Hot or Not? New Shaw Digital Phone Service

[PMeverything]

It includes:
Unlimited local calling
Unlimited anytime long distance* calling to all of Canada and the U.S.
Voicemail, call forwarding, call waiting, call display, call return and 3-way calling at no additional cost
Enhanced 911 service
411 service and operator assistance
The phone number you already have or a new one if you like

All of the features are for $55/month. Plus you will get a very competitive rate for the international calling.
I just did a search, to China is 0.045/minute, which is 0.005 cheaper than telus. To Uk is 0.039/minute
Plus you do not pay any connection fee,monthly fee, and minimum charge per call.

Shaw Digital Phone (http://www.shaw.ca/en-ca/ProductsServices/DigitalPhone.htm)

[Bordello]

It's a pretty good deal if you make a lot of long distance calls.

[big_raji]

Everyone disses Vonage on here, but even Vonage is only $39.99 unlimited LD and all those features.

Check out the international LD rates at Vonage.ca to see if they compare.

[Asun]

Very cold. Comwave (http://comwave.net/CDN/iPhone/index.htm) all the way!! :D

[Plazma]

Even better than Vonage is if you sign up with Primus on their TalkBroadband service - $29.95 for all the calling features you would want including call display and voice mail, and you can call anywhere in Canada/USA anytime of day.

I use it and the quality on Shaw High Speed Internet is great. I switched over from Telus where I was paying more than twice that.

Sometimes, you can even keep your old phone number.

Plus, if you are recommended to the service by a current subscriber, you will get $15 off your first bill and the person who referred you will get $30 off their next bill. (Let me know if you need a recommendation :cheesygri )

[st7860]

It includes:
Unlimited local calling
Unlimited anytime long distance* calling to all of Canada and the U.S.
Voicemail, call forwarding, call waiting, call display, call return and 3-way calling at no additional cost
Enhanced 911 service
411 service and operator assistance
The phone number you already have or a new one if you like

All of the features are for $55/month. Plus you will get a very competitive rate for the international calling.
I just did a search, to China is 0.045/minute, which is 0.005 cheaper than telus. To Uk is 0.039/minute
Plus you do not pay any connection fee,monthly fee, and minimum charge per call.

Shaw Digital Phone (http://www.shaw.ca/en-ca/ProductsServices/DigitalPhone.htm)


$55/mo is a ripoff for an IP phone. as others have said, you could get Primus or Vonage for a lot less. Also, 4 cents a minute for china is expensive. Timestelecom.ca offers 1.9 cents for 100, 2.9 cents thereafte,r no monthly fee.

Also, for the same $55/mo, you could get a REAL LANDLINE instead of an IP phone with unlimited long distance canada/usa from Primus(yes primus has landlines) or sprint(now is rogers)

[good deal bc]

This is not a HOT DEAL. It needs to be moved from this forum.

Get Vonage.

[robskot]

This is not a HOT DEAL. It needs to be moved from this forum.

Get Vonage.

Seconded....turffed Telus for Vonage 2 months ago...LOVE IT!!!! Kept my old # and every thing!!!

[Hellfire]

Not exactly a VOIP phone. This is a good deal, from Telus these services would cost you at least $70/month

[st7860]

This is not a HOT DEAL.
Get Vonage.

exactly. however, people on dslreports.com think the shaw IP phone service is the greatest thing since sliced bread however most don;t realise $55/mo is overpriced for what you get.

[ZenOps]

Shaw is one quality step above QOS VOIP. The packets (channel frequencies) that Shaw uses for its VOIP system don't ever mingle with regular internet packets until it gets out into the greater internet.

If you think in channel terms, channel 2 to 125 are analog TV channels, channel 1 is Docsis internet data, channel 0 is VOIP data.

That alone makes it worth the extra ~$20 for some people - Especially if you live in an area where everyone is hogging bandwidth for their bitorrents and WoW play.

[boo4842]

I would say the $55 service is better than traditional VOIP.

But I don't use the phone that often, I have Vonage, and pay $23 bucks a month including tax, with 500 mins LD (never gone over 300) and all calling features and voicemail.

Old Bell bills were between $60-$100

There is no way I'm ever going back to traditional land lines.

Detractors: "OMG what if the power goes out and you want to call your aunt in Manitoba, you won't be able too!"

Me: "1. The power hasn't ever gone out for more than 5-10 mins since the blackout 2.5 years ago."

"2. I'm not exactly going to pay $700-$1000 a year in case there happens to be a blackout, and in that case I happen to want to make a land line phone call at that particular time"

[st7860]

Shaw is one quality step above QOS VOIP. The packets (channel frequencies) that Shaw uses for its VOIP system don't ever mingle with regular internet packets until it gets out into the greater internet.

If you think in channel terms, channel 2 to 125 are analog TV channels, channel 1 is Docsis internet data, channel 0 is VOIP data.

That alone makes it worth the extra ~$20 for some people - Especially if you live in an area where everyone is hogging bandwidth for their bitorrents and WoW play.

Yes I know the frequencies are different and that the upgraded Surfboard they give you has a backup battery inside.

However, for approximately the same $50/mo, you can get a real landline from primus or sprint(rogers), with the same unlimited Canada/US calling.

[supersloan]

Primus is good.....30 bucks gets you everthing....and you can call long distance anytime of the day

[kant]

Because, what if you internet service down? you have to use your cell phone to call internet provider.some times it will take really very looong to wait till some one answer you and you have to stay on the cell phone. How much will your cell phone cost you?
And some voip have no 1800,some have no 911,most no fax.
It happened to me, since then on, I decided to leave voip, not too much different.
Just FYI. :)

[ZenOps]

I've heard the quality on a Shaw line and I have to say its excellent, possibly even better than a traditional phoneline. There is absolutely no static in a Shaw voip to Shaw voip call.

I've boiled it down to this. Its only analog inside the house or business, not up to a few miles (amplified a few times) like it is with traditional telco service.

[bionicbadger]

Its not reliable enough. My shaw internet goes down like a cheap hooker at least once every couple months. My real phone always works, even during power outages.

[ZenOps]

For cable it all depends on the quality of your local loop.

If one of your neighbors has stuck a metal pin through their cable shorting the outer shielding to the center copper core, or has a really really bad install, or corrosion, then you will get crappy internet and crappy phone service.

Its not quite the same with telco, as the lines are all direct. If you get crappy service, its because you personal line to the breakout box is bad (corroded, damaged, etc...) or the mainline is bad (which would also effect the whole community)

In general though, Coaxial Cable can carry about a thousand times more information with greater reliability than a small guage telco wire.

Amalgamated/Unionized employees from misguided Telco companies have be known to physically spike coaxial lines... Rofl :lol:

I was kind of hoping to see full 320x240 30fps (TV VHS quality) flat rate local video over IP from Shaw... But I guess they need to make some money on this stuff first, there is still plenty of bandwidth left in the coaxial system.