Internet call

Submitted by Nicabuff on 5 April, 2005 - 01:53.

Is there anyway to call Nicaragua via internet...from computer to telephone?

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so far the best for me

Submitted by jan andrzej on 21 September, 2006 - 14:55.

i use yahoo messenger phone option....works exactly as skype but is much cheaper.....i call to the cell phone in nicaragua and the price per minute is $0.15 (15 cents) while skype is circa $0.25 p.m.

Check this out

Submitted by Kontranista on 5 April, 2005 - 07:43.

If you're on broadband (cable, DSL, T1, T3, etc.) give this a try, it's worth the money. I call to Japan, England, Iceland, France and Autralia very often, check the rates for Nicaragua as all the information is listed on their site. Read what the features are and then compare to calling cards prices. Good luck.

http://www.skype.com/

skype

Submitted by Huehuete Bob on 21 September, 2006 - 15:06.

I do use skype. The software is free and you can call computer to computer for free. You have to prepay to call a regular phone but it is very inexpensive. I connect at 128k on a cable internet and it works fairly well at that speed. Sometimes there are very short lapses at that speed, but nothing annoying.

skype

Submitted by alchemyiam on 5 April, 2005 - 17:24.

if the person you are talking to has skype loaded on their pc - then all calls are free pc - pc.

I talk to my wife all the time using skype (from malaysia to USA). Audio quality is better than MSN messenger - so use MSN webcam with skype audio. Can't beat a free phone call...

Broadband connection needs to be quite good.

I also use it to make calls to to land lines and cell phones in US and UK. I find it quite cheap and just requires a clickof a button to select phone numbers. re-loading account very easy. Only problem when my broadband (ADSL) here in is running slow- then quality not so good.

Checked the rates

Submitted by low on 5 April, 2005 - 13:36.

Someone else had mentioned Skype to me before. However the rates are a bit high even compared to a shitty phone card with all those damn charges.

I use True International Phone card (calling from the Philadelphia area),and buy in $5 denominations. It says you will recieve 37 minutes, and delivers you with 25 minutes. so it comes out to 20 cents a minute.

I have also tried MANY other cards but this is the best Ive found. Some will say you will recieve 100 minutes and you end up with 16 minutes.

If everyone can please list any cards which they have used and like, denominations, how many minutes and where you are calling from. THANKS

Different approach

Submitted by fyl on 5 April, 2005 - 07:38.

When I was in Costa Rica, we put in a system to deal with this. Same thing could be done in Nicaragua.

The system had two pieces. First was Vonage in the US. That meant there was a U.S. phone number but the Vonage box was in Costa Rica. (When you buy Vonage, they require a U.S. billing address for the credit card. That's it.)

In Costa Rica, the Vonage box was connected to a little "virtual office" box. I can't remember the name of it but there are lots of these. This one cost about $700. It answers the phone with the message you want. You can program extensions that then dial-out to where the person really is. You can also have a password-protected access to just get local dial tone allowing you to call any number.

Not sure what you want to do but, if this sounds of interest, I will find out the info on the box we used.

interesting Phil . . .

Submitted by webtrainer on 5 April, 2005 - 16:42.

I just signed up for Lingo (a Vonage competitor) with the idea to bring the equipment with me so I can still have a SoCal phone number and people can call me easily (and I them).

Sounds like my idea will work, assuming high-speed Internet actually works (I'm thinking of the Enitel wireless solution). YAAY! That will help in my e-learning consulting business and to keep in touch with "home."

Enitel?

Submitted by chatwari on 21 September, 2006 - 15:39.

What is the Enitel wireless solution?? I'm looking for something that will work on Ometepe--getting a lot of conflicting info

Enitel wireless

Submitted by fyl on 22 September, 2006 - 04:26.

This is Turbonett Inalambrica. See the Enitel page. This is just Internet delivered by a cell site radio.

In Estelí, it is only available on one cell tower (near the market). I was told 5km maximum distance. Now, it would be easy to get more distance with some creative antenna work but then come out and "make sure you are within range" before they will do the install. Thus, you would need to have it installed and then move it yourself.

For Ometepe, not going to work. That would be way too long a link for that kind of radio. But, PM me if you want to talk about "other solutions".

Asterisk ?

Submitted by thetraveller on 5 April, 2005 - 10:43.

Phil:

I think you are talking about Asterisk, a great piece of open source software to run your own PBX.

http://www.Asterisk.org

Iain

No but that would work

Submitted by fyl on 5 April, 2005 - 13:30.

Asterisk is a good choice if you want to roll your own. But, the product I was talking about is called Talk Switch. Look at http://www.tcecompany.com/TalkSwitch/Intro page.htm (one of their distributors) for more info.

Talk Switch

Submitted by thetraveller on 5 April, 2005 - 15:09.

Yes, I have looked at their products as well but a bit pricey for PTSN and Voip together.

