Usefulness of Mobile call back?

[Tranworld]

Technically this is a great feature but I struggled to find a practical situation where I would want to use this.

Imagine this scenario where I am at a public hotspot, take out my E61, log in and initiate a call back, the phone ring, I got connected and talk...sounds right but then, if I have net access already I might as well use the SIP function on my E61 (which register very well with Voxalot, thank you) and make that call using just one leg of the VSP.
Or if I am at home with ready Internet access, I can't think of why I would use a call back.

Of course not all Internet phone has SIP client, granted, but pretty soon they will, I would hazard a guess.

So frankly once you have Internet access, there is little reason to use call back.

What would really be useful is if there is a way to initiate that call back using a normal call back technique of a a PSTN number that you call, it drop the line and then call you back (using the web callback technique of course), except in this case you can chose your VSP and the rate etc. now that will be really really useful.

[tomblandford]

Originally Posted by Tranworld

What would really be useful is if there is a way to initiate that call back using a normal call back technique of a a PSTN number that you call, it drop the line and then call you back (using the web callback technique of course), except in this case you can chose your VSP and the rate etc. now that will be really really useful.

I'd love to see that feature too. A number that you ring that allows you to initiate a webcall with VoXaLot, BUT it phones you after disconnecting the call. That way both legs of the call are VoIP and you don't pay your mobile provider anything after the quick setup call. Would it be possible to set it up so that you call your VoXaLot number by SIPBroker and then press ## and enter a PIN, then dial a number from 1-99 that would correspond to your Web CallBack PhoneBook, or maybe Speed Dial numbers? Then put the phone down and wait.

As for Web CallBack, of course its useful if you have a WAP phone without SIP (plenty still around!). I also use it to initiate international calls when I'm at work (on the web) and I let my sister use it to make international calls from home on her PSTN line. Keep up the good work VoXaLot!

[Kars]

Actually mobile callback is quite useful in its current form for me. I have a prepaid mobile phone, so my calls are expensive (think EUR 0,35 per minute).

It's cheaper for me to use the (simple) browser in my phone and use mobile callback to pay for both legs of the call with the much cheaper VSP rates (EUR 0,15 to mobile and EUR 0,01 to land line, a total of EUR 0,16 per minute if I call a land line from my mobile, plus a cent or so for accessing the mobile callback web page).

[Tranworld]

Well don't get me wrong, I think the facility is useful, but has limited application in its current format, by the addition of a way to access without Internet access, it will be much more useful and will find application in many more ways.

If I am at home now or at a hotspot then I can just use the E61 SIP directly, eliminating one leg of the VSP charge and less voice delay and technical complications.

Even without the E61 VoIP ATA are quite cheap these days, even advanced one like the PAP2T cost just USD55 (EUR43) to buy which gives you 2 FXS port to play with, so if you have direct access to Internet already, there is little need to get callback. I am sure there are situations, like the one described here, that it proves useful, but it is rare.

The most useful time is when you can't have Internet and yet can get called back and still use VoIP on your mobile, now that would be brilliant and would open up its use far more

[Tranworld]

Just thought about a possible way to use my 3102 with call back. If one of the leg is the PSTN line on my 3102, and it is set to call my mobile immediately on incoming then I got that local call side covered, then just wait for the other side to connect.

The problem I have is that the system does not wait long enough (as it needs to dial out) and gets into all manner of "funnies"

Anyone have any thoughts?

[maxalot]

Originally Posted by Tranworld

Technically this is a great feature but I struggled to find a practical situation where I would want to use this.

This is because you are thinking about from your perspective.

I can think of a number of areas where Webcallback is very useful.
1). The user is at a location where dialup is the only option.
2). No ATA or VoIP equipment.
3). One-Way satellite.
4). Limited bandwidth.

[Tranworld]

Originally Posted by maxalot

This is because you are thinking about from your perspective.

I can think of a number of areas where Webcallback is very useful.
1). The user is at a location where dialup is the only option.
2). No ATA or VoIP equipment.
3). One-Way satellite.
4). Limited bandwidth.

I admit that I can only think about it from my perspective, that is why I posted it here so that I can get others. Having said that in your scenario 1 and 2, I can't see how to initiate the web callback?

Ahh if you are at an internet cafe, perhaps?

[martin]

Originally Posted by Tranworld

Ahh if you are at an internet cafe, perhaps?

Or the mother in laws

[andy]

There seems to be a paradox between the thread title and what the OP is saying, as the discussion seems to be mainly about web-based callback, and it being redundant when making outgoing calls from a wi-fi zone.

Not everyone has expensive wi-fi phones, or wants to able to call an ATA and Asterisk set-up at home, either as callthrough or even trying to develop their own callback platform.

Hence the mobile callback, which does not need ordinary internet access, only wap/gprs, and can be used with almost any modest mobile phone.

There are any number of circumstances where it is highly useful as it stands - using any mobile or landline at other than their own tariffs, especially those global SIMs that have free incoming roaming calls in many countries, or landlines with outgoing calls barred

I will be driving through Europe next week; the motorways do not have wi-fi access, and I know of no way of using an ATA in the car. When I am visiting three company premises and two hotels, I don't need to get wound up about setting up internet access. I'll have free incoming calls on my mobile phone, and use callback to call home for a few pence a minute. On what I've read so far, the OP does not use a mobile phone much in similar circumstances.

Though the suggested ANI callback could be useful to some, not all phones send caller ID, so instead would need a dedicated DID per phone used on an account, thus extra overheads.

The only addition I would suggest for the mobile callback system is to be able to enter a number that has not been predefined in the phonebook.

[andy]

Originally Posted by Tranworld

I admit that I can only think about it from my perspective, that is why I posted it here so that I can get others. Having said that in your scenario 1 and 2, I can't see how to initiate the web callback?

Ahh if you are at an internet cafe, perhaps?

No, maybe parked in a lay-by in a traffic jam in southern Belgium ...

On one mobile phone ...

I press Go to, 8. After a few seconds the Voxalot phonelist appears. I scroll down to Eurotunnel and select it.

About twenty seconds later, the other mobile phone rings. I'm in a call queue for quite a while, but not getting neurotic about it. Eventually I change the time of the booked crossing home to the UK.

The 13 minute call costs me 18 pence.

The wap/gprs trigger is included in a contract tariff, or about half a penny if I exceed the allowance.

.