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frequently asked questions

 

(* - applies to US customers only)
 

 

Why should I want voice services over my broadband connection?

Saving money is the primary motivation for most people. However, some of the other features of this new service offering are very attractive and are not available from your typical local or long distance phone company. Global Village offers competitively priced calling plans, integrated voice mail and web-based control of your phone account. With the Global Village telephone service, you can choose a phone number in several different area codes throughout the United States. This allows you to choose a New York phone number even though you don't live anywhere near New York. When you call another Global Village subscriber, the entire phone call is carried over the Internet so the call is free. Because our service is digital, you and your called party will experience better voice quality than with traditional or cellular phone services.

 

How is it possible to make free calls worldwide?

IP calls are carried over the Internet without interfacing with the Public switched telephone network. There are no long distance fees for IP calls between Global Village customers.

 

How do I dial another Global Village user?

Just dial their seven-digit Global Village IP phone number. These calls are always free, regardless of the distance or country you are calling.

 

How do I dial someone who has a regular phone number?

Simply pick up the telephone connected to the Global Village network and dial any number in the world. You will need to dial the full number. For example, in the US, dial 1 plus the area code and the seven-digit number. In the UK, include the city, like you would when dialing from a mobile phone.

 

What do I pay if I dial someone who has a regular phone number in Ohio?

It depends upon the plan you choose. If you choose our unlimited plan* for $27.95 a month, there are no additional fees to call someone in Ohio. If you subscribe to our per minute plan, then the call would cost you 2.9 cents per minute. Billed in 6-second increments. This means if you talk for 3 minutes and 5 seconds, you’ll only pay for 3 minutes and 6 seconds, not 4 minutes as most other phone companies will round up to the next minute.

 

Can I make calls if the power goes out?

Not over the Global Village network, if power is lost, so is your Internet connection. However, your phone service through your local phone company will still be available.

 

Can I make 911 emergency calls? *

Yes, the Zoom V3 and X5V both have ports to plug in a normal phone line. As long as this line is plugged in, all 911 calls will go out over that line.

 

Can I make 911 emergency calls if I cancel my local phone service? *

Yes, but the 911 operators won’t automatically know your location.

 

Can I use the Global Village phone service for all phones throughout my home?

Yes, we recommend that you use a cordless phone system. These phone systems come with a base unit and extra handsets. The base station of the cordless phone plugs into the X5V or V3. The extra handsets can then be placed anywhere in the house. You could also purchase wireless phone jacks. The base unit of the wireless phone jack system connects to the X5V or V3 and the wireless jacks plug into your household electrical outlets. You can then connect any phone to the wireless jacks.

 

How do I get a phone number for incoming calls?

In the US, if you take the unlimited plan* for $27.95, we will include at phone number at no charge. If you choose the per minute plan, a phone number will cost $3.95 a month and include 100 inbound minutes. Additional inbound minutes cost 1 cent per minute. If you plan on retaining your normal phone company service, you don’t need another phone number from us unless you need one for a specific purpose.

All Global Village customers will receive a free IP phone number. This will be a different number for people to call you at no charge over the Internet.

 

Are you saying that I can appear to have a New York or Los Angeles phone number even if I’m somewhere else?

Yes.

 

Can I call someone free if he or she has a free service different from mine?

Yes, by using our look up directory you’ll be able to find the phone number of other people around the world that use other IP services.

 

When I make a free phone call, what happens? How does the call travel?

The X5V or V3 convert your call from an analog signal into a digital signal so it’s ready to be packetized and sent through your local ISP and onto the Internet. When you dial the IP phone number, the X5V or V3 will convert that number into an IP address of the X5V, V3 or other SIP based device at the other end of the call. Your call is then sent out through your local ISP, passed along through the Internet, finally reaching the intended party at the other end. The real difference between this type of free call and a fee based call is that free calls follow a more direct path without passing through any switching equipment or billing platforms.

 

When I call someone with a regular phone, what happens? How does the call travel?

The X5V or V3 converts your call from an analog signal into a digital signal so it’s packetized and ready to be sent through your local ISP and onto the Global Village Network. Global Village has the equipment that will keep track of the number you called and the duration of the call so it appears on your Global Village web page. Global Village then hands the call to another provider to terminate the call at the other end. Call termination includes having the equipment necessary to turn the digital call back into an analog call and connecting the call to the local phone company in order to ring the phone at the other end. This is all done seamlessly and without delay.