The company site is at http://www.talkswitch.com (and they are Canadian)

Iain

how did I miss that URL?

Submitted by fyl on 5 April, 2005 - 16:35.

Ok, I know. Couldn't remember their name, did a google search and got somewhere else.

In any case, all you need is their 2-line box (the one I pointed to) and a Vonage. The Vonage handles the translation from VoIP to POTS. You then just connect the Vonage to one POTS port and a regular phone line to the other and you are up and running.

Confused

Submitted by thetraveller on 5 April, 2005 - 17:50.

I am a bit cofused. You mention 'connect the Vonage to one POTS port and a regular phone line to the other' but Vonage (http://www.vonage.com) is VoIP and comes in thru the internet not a POTS connection. Also wouldn't you need to pay them for a VoIP enabled version? Much more expensive than Asterisk, an older box and a $10 card.

Iain

Drawing the picture

Submitted by fyl on 5 April, 2005 - 18:18.

For $25/mo you can get 500 minutes of calls anywhere in the US and an unlimited number in the local calling area (which you pick). There are other plans but that is an example.

That gives you a POTS number in some city in the US. You then buy a VoIP box to go with that number. It doesn't matter where that box is--you just need it to know your Vonage info. Bingo. You have a U.S. phone number wherever you plug it in.

If that "wherever" is Nicaragua and you plug it into one TalkSwitch port and a Nicaragua land line in the other, you are rockin and rollin.

Sort of like your own local telco?

Submitted by Chriswlan on 6 April, 2005 - 21:01.

Not quite sure I follow, Fyl:

you are saying that an INCOIMING call (fm a "1st world" country) on the Broadband VoIP can be re-launched into the local POTS line, for a local rate call, in the country where the TaklSwitch is located?

Is that transparent for the US/whatever caller? Or is he dialling the local call as some sort of extension? That way there would be no POTS international toll cost???

Would be interesting for a I'Cafe or Telecenter.

Christian

You got it

Submitted by fyl on 7 April, 2005 - 06:31.

Look at the info on the Talk Switch. It was designed to "make you look like you are in the office". That is, the smallest system has two ports for external phone lines. The box is then programmed to connect between them however you want. I believe you can have it just forward the call with no work on the part of the caller. We had it programmed with extensions that dialed out locally to where those people were. With the right extension number and a password, you could get local dial tone. It also can be used in the other direction.

If one of the ports goes to a Vonage box instead of another local phone line then you just connected your Vonage VoIP "line" to POTS.

Now, is this legal? Not sure. In Costa Rica, VoIP isn't legal, actually.

Ahhh

Submitted by thetraveller on 5 April, 2005 - 20:00.

OK, now I see what you are saying.

Of course, Skype has what they call SkypeIN for 10 Euros for 3 months which provides you with an actual phone number in the US and is connected to your computer whenever and whereever you connect.

I use it in conjunction with my toll free number to allow for my customers to call me toll free in North America and I receive their calls whereever I happen to be. If I am not connected they get voicemail all at no cost to them. My only charge is for the toll free line which I have to pay for anyway.

Iain

Internet Calls

Submitted by Pete on 5 April, 2005 - 03:04.

Yes, you can call Nicargua via the internet to a POTS telephone (plain old telephone system), there are several companies that offer that service. If were looking to save money, I would look at a pre-paid card beause most VOIP (Voice over IP)providers have not brought down rates yet for Nicaragua. You can though enjoy rates that are a fraction of what they were just a year ago. Uniontelecard for example sells IDT service and Ive gotten rates as low as .15 cents a minute, with out all of the other black voodoo charges. www.uniontelecard.com. Right now their "Boss" card is one of my favorites. Wasnt too long ago, I was paying 1.25 a minute and found out MCI's calling card was only .50 and I had a party.

Getting back to VOIP, you might not even want to deal yet with internet calles from the United States to Nicaragua's phone system, a good percentage of their telephone trafic is vsat (satellite). Just talking to the bird adds 600ms data latency, thats where you start getting the half duplex (Walke Talke) conversations and echo. Add to that the over head of the microwave shot from most cities to Managua, the fiber ring most companies use in central america and all the things in between, its worth it to pay a few cents more and use established carrier like IDT from the states. They are doing VOIP but their equipment is setup to far better handle all of the latency issues. True these services work great to countries like Japan, Europe, Australia etc, but they have a solid telecommunications backbone, Nicaragua is having to play catch up.

Who knows, I could be wrong and others are having a different experience.

Pete

internet calls

Submitted by toms on 5 April, 2005 - 17:43.

I have net2phone service thru my Nicaraguan provider here in my home in Puerto Cabezas. I can call or recieve to this phone and it is about .06 per minute, outgoing, incoming calls are a little less I have a Miami # I think, any way it is just great when the traffic is not so heavy, early mornings are GOOD to talk to my Mom, crystal clear but when traffic is heavy forget it. but to me well worth the $300 instalation and per minute charge. JWG