Celtic Knot is a small virtual business, and in consequence has been exploring ways of using technology cheaply and flexibly. On this page, we outline for the technically minded some of the issues we have explored.

We share our findings under two headings:

• Telephone
•  Fax

In due course, we intend to add entries covering:

• E-mail
• Website

1. Telephone

1.1 Our requirements and reasons

1.2 Analysis

The main ethical telephony provider is The Phone Coop. They do supply the home telephone and broadband connection for one of us. But given that we do not want a fixed system, we found we effectively wanted a VoIP solution, and The Phone Coop’s VoIP solution appears not to meet our other requirements.

This left us searching the VoIP market more generally. Although we touched on a number of providers, the main options are (1) Skype – a proprietary product; and (2) pretty much everyone else, being providers using the SIP protocol, a major example being Sipgate. These tend to communicate with each other for free, whereas Skype only communicates with other Skype users for free.

Skype appears to have the following advantages:

• Brand recognition and volume of users, which also increased our confidence in its sustainability;
• Access to video, file transfer and chat facilities. Not sure whether or to what extent Sipgate offers these.
• Intuitive and user friendly – includes the basic Skype interface, the Options menus, the ability to see the online status of contacts, and the one button access to video, file transfer and chat facilities.
• Skype buttons – easy for new users to install and for existing users to call for free.

Sipgate appears to have the following advantages:

• Can install on router so don’t need computer to be on – better for energy consumption not to have computer on unnecessarily, although if you’re nowhere near a router it doesn’t help…
• Voicemail – we really like Sipgate voicemail’s easy accessibility as a sound file, by e-mail and by telephone.
• Calls appear to connect more reliably than Skype, where a small but noticeable number of calls are dropped.
• Cost. The per unit cost of calls out to geographical and mobile numbers is cheaper. Obtaining a geographical number for calls in is free, as it is not with Skype.
• Call transferring. This is built into Sipgate. You can buy a separate programme for transferring SkypeIn calls.

Other observations:

• We think there may be more hidden costs to VoIP than the promotional literature suggests. In particular, VoIP basically requires access to broadband or a similar connection. In our experience, most Wi-Fi connections when out and about either (a) are secured networks; or (b) are fee-paying networks. 3G connections either (a) charge by data volume (and VoIP technology uses lots of data transfer); or (b) prohibit VoIP telephony. The suggestion that VoIP is free is essentially based on fixed line fixed rate broadband connections. But especially with faster services, some of these are beginning to charge by volume of data transferred as well, and VoIP calls transfer a lot of data.
• In addition to the cost of the connection, it’s worth working out in advance the cost of (a) any hardware and set up costs you will need as a one-off cost; (b) any fixed fee services you will need such as monthly and annual subscriptions; and (c) any variable costs you will incur such as the cost of calls to PSTN.

1.3 Our solution

We have both! Although Sipgate advises against installing both on the basis of loss of functionality of both, we haven’t yet discovered why.

We tried a Sipgate phone physically attached to a router, but the phone did NOT come preconfigured, and configuration appears to require expertise that was beyond us or support that was unavailable. We rely instead on a softphone (a phone software programme installed on a computer). We have Skype multi-installed, with SkypeIn, SkypeOut and SkypeTransfer, and different Skype identities for the three of us.

Skype is our primary public identity, chosen for the reasons set out as its advantages above. We have a Sipgate number (0121 314 2006), used primarily for voicemail. When we’re not on line, calls can be diverted to this rather than voicemail, to take advantage (albeit at the cost of (a) a geographical call per minute for call forwarding; and (b) the loss of quality that may result from using two VoIP services) because of the superior voicemail facilities. This also means we may actually pick up the call when we’re offline. We can chose to use Sipgate for cheaper outgoing calls, especially to mobiles and 0845 numbers. In relation to calls dropped, at least we have a second number we can give out, where they can always leave a message…

2. Fax

2.1 Our requirements and reasons

2.2 Analysis

There are many fax to e-mail services out there. We are wary of the free ones, especially with reports of one particular ‘scam’. This involves the service being free until you receive a certain number of faxes in any given period, after which you are charged. The fax numbers are sold on, and you receive junk faxes, which count towards and take you over the limit, thus finding the service is not really free.

We weren’t too keen on the charging ones either. Fax is not our preferred method of communication, electronic file transfer is. We don’t even advertise a fax number on our letterhead. We would hope to have too small a volume to justify a fee-based service.

2.3 Our solution

We discovered and made use of “call signing”. This basically provides an alternative ‘virtual’ telephone number with a different ringtone. The fax machine attached to it is preset to save to file. It’s a subscriber service, but minimal at £1.75 per month; and it’s from The Phone Coop, an ethical provider, which is an added bonus.