cheap call from bt phone to spanish voip landline

expat_spain

We are in Spain and have just set up broadband connection with a Spanish landline telephone number. When trying to connect via international call checker numbers ie 0844 etc it does not work but if the number is dialled directly it does. What can my UK family use to to get cheap phone calls to me that will work preferably without signing up for a contract. I think the problem must be with the VOIP connection? Any help much appreciated.

Browntoa

www.sipgate.co.uk

sign up and get a free geographic number (uk number) and they will be able to call you for free if local calls are on their call package ( ie free weekend on BT)

download the software and use with a headset on the PC

or buy a dedicated handset

https://secure.sipgate.co.uk/voipshop/sipgate/sg-hs100b

no need to pay any top up just to recieve calls

expat_spain

Thanks for reply but when visiting the site it stated that you had to be UK resident. We are in Spain and the family members wishing to call us do not have access to a computer so cannot sign up their end. They have used previously an 0871 prefix number to call our mobile but even this was proving expensive so we arranged for the installation of what we thought was a conventional Spanish landline so they could take advantage of the cheaper rates on the 0844 number but these all seem to be blocked.

Heinz

18185 works from my BT landline to my UK VOIP number so I can't see why it wouldn't work to your Spanish VOIP number (calls to Spanish landline numbers cost 1p per minute from the UK).

www.18185.co.uk

PM me the number and I'll call you (briefly).

EDIT 13:46 I've just re-read you OP and am confused. If you have a standard Spansih landline (it doesn't matter whether you also have ADSL broadband thereon), why don't you just give your UK callers that number instead of the VOIP number?

expat_spain

we paid a one-off fee for the telephone line (out the back of the PC) and was given the number xxx-xxx-xxx but when family member tried on several of the 0844 pre-fix numbers she only got half way through dialling before it said it didn't recognise the number. She then tried phoning direct with the pre-fix and it worked perfectly.

BexTech

expat_spain wrote: »

Thanks for reply but when visiting the site it stated that you had to be UK resident. We are in Spain and the family members wishing to call us do not have access to a computer so cannot sign up their end. They have used previously an 0871 prefix number to call our mobile but even this was proving expensive so we arranged for the installation of what we thought was a conventional Spanish landline so they could take advantage of the cheaper rates on the 0844 number but these all seem to be blocked.

Family members don't have to have access to a computer, it is you who has to have broadband and either a computer or telephone adapter connected to a router or a telephone adapter with built-in router etc. You will be issued with an 01 or 02 number of your choice of area-code. For example for Birmingham you may wish to choose 0121, however you don't have to area local to family, as telephone networks in the UK on the vast majority of calling plans haven't distinguished between local and national for many many years.

Once YOU set up your number, your family just call you on your new UK phone numbers, if they get inclusive calls then there is no cost to them, they can also use 18185 and just pay 5p per call to call you if they only have certain times of inclusive calls.

For Sipgate and others, you do need to have a UK IP address to set up the account for a UK local number, you either use a UK proxy or ask someone to set an account up for you, you then go in once activated and change the password.

JustPassingBy

It would be advisable to edit your post and replace the final 6 digits of the phone number with Xs.

expat_spain wrote: »

we paid a one-off fee for the telephone line (out the back of the PC) and was given the number 966-180-674 but when family member tried on several of the 0844 pre-fix numbers she only got half way through dialling before it said it didn't recognise the number. She then tried phoning direct with the pre-fix and it worked perfectly.

'Number not recognised' could happen if 0034 at the beginning had been omitted.

Heinz

No problem using 18185 0034 966 180 xxx (OP spoken to and told).

Advised that a 18185 account needs to be set up by (or for) whoever wants to call from the UK (one particular problem is an elderly relative in the UK who would not be able to cope with prefix dialling).

Graham1

If your Spanish VOIP connection can be IP dialled (using a SIP address) then setting up a sip broker alias and having your UK family/friend dial one of the UK sip broker access numbers and then your alias is another option. It's a lot of digits to dial but can be made to work on speed dial buttons. - And free at weekends without your family/friends having to sign up for any other service (assuming they are on BT unlimited weekend tariff or another company's equivalent).