Using Vonage outside US?

Posts: 20 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Jul 18, 2005 Posts: 20

Hi

I want to know this:

1. It's legal to use Vonage services outside the US?
2. Do I get in any legal trouble in other countries or US if I use it?
3. If it's illegal please tell me why? and why other companies (as skype) or chatting software (msn, y!msn) is legal to call to phones outside and inside US?

Thanks in advance...

Very Happy

Posts: 233 · Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 12:57 pm Post subject:

Quote:

1. It's legal to use Vonage services outside the US?
2. Do I get in any legal trouble in other countries or US if I use it?
3. If it's illegal please tell me why? and why other companies (as skype) or chatting software (msn, y!msn) is legal to call to phones outside and inside US?

1. Lots of people use it as they travel around the world. They just take their adapter with them and hopefully the local internet service is good enough to handle Voip.
2. I don't know of any reason you couldn't use it according to Vonage. I assume some weird country out there blocks Voip or may have some law against it. Most of those countries might not be a place I would prefer to travel anyway. I would check with the local embassy for a country before traveling to one that might be in question such as China.
3. See 2 above.

Good luck and happy traveling.

Posts: 1179 · Member of the Week Joined: Feb 28, 2005 Posts: 1179

jpoc wrote:

Hi

I want to know this:

1. It's legal to use Vonage services outside the US?

It depends on that country's laws.

jpoc wrote:

2. Do I get in any legal trouble in other countries or US if I use it?

see answer to #1

jpoc wrote:

3. If it's illegal please tell me why? and why other companies (as skype) or chatting software (msn, y!msn) is legal to call to phones outside and inside US?

The reason is fairly simple, economics. Most countries have utilities like telephone service as a monopoly. So as a monopoly, they tend to charge outrageous amounts of money for international calls. Now comes this new way of talking internationally called Voip. This new way is challenging their financial position and as a result, they are blocking its use since it's via their own internet infrastructure, which they have full control (i.e. who can use it and who cannot). It is really that simple. So if it is against the law, then you could get into trouble.

jpoc wrote:

Why does skype or other chatting software work?

Well, most of the time, they make calls usually between computer to computer which is purely via the internet. Some, like skype, offer computer to phone and so I'm not sure how that all works. What is important to recognize is that we can call anyone who has a landline or a cell phone in foreign countries via Vonage and pay for each minute. This is true even if that country prohibits the use of Voip. The problem is that you cannot make a call out of that country and that is the problem. You see, b/c the calls are routed through the NJ headquarters, the phone call from that country cannot be charged by their monopoly while incoming calls are routed through their system and therefore chargeable.

I hope this makes sense.

Posts: 328 · Vonage Forum Evangelist Joined: Dec 13, 2005 Posts: 328

Vonage works fine from China on China Netcom. On the other hand, last time I was there, it did not work on China Telecom. In a hotel - you can find out which you have, but you can't change to the other.

On the other hand, other Voip services did work fine via China Telecom and China Netcom. This would say that it was not law but rather business - with two ISPs making their own choices.

Some countries block Voip, mostly for economic reasons. From other places, the internet connection may be poor. Overall, Vonage is OK from most places in the world (though Vonage does not provide support if there is a problem -- then again, neither do any of the other Voip companies).

Posts: 172 · Vonage Forum Master Joined: Apr 19, 2006 Posts: 172

Yes the guys are correct. Vonage would work in almost all countries as long as you bring your router/device and of course you have a high speed internet connection unless of course the connection is prohibited. Wink

Posts: 328 · Vonage Forum Evangelist Joined: Dec 13, 2005 Posts: 328

WiFi phones work well too - and are very portable.

Posts: 20 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Jul 18, 2005 Posts: 20

Thanks for all your answers, now I got an idea.

So is prohibited because of monopoly-economics practice.

Does Vonage have in any part of the contract says that you can't take your router-phone outside US?

Thanks again!!

Posts: 1179 · Member of the Week Joined: Feb 28, 2005 Posts: 1179

Quote:

Does Vonage have in any part of the contract says that you can't take your router-phone outside US?

nope. it only says that they do not offer tech support to those who call from overseas. Also they do make clear that you need to double check with that country's laws and regs regarding Voip.

Posts: 1327 · Vonage Forum **MVM** Joined: Nov 08, 2006 Posts: 1327

Hey Howie do you use a wifi phone? How well does it work?

Posts: 328 · Vonage Forum Evangelist Joined: Dec 13, 2005 Posts: 328

I use a Utstarcom F3000 most of the time with a soft phone account or with one of the semi-free accounts (it stores 3 account profiles). One of them always works (such as from China where Vonage doesn't work - Stanaphone works).

I also have a Netgear WGR101 travel AP/Router. This lets the phone work in hotels that hand only LAN jacks (no WiFi) and also gives me the ability to use my laptop anywhere in the room instead of just at the desk (plug the router into the LAN, link the PC and authenticate the router -- this also lets both the PC and the phone share one connection).

The phone also "finds" open WiFi - often in cheaper hotel lobbies, small/independent cafes, and pubs.

Overall, the whole thing works very well.