 

How does Global Village handle a call?

Global Village has many network partners. Depending upon where you are calling, your call will be passed through series of different networks on its way to the final destination. At all times the call will be going through the Global Village platform so that we can invoice the call and display it on the your web interface.

 

Does Global Village have a huge telecom infrastructure?

Not at all, Global Village uses normal PC computers to capture call data and route the calls. We partner with other providers around the world that do have huge infrastructure and can handle millions of calls at a time.

 

When does Global Village bill my credit card?

In most cases, your credit card will be charged once a month. We may charge your card earlier when your long distance balance reaches $30. If you use less than $2 of service in a given month, we will roll that charge into the next month.

 

How do I keep track of my GV calls and make sure the charges are right?

You can track all of your calls online. Global Village keeps all of your bills on our webpage. Your online bill has the same level of detail (call logs, information on how each call was billed, etc.) as a long distance phone bill.

 

What if I think the charges are wrong or I need a refund?

If for any reason you think your account was improperly charged, please contact customer service at +1-561-241-8789. Any applicable adjustments will be refunded immediately.

 

How do I find out who else has an IP phone number?

Go to www.GlobalVillage.com and use our directory service.

 

Is there a way for Global Village to forward calls to my cell phone?

Yes, use your web interface to set up call forwarding.

 

How about to some other phone?

It doesn’t matter where we forward the call.

 

What do I need to install the X5v or V3 hardware?

The X5v requires a DSL Internet connection.

The V3 requires the ability to plug into a broadband connection via an RJ45 jack.

Neither unit requires a computer to be on to use the phone.

 

What equipment do I need to use the Global Village service?

A cable modem or DSL broadband Internet connection is required. You will also need an X5v to work with DSL or the V3 to work with any other form of Broadband Internet service. You will also need a standard household cordless or corded telephone.

 

Are there any specific PC or software requirements?

No. The service works with PCs, Macintoshes and Linux systems.

 

Where is the Global Village Service currently offered?

Anyone that has a broadband Internet connection can use the Global Village Service, regardless of their geographic location.

 

Can I find a number of a call that I have placed or received?

The Call Logs list all calls you have received from U.S. (non-international) phone numbers, along with the numbers for calls identified by Caller ID. It also lists all outbound calls that you placed and your missed calls.

 

How do I program the X5v or V3?

You don’t, they come fully programmed to work with the Global Village phone service. You’ll need to tell us about yourself and give a credit card number but everything else will work once it’s properly plugged in.

 

Can the X5v or V3 work with any other VoIP service?

Yes, both of these units come preprogrammed to work with the Global Village service but they can be reconfigured to work with almost any SIP based service.

 

What does SIP stand for?

SIP, the Session Initiation Protocol, is a signaling protocol for Internet conferencing, telephony, presence, events notification and instant messaging.

 

Can someone still call me collect through Global Village?

No.

 

Can I use dial-around (i.e. 10-10) numbers from my Global Village service?

No.

 

Can I call a 900 or 1-900 number from my Global Village phone?

No, we block all calls to 1-900 numbers.

 

Can I make toll-free calls such as 800, 888, 877, 866 calls with the Global Village Service?

Yes, you can place calls to these toll-free numbers.

 

Can I use the Global Village Service to make TDD (Telecommunications Devices for the Deaf) calls?

No, TDD capability is not supported.

 

When I place an outbound call, how do I tell the V3 whether I want the call to go out over the LEC (local phone company) or VoIP line?

Simply dial a # in front of the number you wish to reach and the call will go out over the Global Village Service. If you don’t dial the #, the call will go out over through the LEC and be billed according to their rate schedule.

 

Do you have voice mail?

Yes, every Global Village user has a voicemail box. You can retrieve calls using your phone, have them automatically sent to your email address or have just a notification sent to your email. The subject of the email will show you the time of the call and the caller ID information, if available.

 

Can I make conference calls?

Yes, every Global Village account includes a conference room for up to five people at the same time. You control who can access your conference room with a personal access number.

 

How can I have multiple phones throughout the house using one X5v or V3?

We suggest using one of the cordless phone base station phones that are currently available at retail stores.
 

 

Will my alarm system work with the Global Village service?

It depends on the alarm system— if your alarm system needs to make a voice call to notify an alarm company or emergency number of an issue, it will work fine. If your alarm system needs to make a data or modem call, it will not work with the Global Village Service at this time.

 

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