For today, there are 2 telephone options. Some places might still have copper line telephone service, but that is not the case here. The first option is cellular. It is very versatile, and convenient, but not really flexible. You don’t have the same options as using a telephony server will. Then there is VOIP/SIP. VOIP is Voice Over Internet Protocol. It is the successor to copper line telephone services. Both options have advantages and disadvantages.
In regards to the business tenant, they will be responsible for their own telephone services. They can choose cellular, VOIP, or a combination of the two. They are very limited in the LAN options, so they have to be strategic if they use a proprietary VOIP provider like Ring Central or Ooma. If I was a business, I would use VOIP, and choose a company that would give me my credentials for using their server with my own hardware. Companies such as Callcentric, VOIPly, and Localphone all supports this platform.
As for me, in an ideal solution, I will have 3 telephone numbers. One will be cellular, and the other 2 will be SIP/VOIP. While 3 may seem like overkill, each phone number will serve a particular role, and have all of the features it needs. For me, I will have the same 4th – 10th digits of my US telephone numbers. The first 3 digits will be different, and will identify each line by their first 3 digits. There are the following:
- 412: Cellular
- 855: Home
- 878: VM/Fax
The 412 number will be with my current carrier and likely on my current plan. I pay $205 per year for cellular service, and that meets my needs. Even if I was wealthy, I don’t see my lifestyle changing that much. I will still be home most of the time, and still only go out when needed. And since I am not gawking at my phone when I am out, 5GB is always more than enough to meet my needs. My 412 number offers unlimited voice, and SMS. It also support RCS on iPhone, and since I have an iPhone, I also have access to iMessage.
The 855 number is my home phone line. I will use the same carrier that I have now. The idea of having this phone number is it is considered as a local call with a number of NANP territories. However, even though it is a local call to the caller, I do pay for the call. The rates will range from 2¢ per minute for a continental US caller to 23¢ per minute for an Alaskan caller. The 855 number is not accessible for people outside of the NANP (most countries), but they can simply call the 412 number to reach me if they need to.
I do not have the 878 number, but if I could acquire this building, I will offer the current owner $10,000 for the number. Yes, I know – this is a lot for the number, especially the role it would serve, but the goal is to make it worthwhile for the current owner. There will be a contract, and I will provide the payment in ten $1,000 postal money orders. I am choosing this as to make sure there is no issue for the current owner. They can choose to deposit everything at one time, or spread out the deposits as long as everything deposits in 6 months which is usually the expiration period of money orders. All of the money orders will be issued in their name to keep everything legal. The 878 number will then become my voicemail and fax number. I will be using the telephony server to support HylaFax. When someone calls the 878 number, the server will pick up, and listen for a fax tone for 2 seconds. If it hears one, it will collect the fax, convert it to a .pdf file, and email it to me. If it does not detect a fax tone, it will send the caller to my voicemail box which is the box for both the 855 number, and 878 number.
The telephony server will be a 1U rack mount server running FreePBX, and have the HylaFax plugin. This server has 2 PCI-e card slots for plugin cards. One will be used for the 4 FXS ports that would be needed for the elevator lines. The way PBX servers work is every device on the server will be given an extension. In the US, dialing for a country code is 011, but I will set up the server to also support 00. All NANP numbers will begin with a 1. I will also use 01 for SIP Broker calls. With that being said, extension will not start with 0 or 1. Dialing a 1 first will suggest that the caller is making an NANP call. The extensions are as follows:
- 21: Elevator 1 (FXS 1)
- 22: Elevator 2 (FXS 2)
- 30: Fax Line ATA
- 31: Home phone
Utilities
With regards to the 878 number, once I acquire it, it will be ported to Callcentric which is my current VOIP telephone provider. This line will have its own SIP Trunk, and again use HylaFax to listen for faxes. If I need to send a fax of paper documents, I will use extension 30 which will be a printer that supports faxing. The 855 number will also have its own SIP trunk, and be used for the home phone. I already have a Wifi Phone which is what my current 855 number uses.
For the 412 number, I will keep things the same. Nothing needs to be changed, nor added. As for any other numbers, the only other number I will see me benefitting from having is a 907 number. This will have the same 4th – 10th digits as my other numbers, and will be acquired in a similar fashion as the 878 number. However, I don’t see this being the case, unless I get a lot of Alaskan calls.