I have a variety of telephone numbers, and in my opinion – each serves a role and purpose. If you are reading this FAQ, you might be asking yourself why would I have a particular telephone number. This FAQ will go into that detail for you.
Cellular
The cellular number is my primary number. If I was forced to have just one telephone number, it will be this number. This number provides me with unlimited domestic calling, unlimited domestic SMS, and unlimited SMS to select countries. Likewise, I am able to call select countries for free – although I never use this feature. This phone line is $205/year which is a very reasonable rate especially with me receiving 5GB of data per month. If I hit my limit, they will throttle me to 2G speeds.
Fax
I don’t have a fax machine. Instead, I use an e-fax service. I don’t send faxes, but have received a couple of faxes. With that in mind, I have chosen a low cost provider that charges me by the minute for incoming or outgoing faxes. When I receive a fax, it will be sent to me as a .pdf and emailed to me. I don’t need the fax line, but being the service is about $5/month, it is not a significant cost.
International
All of my international numbers are intended to make it easier for people outside of the US to reach me via phone. All of these numbers are incoming only. You would call the appropriate number, and the service will ring my SIP client. However, if I was to call you, you would see my [Cellular] Number. When downloading the respective .vcf file, the home phone will always be the local to you number whereas the cellular number will always be my [Cellular] Number. If I come across a need or desire to acquire a new [International] Number, I will make the change in the respective page.
Pager
In the case I am in a doctor’s office, or debilitated, I will not answer telephone calls. The reasons should be apparent. However, a select few people has my pager number, and instructed to not give the pager number to anyone. When I receive a page, I will return the call as soon as I can. If I am in the exam room, I will have to wait until I leave the doctor to return the call.
SIP
For anyone that uses a SIP provider will be able to call this number to reach me for free. One can use my SIP Broker number, or they could use the SIP address depending on what’s best for them. One thing about using a SIP line is the call is free. You do not have to pay for any international charges, and the person you are calling doesn’t have to pay for any calls. This makes it ideal for international friends to reach out and talk to each other without anything additional.
Toll-Free
I have this number to reduce the number of telephone numbers (and reduce complexity). A toll-free number will be a free call for much of the NANP. A local solution would mean I will have to get and possibly not qualify for a number of phone numbers. Acquiring a Canadian number, and a Puerto Rican number will cost more money than a toll-free number. This simply just makes more sense if I want to make it easier for people to reach me.
Voicemail
For my domain registry, I use my voicemail number as a number for people to call. As the name implies, it will go to voicemail. Before using a voicemail number, I will get several calls a day for companies that are trying to sell me web design service, or SEO optimization. Since I used a voicemail only number, I never had any more such calls. If the call is legitimate, they can leave a message, and I will return their call.