In most cases, yes, call rates are significantly lower than traditional telephone networks while calls to other VoIP destinations are free. You are charged per minute rates for calls outside the VoIP network. Using VoIP can also reduce your line rental costs as it utilises high speed Internet connections for both voice and data. Check our rates for more information.
Yes, you can access your voicemail from anywhere in the world. With OrcaCom you can get your voicemail delivered to an email address of your choice attached as a wav file, you can then listen to the message. Or simply dial your own number, press the * key and enter your pin number. Then you can listen to your voice messages just as you would in the office.
Yes, you can call any phone number as if you were calling from a traditional phone line. Calls to other OrcaCom numbers and VoIP networks are free, while calls to traditional phones or mobiles are charged at a very low rate. For calls to normal phones, check our call tariffs.
Yes. You can add any songs or announcements you would like through the web-based administration interface.
Yes, all of your calls can be diverted and controlled via your own personalised control pannel. This is accessed by visiting http://phone.orcacom.co.nz.
Yes you can keep any existing phone numbers and 'Port' them to our service.
Yes. You can use any SIP compatible phone, however we won't be able to help you with configuration or any problems you might experience with it.
Yes, there are a few ways that you can use analogue phones with OrcaCom, but the most straightforward is to couple them with an ATA or analogue telephone adapter. An ATA turns a normal analogue handset into a SIP compatible phone. At that point, you would configure it just as if it were a SIP phone. Please see our Products page for suitable ATA adapter.
Yes, you can use your cordless phone in combination with a VoIP adapter.
No. Your VoIP telephone/adaptor requires electricity to operate. However, OrcaCom offers automatic call forwarding services to manage your calls in the event you are offline. If setup, our system can automatically forward all calls to you mobile phone in a power or Internet outage.
Yes. Most firewalls handle this without you having to do a thing.
Yes, in-fact we offer phone numbers from any city in the world. Its a key advantage to VoIP technology. You can choose to purchase as many phone numbers as you like from as many cities as you like. You have full online control of what happens when someone calls these numbers. e.g. just login to your control panel to manage call diversion, voicemail, IVR etc...
Operating a VoIP network is much more cost-effective than operating a traditional phone network. We are able to save on expensive and cumbersome telephone equipment and switches. OrcaCom leverages its partnership with Tier 1 carriers to ensure reliable and low cost call termination.
No, there is no need to dial a special number. Making and receiving calls with OrcaCom is the same as with a standard telephone/mobile.
VoIP works just like an ordinary telephone with the only difference being that with VoIP your telephone works via your internet connection instead of the conventional telephone network. VoIP also offers you the benefit of making local, long distance and international calls for less, is high quality and has more features than most traditional phone service offerings. Since VoIP uses the internet, it allows the provision of additional lines without the additional cost of line rental. With VoIP you can get an inbound number from any country or area code you prefer, even if you don't have an address in that area e.g. your Auckland business could have phone numbers in Wellington, Dunedin, London and New York. Anyone calling your New York number from New York will only pay local call charges for the call. You will not incur any charges to receive the call.
There is no limit.
The short answer is that if you have an average full speed broadband connection you should be able to handle up to about 8 simultaneous calls. This assumes those users will be using the internet as well. An average small business can expect their internet usage to increase by no more than 2gb per month.
There are no special charges that a caller incurs when calling one of our numbers. The caller is charged as normal by their network provider. This is true for our entire range of numbers: Geographic / Non-geographic, US Numbers, European numbers and Rest of World numbers. However please note that ALL non-geographic numbers (free phone numbers) are charged at mobile phone rates due to their non-geographic nature.
You should allow 80kbps per concurrent call for the best quality VOIP calls. Therefore, if you expect to have 5 concurrent calls you need to make sure your Internet connection is capable of speeds in the range of 400kbps.
PSTN stands for Public Switched Telephone Network, this is the telephone system we have all been using since the humble telephone was invented.
VoIP stands for Voice Over IP or "Internet Protocol". VOIP is a term used to describe the process of sending phone calls over the Internet instead of directly through the PSTN.
You will require a VoIP device to transport your calls via the internet. This may come in the form of either:
IP Telephones
This is like a normal phone except that it communicates using an IP connection. These phones plug straight into your router or LAN hub. You can check out OrcaCom's range of IP Telephones here
IP-PBX
This is a VoIP enabled PBX system that allows full control and ownership of your own phone system. Typically this is only considered where more that 10 extensions are required. OrcaCom is an authorised reseller of several IP-PBX systems, check out our range here.
VoIP Gateway
This device converts analogue traffic from your analogue phones into VoIP traffic. They are usually referred to as FXS (Foreign Exchange Station) devices. You can check out VoIPtalk's range of VoIP Gateways here
In addition to a VoIP device you will require an Internet connection of at least broadband speed. Please see our range of Internet connections here
In the event of any unfortunate incident you have the option of porting your number/s to any other mainstream phone provider.
PBX stands for Private Branch eXchange. A PBX is a privately owned phone system that is maintained and used by an organization to route and handle it's phone calls. A PBX sits between the users of an organization and the phone company, allowing the organization to operate more efficiently than it would if each user had a normal telephone on their desk. The PBX is responsible for giving phones extra functionality like call transfers, voicemail etc...
IVR stands for Interactive Voice Response. An IVR is a system where callers interact with a pre-recorded voice application using their phone's keypad to choose from the presented options. Often there is more than one pathway from the beginning of the IVR to the point where a caller connects to a real person, sometimes, depending on choices made and time of day the caller may just hear a recorded message.
Whether your organization connects to the public phone system directly via analogue phone lines, a digital interface or via a VOIP service provider you need a way to centrally control and route calls coming into and out of your organization. A PBX allows you to do this. OrcaCom provides you with the option of using its managed IP-PBX, or will assist you in the purchase of the most appropriate PBX for your business. Please see our Business Solutions page for more detail.
"Thanks OrcaCom for setting up our new VoIP phone system. We now pay ½ as much as we used to pay and I really enjoyed canceling our Telecom account completely. The installation was seamless and we enjoy the flexibility that VoIP gives our business. "
Richard Pettigrew
AMP Waikato
