Telcan's Website Link

November 2010 Update: Still mostly happy with the service, and still using it, as is my brother.

With a toll-free forwarding number, any calls to my number get forwarded to another number of my choosing

Why I decided to get a personal toll-free telephone number.

As a person that moves between school and home in different area codes every 4-8 months, and not really knowing where I'll be in the coming years, I figured getting a number that I could have forever would be a great idea. Heck, I even got my brother and one of his friends onto it. Using a cell phone as my primary phone, I did not want to stick with one "regular" number all the time, and force one group of friends to always pay long distance, and pay Fido's 30cents/min LD charges when I received calls outside of my home area. Rogers Pay As You Go , Telus PAY & TALK & Bell Mobility have similar (or worse) long distance pricing. Despite the free outgoing LD on US cell phones on providers like T-Mobile, Cingular & Verizon, keep in mind those landline users that have to pay to call you.

I just change my cell phone number (or better yet, buy new SIM cards on new prepaid accounts...) to my new home area when I move, and instantly change where my toll-free number points to. I purchased a T-Mobile 2 Go account with the 1-year expiry for my infrequent US travelling. I also plan on buying a SIM card for my unlocked GSM phone when I travel overseas this summer, and then pointing my number to that. Now I'm more accessible than just about anyone else, and it is all through 1 phone number that will work forever, with the costs going lower and lower.

Why I went with the Telcan/Callture Service

After doing loads of research, Telcan's rates seemed to be the best (for my needs anyway). USD$2/month for the number, and 6.5 US cents/minute for toll free calls received in Canada. Other companies would have better plans for high volume users. Their rates are truly excellent for US users, only 4.5 cents/minute. I may at some point "roll my own" on a dedicated server that I have access to with an incoming and outgoing VoIP provider to help cut down on costs, and so I can answer calls through my PC when I'm around.

Telcan's service has been incredibly reliable, quick to setup and they have a very functional, yet lightweight online interface.

As far as their features through their online panel go, I could examine all calls that I have received (along with their length, time, rate and total cost), block area codes or specific numbers, require a PIN number for incoming calls, specify credit limits to protect myself against excessive usage and of course or change the number that your calls get forwarded to.

They also have numbers around the world in which you can call in order to access an administrative menu, for when you don't have access to a computer.

They also offer the ability to trigger callbacks via calling, SMS, or the web, which is desirable for account with free incoming, saving you potentially large amounts of money.

Three Important Toll-Free Thoughts

One important aspect about toll-free numbers is that one cannot block their number from showing up on your caller-id. This is because toll-free numbers actually use a different system of caller identification called "ANI" . This can help protect you and provide an avenue for blocking calls, since you will know which number (or area) to block through the online menu.

As for choosing a toll free number, numbers are available with the 800, 888, 866 and 877 prefix. Obviously, those are in order of decreasing desirability. This means that the pool of 800 and 888 numbers is rather sparse. Telcan does have a large pool of numbers available, with most being in the 866 and 877 pool. Keep in mind that 800 and 888 numbers become available all the time, so they can be had, even a catchy one like I have :). One suggestion when searching through numbers is to put them through phonespell.org , which tells you what words exist in a given phone number, a lot faster than the old fashioned way. Telcan can also acquire a number from other providers. Numbers that are obviously catchy or "lucky" are usually held by the providers so they can charge you more for them :). Another suggestion is to search any prospective number through Google to see if it shows up, so you can get an idea of how popular it might have been before. You will likely get calls for the prior owners of the number, but they should die down over the months (mine did), and you can always block "problem" area codes and exchange codes easily.

One final detail about toll free numbers is that YOU own the phone number . Unlike landline or wireless numbers, you can buy/sell/trade/transfer your number without any hassles. It is very much like domain names. This means that if you don't like your provider, you can seamlessly (ie: no downtime in theory) move to another provider without expense as you please. Pretty nifty huh?