DarrenBarefoot.com

Actually, many of the VoIP plans come with a box that you plug into your computer that you can then use wherever you are. You could actually then transfer your number to your VoIP plan and then just move with it all. That would take care of one of your numbers. You could potentially do that with others, as well. But it mmight be too complex. Plus, your number would still be local, and the costs for telephoning from Malta would be next to nothing.

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Darren, Remember that Europe uses tri-band phones, instead of dual-band phones. I don’t know what Canada uses, but I had to get another phone when I came to Malta. I recommend using Skype or another VoIP service as much as you can.

Also, SkypeOut calls to Maltese mobile phones are pretty pricey. So don’t set-up call-forwarding from Skype. Not worth it.

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VoIP is how I’ve managed to keep my Vancouver number since 1998 even though I don’t live there anymore. I travel with the Primus gateway and it’s hooked up to my router. I use wi-fi and even while multiple computers are accessing the network the voice quality is pretty good. All you need is a broadband connection.

Having that Vancouver phone number while living in Pennsylvania and now Toronto is great — my friends and family use it all the time.

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Hort Mann: While Skype does allow up to 10 numbers, it only has numbers available for 14 countries. Neither Malta nor Canada are on the list, so it will not work for Darren.

Darren - I went to a forum I frequent consisting of frequent vacationers and ex-pats living in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. I was looking for the experiences of a member know as IceBreaka who is a resident of Vancouver that moved down to Playa for several months after he convinced his boss to let him do his phone based job from home. He was using VOIP with the phone number being a Vancovuer number, but when I re-read his story, it wasn’t any of the major companies such as Vonage.

As I understand Vonage, it would work well for you as you can have Vancouver phone numbers, and then take the calls anywhere in the world either by using a headset plugged into a computer and their software and/or using their box that plugs into a LAN connection and then has a phone jack on the other end into which you plug a standard phone. I even believe that when I looked at it not too long ago, they now have phone number portability, ie. you can keep your current number(s). The one caution I would have, though, is something that I spotted in the threads from the above forums… the ex-pat owner of the forum warned IceBreaka before he came that the local telephone/cable/internet company blocks the IP addresses of all known VOIP companies, as it is competing with them. It didn’t affect IceBreaka since it was non-standard VOIP he was using (sounded like one set up for his company and used even if you were working out of Vancouver). Since Malta is a small nation, I could foresee that it might just be one company there that provides all these services… is there some that is there now that could let you know if Vonage is working fine as of today and hasn’t been blocked? Perhaps there is a board similar to the Playa board for Malta?

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Wow, ask and I shall receive. Thanks everybody.

It sounds like Vonage might be a good option, as that will let me retain my phone numbers. On the other hand, if Malta is blocking Vonage’s IP addresses, that’d suck.

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Darren,

We use an Irish VOIP provider called Glantel (Glantel.com). They provide a pretty good service and offer cheap international calls and they are pretty decent guys to deal with. If you have decent broadband then VOIP is probably the right answer whether you use Glantel or another provider.

They also provide pretty nice polycom handsets.

Joe.

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i have a cunning plan!

go and become a rebtel customer at http://www.rebtel.com. it’s free and takes less than a minute to join.

create rebtel numbers for your friends; rebtel will send them to their phone and your phone by SMS.

when your friends call your rebtel number from their mobiles, the call will disappear into the internet, and complete on any one of 5 phones you select.

so if it’s a maltese mobile, then there’s nothing to pay.

in advance of a bigger solution (like rebtel’s roaming product) it’s a great way of avoiding getting hosed by the mobile operators on international calling.

any problems, drop me a mail!

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Dear Sir,

Hi Mahesh Here My One Pen friend Stay in MALTA G.C.I have no any Cont. No Or Her addres so please find out her Cont.She Work as a Policewoman in Malta
Name: LOUISE CATANIA

Thanks & Regards

Mahesh

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Hi Darren,
I am a Maltese living in Canada and have been looking extensively into this kind of issue as I travel to Malta regularly.

I am using a DIY Voip solution, not based on a canned solution like Vonage, but a basic setup with added providers, phone numbers etc. as necessary.

Skype uses a closed protocol and not very adaptable to what you want to do.

My solution is based on using real phones with normal dialling patterns that my computer illiterate 83 yr old mother can use, not computers and headsets. Although not free, call charges are minimal, or as close to free as possible.

If you want to explore this further, contact me.

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[...] we left for Malta, I wrote about my difficulties getting our international telephony strategy sorted out. We never really did get it 100% right. [...]