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If you are unable to find a
satisfactory answer to your question in this FAQ, please look in our
knowledgebase or contact customer support. For support options, see
http://www.didww.com/support/index.php.
DID Overview
What is a DID
(Direct Inward Dialing) Number?
Why Would I Use a DID?
Why is a DID Sometimes Referred to as a Virtual Number or Virtual Private
Number?
Can a DID be Used for Calling from a Standard Telephone to another Telephone?
What is
PSTN (Regular Phone) Forwarding?
Purchasing a DID and the Costs of Usage
Who May Use
the Service?
How Do I Select and Buy
a DID?
Can I Pick any
Number that I Want?
How Do I Pay for the DID?
How Much Does a DID Cost?
Do I Pay Per-Minute
Charges?
Is there a
Maximum Call Duration per DID?
Is there a Registration or Membership Fee for Using the DID World Wide Services?
Do I have to
renew my DIDs every month?
How Can I Change
the Payment Method?
When Do I Pay the Setup
Fee?
How do I
Change my Credit Card Information?
What
Currencies Can I Purchase DIDWW's Services in?
How
Long Does it Take for a DID to be Activated?
Coverage Offered by DID World Wide
In which Countries and Cities does DID World Wide have Local Telephone Numbers?
What should I do if my required area code is not offered by DID World Wide?
Configuring a DID
To what Devices
Can I Forward Calls?
How Do I Configure a DID to Forward Calls to a Selected Remote Device?
Can I Forward Calls from a DID to PSTN (a Regular Telephone Number) in any
Country in the World?
Can I Forward Calls from a DID Number to Mobile Phone?
Can
I Change the Forwarding Destination for a DID?
Can I Use 3rd Party SIP Services such as Callcentric.com, Sipgate.com or
Phonegnome.com?
Using a DID and Support
Can I Use DID World Wide Numbers for Receiving Faxes?
How Do I Get Support?
Can I Order Services
Online?
DIDs and Channels
What is a Channel?
How
Many Channels are Included when I Buy a DID?
Why would I
Need Multiple Channels per DID?
Can I Buy
Additional Channels for my DIDs?
Can
Additional
Channels be Shared by all the DIDs in my Group?
How much Additional
Channel Costs?
Features Offered by DID World Wide
What
Additional Features are Supported?
Do I have Access to my
Call
Records?
Are the DID
World Wide Services Compatible with Asterisk?
Resellers and API Usage
How Can I
Become a Reseller of Local Numbers and Services Provided by DID World Wide?
Does DID World Wide has an API that I Can Integrate into my Website or
Application?
DID Overview
What
is a DID (Direct Inward Dialing)
Number?
In historical terms, a DID
is a feature offered by telephone companies in order to serve the needs of their
customers via PBX (Private Branch Exchange) systems. In practical terms, a DID
number (also called a DDI in Europe and sometimes referred to as a virtual
number) is a local telephone number in a selected country or city. These numbers
are then forwarded by DID World Wide to PSTN (Plain Old Telephone System – a
regular telephone), Voice over IP (VoIP), SIP, H.323, IAX, Skype, MSN or Google
Talk anywhere in the world.
Typically a DID is used to
provide local telephone numbers for customers on a worldwide basis, or to
provide access from regular telephones to non-PSTN destinations such as VoIP.
Why Would I Use a DID?
The advent of Direct Inward
Dialing (DID) services provides people with access to local telephone numbers in
most countries on a worldwide basis. These numbers are then forwarded by
companies such as DID World Wide to PSTN (Plain Old Telephone System), VoIP or
VoIM devices anywhere in the world. Essentially, this means that:
1.
International and long distance telephone calls are made with the caller only
paying local call rates. For example, your family lives in Moscow, Russia but
you live in Toronto, Canada. You would like your family to be able to phone you,
but the long distance rates from Russia are very costly. If you purchase a
Moscow DID, anyone dialing that local number in Moscow would connect to your
phone in Toronto, but they would pay only local phone rates.
2.
You
are able to add telephone numbers to your phone line so that you are no longer
restricted to one telephone number per line. For example, you live in Toronto,
Canada but you have family in Moscow, London and Beijing. You if you purchase
DIDs in Moscow, London and Beijing, then anyone dialing those local numbers
would connect to your phone in Toronto.
