Google Voice and landlines

[Baobinga]

Hey all,

I am on a lot of conference calls for work, and usually there is a 1-800 number or other landline-based service that links all the callers. I have unlimited mobile-to-mobile, but very few minutes in regard to calling landlines. A friend told me if I used Google Voice, when I connect with the landline-based conference line it would be considered a mobile to mobile call by my cellular service provider (Sprint).

I've checked out the Sprint site, the Google Voice site, and have been searching message boards. Through all this I have learned that when I use Google Voice the person on the other end is charged as if I were calling from a landline. But what about me? I haven't gotten a clear-cut answer to that from the research I've done.

I just want to know if I can use Google Voice to call a landline-based number and be charged for a mobile-to-mobile call instead.

Thanks for reading my post.

 

[jasonacg]

I have Google Voice and my Sprint phone integrated at the Sprint account level. It's been that way for about 4-5 months (whenever they first started offering it).

In that time, virtually all of my outgoing usage has been counted as a mobile-to-mobile call, even if the call terminates to a landline number. I don't know if this is by design, if it's permanent, or I'm just a very unusual (and very lucky) case.

My suggestion, is to make a couple of short calls, preferably to your conference call access number. Then log into your Sprint account a day or two later. See how that usage affects your available minutes.

As new as it is, I'm not really sure you'll find someone at Sprint and/or Google, who can give you a straight answer. We're pretty much on our own, when it comes to discovering the quirks of the service.

 

[Deleted User]

Unlike jasonacg, I have had the opposite experience. And, unlike him, my Sprint phone number / GV phone number are not the same. I choose to keep them separate. I have my phone set to ask me each time I make a call if I want to use GV to make the call.

Each time I call through GV (even if I am calling someone's cell phone) my phone will dial GV's access number. Based on my Sprint bill, this access number is a land line, thus I don't get the benefit of free mobile to mobile calling.

Not sure if jasonacg is working different because he integrated the phone numbers together? I also agree with him about it being hard to find someone at Sprint to give you a straight answer. His advice to try and see is probably the best way to go...

 

[jasonacg]

Just to clarify, my Sprint number and Google Voice numbers are different. Once Sprint started offering GV integration, I did complete that step. Since then, I turned off the Google Voice app. All of my calls are automatically routed through Google Voice at the Sprint network level. The use of "virtual" phone numbers is gone. I dial the outgoing number directly, and it displays my actual outgoing number (not the virtual number) in Sprint call logs and billing statements. This may explain the difference in how you're billed, and how I'm billed.

Even though my Google and Sprint numbers are still different, Sprint displays my Google Voice number on the Caller ID display of the person I'm calling. I think I had a choice here, but I want the GV number to be the number that the public sees (I can block unwanted numbers that way). The same is true for SMS.

People can still call my original Sprint number, and the behavior is the same, as if they had called the Google Voice number. The logs on the Google Voice website, will show when someone called the GV number directly, or my original Sprint number.

Hopefully, that clears things up, at least a little bit.