Using US boxes on UK accounts

Posts: 1 · New Forum Member Joined: Aug 31, 2007 Posts: 1

I recently got Vonage Service in the US.. Problem is, I no longer live there. What I would like is to transfer my US account to the UK so that I may have emergency services and use the small conveniences, such as fowarding calls to my UK mobile, but I still want to use the wireless phone equipment that isn't available here in the UK. I've spoken with both US and UK Tech Support about this predicament and both have agreed that I would be required to cancel the US account and open a new UK account. What they couldn't agree on is if I need to purchase new hardware or not. I know the US equipment will work in the UK on a US account, but on a UK account is where I seem to stump a lot of folks.

So, the question is... Can I use my US equipment (VTech IP8100) with UK based Vonage Service?

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

It would surprise me if Vonage allowed this. While the rules may have changed, from past experience with analog cordless phones while working for AT&T/LU - where a customer called looking for a replacement battery, the approach was:

A US cordless phone (900MHz at the time) was not approved in the UK and could not be approved since the frequencies there are different from in the USA. Of course, the thing would work fine - it would just cause interference.

IF the phone was imported by the end customer and not stopped at customs, then it would be technically illegal, but nobody would bother withit unless someone nearby complained.

HOWEVER, if LU supplied a replacement battery in the UK, then they were "supporting" the phone there and LU would be fined for selling/supporting an illegal product. The answer was "get the battery where you got the phone -- if that was NYC, then go there or get someone to do it for you".

In this case - the same would apply. The cordless phone can't be approved for use in the UK because it runs on the wrong frequencies for the application. If you brought it yourself, and connected it over the internet to Vonage USA, then you are in technical violation of UK wireless rules, but nobody would bother with you. If Vonage "supports" you by putting you on the UK service, then it is their "fault" and they could have trouble. On the other hand, if you add a UK incoming local number to your existing US account, then you are still a US customer and that would be OK (with them).