3.
Conventional telephone calls may be terminated at non-PSTN devices if desired,
such as VoIP and Skype. This has particular relevance for VoIP communications,
as it allows people connected to the traditional PSTN network to call people
connected to VoIP networks.
Over and above these basic
functions of DIDs, there are many additional uses for local numbers. For
example, consider the issue of privacy. If users place classified advertisements
in a newspaper and they wish prospective buyers to contact them without
publishing their own, private telephone number, a temporary local number could
be provided by the newspaper.
Why is a DID Sometimes Referred to as a Virtual Number or Virtual Private Number?
The term virtual number is
used because a DID may be thought of as an “alias” for your primary phone number
or VoIP destination. A virtual telephone number lets you choose a telephone
number from other local calling areas outside of the geographical location where
you answer your telephone. You can have as many “aliases” as you wish in cities
all over the world. All calls to these virtual numbers will ring your main
telephone line or VoIP device as if the subscriber dialed your primary number.
For example, you live in Toronto, Canada and you purchase DIDs in Paris, London,
New York and Shanghai. You then configure those DIDs so that all calls made to
those virtual numbers are forwarded to your telephone in Toronto. Essentially,
virtual numbers allow you to add telephone numbers to your phone line so that
you are no longer restricted to one telephone number per line.
Can a DID be Used for Calling from a Standard Telephone to another Telephone?
Purchasing a DID and the Costs of Usage
Who May Use the Service?
The services provided by
DID World Wide are solely for residential use and may not be used for business
purposes, auto-dialing, continuous or extensive call forwarding, calling cards,
telemarketing, fax or voicemail broadcasting or voicemail blasting.
How Do I Select and Buy a DID?
You can buy a DID online on
the DID World Wide website. We have a Buy DID online section (http://www.didww.com/store.php)
where you are able to purchase numbers and configure your call forwarding
requirements.
Can I Pick any Number that I Want?
All numbers are
automatically assigned to the customer's account by our system. Therefore, it is
not possible for customers to choose their local numbers.
How Do I Pay for the DID?
The payment is done via
credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Diners Club International).
Pre-payments for services are also accepted.
How Much Does a DID Cost?
DID World Wide provides
numbers at fixed monthly rates, with no per-minute charges. This monthly
rate is dependant on the country in which the local telephone number is
purchased and generally varies between $5.00 and $20.00 for retail customers. In
addition, if you are forwarding the DID to a regular telephone number (not to
VoIP, VoIM, etc), then there is an additional flat monthly charge of $14.99 per
month.
Do I Pay Per-Minute Charges?
Each DID is billed on a
fixed monthly fee basis, with no per-minute charges. This is a flat-rate
service, which means that you can talk as much as you want for a low, monthly
charge. You can make an unlimited number of calls, with no limit on the length
of each call.
Is There a Maximum Call
Duration per DID?
There is no maximum
limit on call duration for the DIDs. If you are having calls cut off, please
see
I’m having Calls Cut Off, What Can be the Problem?
Is there a Registration or Membership Fee for Using the DID World Wide Services?
There is no registration/membership fee for registering on the DID World
Wide website. Payment is only due if you purchase DID numbers or other services.
Do I Have to Renew my DIDs
Every Month?
You may purchase services
for a period of 1, 3, 6, 12 or 24 months. In addition, there is an “auto-renew”
option that facilitates the automatically renewal of the selected service. You
will be sent an email prior to the expiry of a DID subscription period or when
automatic renewals have been performed.
How Can I Change the Payment
Method?
You can change the renewal payment method in the following way:
1.
Changing from credit card payment to pre-paid:
Manually renew the DIDs / Channels or
PSTN packages using pre-paid method.
2.
Changing from pre-paid payment to credit card:
Manually renew the DIDs / Channels or
PSTN packages using credit card method.
The next auto renewal will use the last payment type.
When Do I Pay the Setup Fee?
The setup fee paid only
once when you purchase the DID number.
How do I Change my Credit
Card Information?
To change your credit card
information simply login to your DIDWW account, select the Credit Card menu.
Delete the existing card and then add new cards. DIDWW does not allow you to
modify a saved credit card for security reasons.
What Currencies Can
I Purchase DIDWW's Services in?
