

@kselmak wrote:

@Vancouverbc 

One more thing, it doesn't have to be point of no return, you can open Publicmobile account with a temp number, even just 15 plan with unlimited incoming. You can test it for a day or two, abandon it you don't like it, or if you do like it just port your virgin over at any point.

Best wishes

---

[kselmak]

@Vancouverbc 

One more thing, it doesn't have to be point of no return, you can open Publicmobile account with a temp number, even just 15 plan with unlimited incoming. You can test it for a day or two, abandon it you don't like it, or if you do like it just port your virgin over at any point.

Best wishes

[Vancouverbc]

Thanks kselmak for all the testing and reporting back. If I adopt PM, I'll be porting the Virgin cell number so it's a path of no return (I'll lose the Virgin loyalty plan I've got). So your experimenting helps me a lot. 

Sounds like you are using call hunting or similar where on failure or time-out, freephoneline forwards to the next number in your list. It might also work with  voip.ms ring group then where everything rings at the same time. In my ring group I have a couple of USA sim card numbers that are not in phones for now. Those numbers are still active (but off the network) and have voicemail but voip.ms just ignores them. So call hunting (sequential) as you have it or ring groups (all ring at once) might work. Yes, we have a couple of cellphones plus quite a few voip.ms numbers I can use for testing. Thanks kselmak.

[kselmak]

@Vancouverbc 

K i figured it out

Yes you can definitely use Publicmobile

If you set in your call forwarding settings that all declined, unavailable and busy calls go to Whitehouse (or any other usa number) your VoIP provider will go to the next in line or voicemail whatever is in your settings. 

I tried it as the last number then it went to my freephoneline voicemail, as the second last number then it went to the last number 

Do you have a friend or family member you could test it with if you are uncertain? They would just have to change those settings temporarily once the test is done they can just remove forwarding number and the system will fill it in automatically.

Hope this helps

[kselmak]

@Vancouverbc 

My VoIP provider is freephoneline and us not as fancy as ms, it forwards to the next in the list and is anything picks up(either me on the cell phone or my voicemail) it considers it done. So it will not go to the next number on the list or voicemail. It does notice is the phonne is not in service or is failing and then it goes to the next number (or voicemail if that was last if the line).

So this is what I'm gonna try now, if i set forwarding to usa number the call will fail when offline (instead of going to pm voicemail) and i will be able to see if it will go to the next in line or just fail, i will report back

[Vancouverbc]

---

@kselmak wrote:

Yes i mentioned mine fails if Publicmobile is offline. 

kselmak

Can you clarify "mine fails" if this means this trick works? Or doesn't work? Voip.ms uses "fail" in a positive sense in its if-this, then-that decision making. "if within 25 seconds someone does not pickup the call on the cellphone THEN the fail-over is voip.ms sends the call to voicemail". 

If I don't or can't take the call on the cellphone, or the cellphone is out of range or otherwise off the network, I want voip.ms to send the call to vm. I would prefer to not add another service (Frongo) to the mix. This is the part I'm not sure about before I port the Virgin number to PM. 

[kselmak]

@Vancouverbc 

Yes i mentioned mine fails if Publicmobile is offline. 

You could set it to forward to your ms if unavailable.

That would be in forwarding settings within call settings. Actually i would set everything too go to your ms number when the call fails. 

You still could consider fongo voicemail, you can get emails of it and dial in with the app. You can also dial into their voicemail from anywhere you would just need to pass a longer string with pauses #vm#p#yourfingo#p#pin# if you don't want to use credentials every time

[Vancouverbc]

---

@Nezgar wrote:

---

---

You can't forward to USA numbers, but it will still let them be set. That example number is also invalid, so it will always result in a forwarding failure if you use it. You could use any USA number and it would have the same result.

---

If I understand, it's a trick so PM forwards to a voicemail box that actually fails to forward. Meanwhile voip.ms will time out at 25 seconds and if the call hasn't been picked up by anything in the ring group and the call will go to a voip.ms voicemail box. This works whether the PM cel is on the network, out of range or turned off. 

[Nezgar]

---

@Vancouverbc wrote:

Oh right, I forgot about that scenario when the phone is off the network, either powered off or out of range. Which is why I asked Virgin to disable voicemail. So is 8080000000 a fictitious number for voicemail? I don't get that part.

---

You can't forward to USA numbers, but it will still let them be set. That example number is also invalid, so it will always result in a forwarding failure if you use it. You could use any USA number and it would have the same result.

[Vancouverbc]

---

@Nezgar wrote:

Even if your phone is off the network, which would normally result in immediately going to PM voicemail...

---

Oh right, I forgot about that scenario when the phone is off the network, either powered off or out of range. Which is why I asked Virgin to disable voicemail. So is 8080000000 a fictitious number for voicemail? I don't get that part.

