Who Can Use fg microtec’s VoIP Clients
- Individuals who want to save money, especially when making international calls or calling from abroad. These users will typically have an ITSP to provide their SIP service, though business travellers may use their company PBX.
- SMEs and enterprise, typically and IT director/manager. Calls from the user's BlackBerry are anchored via the company PBX, reducing cost, allowing better management of call data records and analysis of calling habits. Because calls go through the PBX, calls to branch offices are all, in effect, internal calls. Users also get the benefit of the same features that they have on their desk phones, like conferencing, short-dials, call transfer etc.
- ITSPs can offer fgVOIP to their customers as a pre-configured client, for BlackBerry, that works with their SIP service
How The VoIP Client Works
It is a SIP client which registers on to a PBX or SIP account if there is WiFi available. If there is no WiFi available it will wait in the background and do nothing. If there is WiFi available it will register on the PBX or VoIP service and any calls made by the user will be real pure VoIP calls with very good quality.
The user can decide if some numbers should be excluded from VoIP calling. Incoming calls to the GSM number work as before. Incoming calls to the VoIP number work as well.
Pros
- Call quality
- Full, true VoIP application for BlackBerry using SIP
- Works with a large number of VoIP providers
- Ease of use: once installed, use your BlackBerry as normal
- No subscription fee, no long term contract, just a one-off price for the client of 29EUR (USD 37.90). Note fg microtec only provides the client app, you will need a SIP provider or SIP-enabled PBX in order to make and receive calls after the trial period.
Cons
- The acquisition cost
- Requires own SIP provider or PBX
- Doesn't (yet) support OS6.0
- Limited support for calling over 3G
- Works only on BlackBerry and Nokia business phones
The Cost
fg microtec’s VoIP client isn’t free. It is an investment you make and deploy in your business in order to reap the benefits of VoIP, which include saving money and enjoying many features. The client costs $19.
There is a 10-day free trial of the client. During the trial, users can use the pre-configured SIP server to make outbound calls of up to two minutes, alternatively users may enter their own SIP provider's details to make and receive calls as normal. Calls made using the pre-configured SIP server are free for the duration of the trial. After the 10-day free trial, the user must purchase a licence to continue using fgVOIP for BlackBerry.
Service providers can get their own white label client customized for their service at wholesale rate.
Features
- Full support for SIP
- Supports all Wi-Fi enabled OS 4.6 and OS 5.0 devices, including the BlackBerry Curve 8520, 8900 & 9000 as well as the BlackBerry Bold 9700
- Exclusion list so that calls to specific numbers will always use GSM (i.e. not made over VoIP)
- Supports multiple SIP profiles
- Dial from within the app or, using the standard BlackBerry dialing methods
- User can choose to make VoIP calls on Wi-Fi only, 3G or both (but Wi-Fi is recommended)
- In Wi-Fi only mode, dialled calls are only sent over VoIP when in range of a compatible Wi-Fi network, otherwise calls are made as normal over GSM
- Supports G.711 codec
- Supports SIP-proxy
- Mute, hands-free, DTMF
The beta client can be downloaded from there.
