VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

bransom · DC Joined: 06 Nov 2008 Posts: 650 Location: St. Louis, MO

Though I'm not sure that I'm ready to spend the money on it yet, I'd like to find out whether ISDN service is available here but I really don't know what to ask for. Are there magic words or phrases that phone company employees will understand so that they know that I want the type of ISDN for voiceover rather than the old ISDN internet service? Or is it one and the same thing?

Thanks...

Bob
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Bob Ransom
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Hart · Posted: Fri Mar 05, 2010 6:53 am Post subject:

Bob,

There's a site that has a great sheet to use when contacting your phone company that tells you exactly what you want but I can't remember the web address. I'm looking now and will post the link if I find it.

EDIT: Here's a page on the Comrex site. It's not the one I'm thinking of but mabye it will be helpul. http://www.comrex.com/support/technotes/tn214.htm

I'm pretty sure someone posted the link I'm thinking of here before but I can't find it in the archives. I must be using the wrong search terms. I've got to take my son to daycare but I hope that helps some.

Soundgun is very helpful with this too. You might want to pm him.
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bobsouer · Posted: Fri Mar 05, 2010 7:16 am Post subject:

Bob,

I highly recommend spending the $400 it takes to get Dave Immer at Digifon to help you with ISDN installation. (And Brian, there's an ISDN information page at digifon.com that might be the one you were thinking of.) That $400 does not include what the phone company will call you to install the service, but will be money well spent for all the hassles and headaches you'll avoid in the process.
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Hart · Posted: Fri Mar 05, 2010 8:10 am Post subject:

Digifon. That's exactly who I was thinking about.
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bransom · DC Joined: 06 Nov 2008 Posts: 650 Location: St. Louis, MO

Thanks, Brian and Bob. The Digifon solution sounds like $400 well spent as just looking at the tech specs makes my eyes cross and my jaw hang slack.

This gives me enough to go on to at least find out from the teleco whether the service is offered here. I'm not necessarily holding my breath as I'm in an area served by GTE ... no, now it's Verizon ... wait, no, now it's CenturyTel ... oops, not any more, now it's CenturyLink. In other words, tin cans and waxed string are still quite popular here.

Bob
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Bob Ransom
"I really need a pithy quote here."

Hart · Posted: Fri Mar 05, 2010 8:42 am Post subject:

I have CenturyLink as well and it is available in my area but you have to know who to talk to. The customer service reps probably won't know what you are talking about or will assume you really mean DSL. For me, my mother in law works at the local office and she helped me find the right person. I haven't set it up but I hope to do so soon. I've got a Telos Zephyr just wasting space in my rack at the moment.
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schrecster · Posted: Sun Mar 07, 2010 8:22 am Post subject:

You would probably be better off calling a division of your local phone proverider that is more centered on handling business customers as opposed to residential customers. ISDN is not a common residential application, so if you call the customer service reps that only deal with residential customers, they will not have any idea what you are talking about.

I understand all the tech stuff listed on the link that was referenced in an earlier message, I have more years experience in telecom that I really want to admit.

If you need some help getting this set up, just send me an email through the site here and I would be more than happy to help.

Hart · Posted: Sun Mar 07, 2010 8:46 am Post subject:

This info is 2 years old and my mother in law gave it to me before the company she works for became CentruyLink Tel, whatever so it may not be valid anymore anyway but I thought I'd post it for reference.

For ISDN BRI (I don't even know if that's the right thing - Guess I need to talk to digifon too) my MIL quoted me $45.00 a month going month to month, $40.50 for a 12 month contract and $36.00 a month for a 2 year contract.

Her notes say install "13860" But there's no decimal. I assume it's not a $13k install, lol, so I'm guessing that meant $138.60 for the install at my old house.

I'm curious to know what kind of quote you get in your area. Rates seem to vary a good bit across the country and I suspect CenturyLink has probably gone up since I last asked.
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bransom · DC Joined: 06 Nov 2008 Posts: 650 Location: St. Louis, MO

I'm gonna give Century-thing's business folks a call tomorrow. I've already got a business account with them for my over-priced single-line business phone so at least I'm already in their system. I'll keep you posted on what they say.
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Bob Ransom
"I really need a pithy quote here."

CarynClark · Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 1:51 pm Post subject:

I have CenturyLink and I just called a couple weeks ago about moving my lines as I'm moving soon.

Here's the info and keywords you need to know.

Call 1-800-786-6272. Ask for the Ohio I Care Group. Tell them you need ISDN with a circuit.

I have no clue what that means, but they told me that when I call back to make arrangements to move my lines, I should indicate that my line(s) has a circuit on it. So I assume you might need lines with a circuit.

Also, when I first talked to someone at CenturyLink, in tech support, he told me that they no longer offered residential ISDN service, only business. So I might have to change if I wasn't grandfathered in. Then, he transferred me to the Business Center (the Ohio I Care group), and when I talked to Jody there, she said that wasn't the case, and I could still have my residential service. I dunno if that was b/c I'm grandfathered in or what.

They told me the wait time for moving my lines, once I have a new address, is 2-3 weeks.

I didn't use Digifon to set up my stuff. I just called Embarq (now CenturyLink), got the lines installed, and plugged my codec in (with a little help from a fellow vo). Voila, it worked!

Good luck!
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CarynClark · Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 1:52 pm Post subject:

Oh, and I pay $61/mo for both ISDN lines, and that includes a $5/mo plan for $.07 minute b/c sometimes I have to dial out.
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Caryn Clark... The Hip Chick Voice!

"A positive mental attitude and having faith in your ability is quite different from being irresponsible and downright stupid." - Dave

bransom · DC Joined: 06 Nov 2008 Posts: 650 Location: St. Louis, MO

I called CenturyLink and was pleasantly surprised to get connected right away to someone who knew exactly what I needed and how to set it up. Caryn, this person I spoke to was with the "4+ Large Business Group" with a different phone number (but which may well lead to the same place as yours): 800-201-4102 Option 3. I asked the lady I spoke with what their group does and she said, "Well, we work with really big businesses and basically sell circuits."

I may have gotten to them via a different route than you, Caryn, as I already have a business account and called directly to that service center rather than residential.

Here's what she quoted me:

15 days to install.
$50 installation fee
$39/mo on a straight month-to-month (plus fees; see below)
$34/mo on a 12 mo contract; $31/mo on 24 mo contract
Port fee: $2.70/mo
Line charge: $6.00/mo
Voice and ID channels charge: $10/mo
And $0.02/minute for dialing out.

I didn't pull the trigger on this yet as I need to shop around for a codec. But it's nice to know it's available here without too much hassle (my fingers are crossed.)

Bob
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Bob Ransom
"I really need a pithy quote here."

Hart · Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2010 6:29 am Post subject:

Bob thanks for posting back. That's what I mean. Same company but your rates and Caryn's are pretty different.
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bransom · DC Joined: 06 Nov 2008 Posts: 650 Location: St. Louis, MO

The rate difference actually isn't all that dramatic: What I was quoted was just shy of $58/mo plus tax while Caryn was quoted (or currently pays) $61/mo. Factor in taxes on mine and we're probably really close in price.

Meanwhile, after reading here (a while back) of Kara's run-around in trying to get ISDN service to her home, I really was happy to quickly find someone at the phone company that knew exactly what I was asking for.

Which is somewhat different that when our phone company was owned by Verizon: I'd call their service center and the folks in New Jersey couldn't even find Missouri on a map.
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Bob Ransom
"I really need a pithy quote here."