[Nezgar]

@Vancouverbc with the conditional call forwards programmed to the dead-end number 8080000000 there will be zero chance of the call ever inadvertently being picked up by PM voicemail. Even if your phone is off the network, which would normally result in immediately going to PM voicemail...

[Vancouverbc]

---

I just tested this with a voip.ms hunt group with my conditional call forwards set to 8080000000 as above. The call was set to "try" my PM number for 30 seconds, but i immediately declined the call (which would divert it to that dead end) - the hunt attempt continued for the full 30s, but the call was never 'taken' by the PM voicemail as it normally would have.

Good to know. When I get the PM sim card, I'll try using Ring Groups in voip.ms and set the ring time for the PM cell number to around 25 seconds so the call won't go to PM voicemail. 

[Nezgar]

---

@gpixel wrote:

@Vancouverbc 

*004*8080000000#

This will cause all calls to either ring forever or get fast busy at the point they normally would have been diverted to the voicemail system.

##004# to undo/reset it.

---

I just tested this with a voip.ms hunt group with my conditional call forwards set to 8080000000 as above. The call was set to "try" my PM number for 30 seconds, but i immediately declined the call (which would divert it to that dead end) - the hunt attempt continued for the full 30s, but the call was never 'taken' by the PM voicemail as it normally would have.

To extend the "ring time" for the normal calling to the maximum 30s, dial: *61*8080000000**30#

The default from PM is 25s.

[Vancouverbc]

---

@Jb456 wrote:

@Vancouverbc  

Where did you order the sim from? If it's from Public Mobile website take note people are reporting 2 to 3 weeks to receive it. Might be best to just stop at a Walmart or if you have London Drugs in your area and pick one up.

---

From Amazon.ca with an arrival date in 2 days (Weds). Thanks for letting me know about the long wait time from PM! 

A friend put me onto PM, glad for that! 

[Jb456]

@Vancouverbc  

Where did you order the sim from? If it's from Public Mobile website take note people are reporting 2 to 3 weeks to receive it. Might be best to just stop at a Walmart or if you have London Drugs in your area and pick one up.

[Vancouverbc]

Thanks everyone, I ordered a PM sim card. I'll update after the weekend when I activate it and port my number from Virgin. I have a referral code from a friend who switched to PM today.

[Vancouverbc]

---

---

Not sure of the numbers but VoIP.ms allows a number of both incoming and outgoing channels on one DID. We had problems with line in use and could hear another inbound call trying to come in vs a busy signal. I contacted VoIP.ms and they gave me a code for phone to send to ATA box to bring down to one only inbound channel. But still no busy signal....so I added their voicemail with an additional email of it as well. So saying that we have no issues with VoIp.ms for land line ......but our call forward set ups do take a second call and I can call out on Zoiper when VoIP land line is in use. Quirky and not totally understood by me....but remain happy with it all and would not go back to a copper line phone service. 

---

We also gave up copper wire more than 10 years ago. VOIP works so well and is so inexpensive. Being able to add cellphones into that mix really adds to the flexibility. One phone number and everything rings at the same time where ever I am. 

[LurganIeUk]

---

@Vancouverbc wrote:

---

@kselmak wrote:

@Vancouverbc would somehow ms figure out that a number is unavailable? Does it know the difference if number answers vs its original voicemail answering?

Mine was failing if i turn off my cell.

kselmak

I'm not sure. voip.ms allows several channels or incoming calls on the same DID phone number. The logic that is setup for each phone number determines where that call goes, forwarded to another number or to voicemail. However with what I've learned today, I should be ok if  I set PM's voice mail to kick in at 30 seconds (the maximum) and have voip.ms route to voicemail at around 5 rings or 25 seconds. 

---

Not sure of the numbers but VoIP.ms allows a number of both incoming and outgoing channels on one DID. We had problems with line in use and could hear another inbound call trying to come in vs a busy signal. I contacted VoIP.ms and they gave me a code for phone to send to ATA box to bring down to one only inbound channel. But still no busy signal....so I added their voicemail with an additional email of it as well. So saying that we have no issues with VoIp.ms for land line ......but our call forward set ups do take a second call and I can call out on Zoiper when VoIP land line is in use. Quirky and not totally understood by me....but remain happy with it all and would not go back to a copper line phone service. 

[Vancouverbc]

---

@kselmak wrote:

@Vancouverbc would somehow ms figure out that a number is unavailable? Does it know the difference if number answers vs its original voicemail answering?

Mine was failing if i turn off my cell.

kselmak

I'm not sure. voip.ms allows several channels or incoming calls on the same DID phone number. The logic that is setup for each phone number determines where that call goes, forwarded to another number or to voicemail. However with what I've learned today, I should be ok if  I set PM's voice mail to kick in at 30 seconds (the maximum) and have voip.ms route to voicemail at around 5 rings or 25 seconds.