Pairing iNum With Phone.com’s Hosted Phone System Makes Businesses Locally Reachable From 4,000 Cities in 49 Countries
BRUSSELS, Belgium – December 9, 2009 – Through an agreement with Voxbone, provider of international VoIP origination services and telephone numbers, the popular hosted IP PBX provider Phone.com has begun offering its predominantly small-business customer base iNum® numbers – phone numbers with the “area code for Earth.”
A particular boon to Internet-based sellers and other businesses that serve markets all over the world, Voxbone-supplied iNum numbers offer Phone.com customers an opportunity to be called through one number for the cost of a “local” call from any of 4,000 cities in 49 countries.
The ITU-assigned +883 code of iNum is the international code for the Internet just like +44 is the code for the U.K. and 1 refers to the U.S. As a wholesaler of direct-inward-dial (DID) numbers and IP transport provider, Voxbone receives calls to numbers with this code and delivers them to Phone.com. In turn, Phone.com’s Virtual Office PBX greets a caller with a customer’s own customized auto attendant, which requests the called person’s extension number and completes the call.
“An iNum number makes even the smallest business global, as it puts that business in the same ‘area code’ with every country in our voice network,” said Tim Behrsin, who leads Voxbone’s iNum initiative. “Furthermore, the number is globally portable. Just as local number portability enables a business to keep its valuable phone identity if it changes providers, counties or perhaps even states, global number portability allows a business to retain its number if it moves – or grows – into other countries. iNum thus encourages market expansion.”
Ari Rabban, CEO of Phone.com, said, “iNum enriches our relationship with Voxbone and magnifies the value of our Virtual Office offering.”
Phone.com began reselling Voxbone-provided DIDs with country-specific area codes in 2008. The DIDs and Voxbone’s IP transport network give the hosted phone service’s customers local access to particular geographical markets.
“By providing local access to callers in so many countries, iNum numbers will help our business subscribers interact with customers in new markets, increasing their need for the flexibility and geographical independence of our Virtual Office phone system,” Rabban said. “With calls coming from many time zones and countries, these customers need, for example, to be able to route calls by time of day, or send some calls to extensions – now easily located remotely – that are staffed with particular language capabilities.”
iNum numbers are charged as local calls or are free when dialed from all major VoIP providers, including Skype and GoogleTalk, and are routed from a growing list of traditional service providers. Through an introductory offer, existing Phone.com customers can order an iNum through the PBX host’s self-service Web site at no charge.
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About Voxbone
Headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, Voxbone provides worldwide local and toll-free phone numbers over its own private intercontinental VoIP network. The all-IP architecture of the Voxbone core network enables customers to rapidly deploy new communications services with local presence while reducing costs. It delivers high-quality call origination from 49 countries and 4,000 cities, as well as iNum numbers that enable billing as local calls when dialed through participating carriers anywhere in the world. Through its number inventory, network, self-administered provisioning and comprehensive SIP adherence, Voxbone’s global infrastructure enables its customers to expand to international markets quickly and efficiently. Founded in 2002 and privately held, Voxbone is the only carrier licensed in all 27 countries of the European Union. For more information, visit www.voxbone.com.
About Phone.com
Phone.com is an online virtual phone company offering a variety of innovative, economical phone services designed for entrepreneurs, home offices, small businesses and individuals. Powered by advanced VoIP and SaaS technologies, the company currently offers three internet-based communications products: Phone.com Virtual Office for small businesses, Phone.com Virtual Number for individuals on the go and Phone.com Home Phone for consumers, with monthly plans priced as low as $4.88.
Phone.com’s mission is to offer the best value and peerless 24/7 customer support for its unique telecommunications solutions. Phone.com products are designed for the expanding marketplace of SOHO (small office/home office) businesses and individuals. For further details: www.phone.com or call 800-997-9179.