DIDWW only accepts US
Dollars at this time for all transactions.
All international credit cards should allow you to purchase services in US
Dollars and have it converted to your local currency on your monthly statement
(NOTE: Your card issuer usually charges fees).
How Long
Does it Take for a DID to be Activated?
When you purchase a DID via
our online 24/7 web services, activation is instantaneous.
Nevertheless in some cases
of unverified details the number will be activated only after verification of
DIDWW sales team. In such case the DIDWW sales team will contact you in 24
hours.
Coverage Offered by DID World Wide
In which Countries and Cities Does DID World Wide have Local Telephone Numbers?
DID World Wide offers an
extensive selection of international virtual numbers, covering over 60 different
countries and hundreds of cities. Details of our current coverage may be found
at
http://www.didww.com/virtual_numbers. Note that we are constantly expanding
our services so as to increase the number of regions supported, as well as to
increase our coverage in each region. Please visit our website regularly to
check for coverage updates. In addition, if you need a local number in a region
that is not currently covered by DID World Wide, please visit our Request
DID section of the website so that we are able to contact you in the
event that our coverage is expanded so as to include your specific requirements.
What Should I Do if my Required Area Code is not Offered by DID World Wide?
If you need a local number
in a region that is not currently covered by DID World Wide, please visit our
Request DID section of the website. We are constantly expanding our
services so as to increase the number of regions supported and your input is
used to assist us in this process. We will contact you in the event that our
coverage is expanded so as to include your specific requirements.
Configuring a DID
To what Devices Can I Forward
Calls?
Calls may be forwarded by
our infrastructure to conventional PSTN (Plain Old Telephone System or “regular
telephone”) devices, Voice over IP (VoIP), SIP, H.323, IAX, Skype, MSN or Google
Talk anywhere in the world. The forwarding destination is selected by the
customer on a per-DID basis via our easy-to-use web interface.
How Do I Configure a DID to Forward Calls to a Selected Remote Device?
Configuration is done via a
simple, user-friendly menu on our website, where the customer is provided with a
selection of forwarding options to choose from.
Can I Forward Calls from a DID to PSTN (a Regular Telephone Number) in any
Country in the World?
You may only forward calls
to a regular PSTN (land lines) in countries listed on our website at
http://www.didww.com/details.php#pstnc.
Can I Forward
Calls from a DID Number to Mobile Phone?
There are certain countries
in which you may forward calls to both regular PSTN (land-lines) and mobile
phones. These countries are listed on our website at
http://www.didww.com/details.php#pstnc.
Can I Change the
Forwarding Destination for a DID?
The
forwarding destination for a DID may be changed by you at any time via our web
services. There are no additional charges involved in making this change.
However, if a number previously forwarded to a non-PSTN device (such as VoIP,
VoIM, etc) is now forwarded to PSTN (a regular telephone number), then an
additional flat monthly
charge of $14.99 per month is applicable.
Can I Use 3rd Party SIP Services such as Callcentric.com, Sipgate.com or
Phonegnome.com?
DID World Wide allows DIDs to be mapped to a number of 3rd party VoIP
providers. The selection of the VoIP provider is performed by using our on-line
configuration interface.
For more
information see
How can I Use 3-rd Party SIP Services Such as
Callcentric.com, Sipgate.com or Phonegnome.com?
Can I Order Services Online?
Yes. Once you have signed
up and logged into the account management portal you will be able to manage all
aspects of your account including ordering additional services.
Using a DID and Support
No, DID World Wide provides
numbers for inbound calls only.
No, DID World Wide provides
numbers for inbound calls only.
DID World Wide does not
provide call back services (i.e. when you call the number, let it ring and hang
up, the system calls you back and you get dial-tone).
Can I Use DID
World Wide Numbers for Receiving Faxes?
Unfortunately, the DID
numbers do not support fax usage.
How Do I Get Support?
DID World Wide provides
free customer care, 24 hours per day via our interactive live online chat Web
system or by phone. For support options, please see
http://www.didww.com/support/index.php.
DIDs and Channels
What is a Channel?
A channel indicates the
number of simultaneous inbound calls you can receive on a phone number at one
time. Therefore if your phone number includes two channels then you are able to
receive two inbound calls at the same time.
How Many Channels are
Included when I Buy a DID?
