You can request the SIM/eSIM is associated with a number on A&A VoIP service. This does not have to be an 07 mobile number, it can be a landline (though SMS to landline may be limited).
Leaving details blank (the default) on the SIM settings and Number settings will tie calls and SMS each way to the number. It is possible to add additional settings to the number to have calls to your server and the SIM/mobile at the same time. You can also set incoming SMS to be to other targets (email, http, mastodon, mobile numbers, etc) and to one or more ICCIDs for SIM/eSIM service.
All of our normal services work, including call recording.
The SIP2SIM service registers with a SIP endpoint using a specified hostname, username, and password as set on the control pages. This registration comes from one of our SIP service IP addresses (see more here). For maintenance, the IP used can change from time to time, and will usually mean a de-registration is sent from the previous IP and a new registration from the new IP.
Calls made to the registered contact are passed to the SIM/phone. This works with most SIP based phone systems and most SIP carriers.
Calls from the mobile are sent to the hostname specified, using the username and password specified, if specified. The called number is the dialled number from the phone. Unless we have directly associated one of our numbers with the SIM, the CLI is the SIM's ICCID. The call comes from the same group of call servers.
You can specify their hostname, username, and password, just as connecting to your own SIP server. This will work with many providers, but check their terms as it means telling us your credentials, which may be against their terms. This also can limit our ability to resolve issues if their response is that it is against their terms.
The text service allows texts to and from the phone with the SIM. Texts can be sent to the phone by using our normal text gateway with a destination of the SIM ICCID and credentials for the text service (e.g. a VoIP account). The control pages allow texts from the phone to be sent to an HTTP address of your choice.
Some phones and some networks validate the number you are sending a text from and will only reliably allow texting of a full phone number.
If you have an A&A VoIP number on the same login as the SIM you can set the SIM ICCID on the incoming section of the VoIP number so that texts to that number are relayed directly to the SIM. There is a text charge for this. Not all of our VoIP numbers can accept incoming texts.
If you have an A&A VoIP number on the same login as the SIM you can set this on the SIM config on the control pages so that texts from the SIM are sent out as from that number. This incurs our normal outgoing text cost plus the SIP2SIM text cost, but we hope in future to apply a discount in this case.
There may be a small range of non UK mobile numbers to which mobile originated texts would go directly, i.e. bypassing the normal http posting, and presenting a different sending number.
At present there may be ways for some texts to reach the phone bypassing the http posting (i.e. a hidden number) but we expect to be able to fix this in due course.
Some phones (e.g. iPhones) send SMS to validate services (e.g. iMessage) and these will be chargeable.
Not all A&A VoIP numbers can handle incoming texts. There is unlikely to ever be any discounting of inbound text charges even when we have 07 mobile numbers working for texts as we are unlikely to see incoming revenue from such texts.
Note: At present SMS to mobiles starting from a non number are prefixed +, e.g. +Barclays, etc. We hope this should be fixed soon.
We are offering a SIM with a high usage data package. The way this is sold to us is that it is unlimited but with a fair usage limit that we understand to be 100GB/month. When reached the service is throttled to a low speed, but one that should be sufficient for text based messaging apps to continue without problem.
The data package also allows limited hotspot functionality, 5GB/month, after which hotspot usage is throttled in the same way.
Please do not expect any better than NAT IPv4 data. We hope one day to do better.
Roaming is no extra charges in EU and US for up to 3 months in any year. No other roaming is planned, sorry.
The SIM has an application menu for IMSI. This normally should be set to automatic to allow Roaming.
The CLI for calls to a mobile should be sent as a full international number without the leading + and should be one of your numbers (or the calling number if passing on a call you have received). Other formats may work (e.g. nation number starting 0).
However, due to OFCOM rules to stop junk calls (which clearly did not help and just caused problems we now see here) sending a call which does not look valid, e.g. an extension number like 1234, does not work and the call may fail.
To work around this we check for a CLI looking sensible and if not we replace it with a new CLI - we include up to 9 digits from the end of the original CLI, so for example, 1234, will present as +11000001234, which shows on an iPhone as +1(1) (000) 001-234. This is to allow you to see the original CLI if needed. +11 are not valid numbers so this will not be a real CLI.
Unfortunately it also seems that a CLI that matches the number we have assigned to the SIM always reports as Busy even when the handset is not busy, so this to gets replaced in the same way.
Apple phones work with iMessage, and they find their own phone number by sending an SMS. This is handled internally within the network, and means that if we have associated a number with the phone when you ordered the eSIM/SIM, it will work for iMessage. It has to be one of our numbers and live on our network and on the same login on our control pages. This means you do not see the activation SMS sent to your SMS server.
This even works when it is a landline number that would not normally be able to get SMS (we are working on this anyway).
Other messaging services typically work by sending an SMS with a code that you enter, so this will work as long as you get the SMS (which could be to the phone, or email, or even called as a voice call if a landline number), and so typically work without problems.
OFCOM have a number of rules, and one is that most 07 numbers must only be used for mobile (i.e. where the call has a radio link to a mobile device). Importantly there is no requirement that mobile services have to use 07 numbers, so mobile services on landline numbers are quite valid. There is also nothing to stop a call to an 07 number calling a mobile and a desk phone at the same time, or going via your phone system that then goes on to our SIP2SIM mobile service, or forwarding to another 07 mobile service. All mobile operators break these rules all the time with voicemail and call diverts with no action from OFCOM, but we aim to comply as well as we can. As such we ask that customers of 07 numbers try to ensure they are used with mobile devices, at least most of the time.
