subject: Using Google Voice To Receive Voip Calls In China [print this page] You can use Google Voice to make cheaper calls to landline or mobile telephones in the USA and other countries. They give you a phone number, which can be linked to all your phone services. It is similar Skype and other VoIP service providers.
SkypeIn is not available in China, but it is possible to create a local number using Briing's collect call option. Your friend in the UK can call a local number, that is routed to a Chinese number. This means that you pay for people to call you from the UK, and it also means that you only get calls from your Briing contact list. If you route calls from China or the UK to Skype via Google Voice you will go a step further.
To get Google Voice to work in China, you need to follow the next steps:
As Google Voice is protected, you need an invitation to join it.
As Google Voice is only for US residents, you need an American IP address.
You need to use American phone numbers to link to your Google Voice number.
Your friends will need to dial an American phone to call you on Google Voice.
Please, do not start worrying from the beginning. Here are some ideas how to overcome these obstacles:
1. Get a Google Voice Inviation
Google Voice invitations are easier to track down now. Ask for one on Twitter or look around for a site like Inviteshare.com
2. Get a US IP address
You can use a private paid for VPN (StrongVPN.com) to get a US IP address.
3. Get a US phone number, which you link to Google Voice
You can get a free US landline number, which you can by signing up to IPKall.com. You can use it to link your SIPPhone account on Gizmo5 to a US landline number. Gizmo5 is an alternative to Skype that lets you make cheap calls from your computer or mobile phone using a Java mobile client. Google just bought Gizmo5 so it is no longer available to newcomers, but there maybe SIP alternatives if you get stuck. You can use your IPKall US landline number to receive and forward calls via Google Voice.
4. Route locals from a local number to your Google Voice account
Get a Briing account, which allows your contacts to make collect calls to your international phone services using a local number. Each call can be routed to your SIPPhone or IPKall number via Google Voice. It is also possible to forward calls from Gizmo5 to Skype or Google Talk.
In this way you can use a data only China Unicom 3G sim card on a smartphone that runs Skype or a SIPPhone client. A blended voice and data plan is expensive costing 386 RMB for 1.3 GB a month, whereas you pay 200 RMB for 5GB using a data only 3G package over the same period. In effect you are using VOIP via 3G and wifi to replace China Unicom for voice calls. This is great for people who like to use their cellphones to access the Internet and run applications rather than making telephone calls.