All DIDs are
provided with two channels, allowing two concurrent incoming calls on the
same number. This is applicable to non-PSTN forwarding destinations only.
If you wish to buy
additional channels please see
How Can I Add More Channels
to my DID Number?.
Why would I Need Multiple
Channels per DID?
If you are
forwarding calls to a non-PSTN device such as VoIP, it is possible to have
multiple concurrent incoming calls on the same number. Depending on your
application, it may be desirable for you to have a single DID, but allow more
that one call to be placed to this number at any one time.
Can I Buy Additional
Channels for my DIDs?
All DIDs are
provided with two channels. Additional channels may be purchased as
required, depending on the country in which the local telephone number has
been procured. To view the list of countries which support additional channels,
login to your account and go to the Channels page. Each additional
channel costs $25.00 per month. Please note that channels are non-shared, and
they may only be used with the specific DID number to which these channels were
added.
For special requests regarding additional channel densities,
please open a ticket for a
quotation to
sales.
Can Additional
Channels be Shared by all the DIDs in my Group?
Additional channels are
non-shared, and they may only be used with the specific DID number to which
these channels were added.
How much Additional Channel Costs?
There is
monthly fee of 25$ for each channel.
Features Offered by DID World Wide
What
Additional Features are Supported?
Additional features
supported by DID World Wide are:
-
Caller ID – the caller’s
number is transmitted to the called party’s telephone equipment during call
setup (where supported).
-
Call waiting- in the case
where the line is engaged, the called party is able to suspend the current call
and switch to the new incoming call.
-
Ring group – When DIDs are
mapped to a ring group, all destinations configured under this group will ring
simultaneously. Once the destination is answered and the call connected, all
other destinations will stop ringing. This feature is useful for redundancy or
backup.
-
Hunt group - When DIDs are
mapped to a hunt group, all destinations configured under this group will ring
in order, one after the other according to user-configured timeouts. Once a
destination is answered, the call is connected and call hunting is stopped. This
feature is useful if you wish to be reached in various locations. For example:
the call will first ring at your home, after 15 seconds it will ring at your
work and after 15 seconds on your cell-phone.
-
Trunking – Allows the
sharing of channels for optimum use of DIDs, load balancing and reliability.
Do I have Access to my Call
Records?
Call records
are stored and are made available to you on a secure basis. Statistics such as
source and destination numbers, date and time of each call as well as the
duration of the calls are available. You are able to filter call information
according to pre-defined criteria, and you may also able to export this
information to an Excel spreadsheet.
For information
how you can view your call records see
How Can I View the Calls I Made?
Are the DID World Wide
Services Compatible with Asterisk?
DIDWW supports the VoIP
protocols used by Asterisk, including IAX. Our technical knowledgebase includes
documentation on how to configure Asterisk@Home and Trixbox for DID usage (How
to Set Asterisk@Home/TrixBox with DIDWW DID Numbers?),
as well as general configuration information on how to map DIDs to SIP
extensions (sip.conf) (How
to Set Asterisk@Home/TrixBox with DIDWW DID Numbers?)
and how to set up an IAX configuration file (IAX.conf) (How
to Configure IAX with DIDWW IP Addresses?).
Yes, DID Word Wide supports
forwarding to IAX.
Which Kind of Mapping
Options Supported by DIDWW?
You can use the following
mapping options to forward your calls: PSTN (land line or cellular), URI, VoIP,
Custom, MSN, GTALK or SKYPE.
For information on how to
create the mapping see
How to Add New Mapping?
Resellers and API Usage
How
Can I Become a Reseller
of Local Numbers and Services Provided by DID World Wide?
In order to become a reseller and
get 10% starting discount, you should have 10 DIDs on your account.
When this is done, please
open
sales ticket and
your status will be changed to
reseller's.
The 10% discount will be applied for
your future orders to renew the DID numbers and to purchase new DID numbers.
Thank you for interest.
Does DID World Wide has an
API that I Can Integrate into my Website or Application?
DID World
Wide has an easy-to-use API (Application Programming Interface) that is
available to our Resellers at no charge. This API may be integrated into your
website or application so as to facilitate the purchasing, configuration and
maintenance of DIDs by your own customers. In order to use the API, please go to
http://sandbox.didww.com
for technical information and code examples.
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