Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is BuzzPhone a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) service?

Yes, BuzzPhone is a VoIP service. It uses the availability of the internet to bypass the traditional telephone network enabling calls to be completed at a fraction of the cost. These savings are passed directly onto you.

2. Do I need an internet or broadband connection to get BuzzPhone?

No and yes! Yes, you will need broadband to power BuzzPhone, however, if you do not currently have a broadband service, BuzzPhone can provide you with a broadband connection through its sister company, Buzz Broadband.

3. Do I need a computer to use BuzzPhone.

No, you do not need a computer at all. BuzzPhone, like a landline phone is completely separate and independent of a PC and does not need one to operate.

4. Do I have to buy anything to use BuzzPhone in my home or business?

No, nothing at all. The monthly access fee for the bundled services (Buzz Home and Buzz Business) includes rental of the BuzzBox (the telephone adaptor) needed to use BuzzPhone.

5. How much does getting a broadband service cost?

It may cost nothing! If you qualify for a Buzz Broadband service, the installation of your broadband will cost zero. If you do not qualify for a Buzz Broadband service, you may be able to get an ADSL connection. There are many ADSL providers and BuzzPhone will assist you in finding the best ADSL service for your needs.

6. How do I know if I am eligible?

Call us on 1300 88 32 32 and we will be able to advise you if you are eligible for the Australian Government Broadband connection scheme

7. Do I need to pay for an internet service to get BuzzPhone?

If the broadband service needed for BuzzPhone is provided by Buzz Broadband, then you DO NOT need to pay for an internet service if you do not want it. If you are with another broadband or ADSL provider, you will need to maintain an internet connection in order for BuzzPhone to work. BuzzPhone can assist you in finding an ADSL provider that best supports the BuzzPhone service.

8. Do I need a traditional telephone line?

No, if you have a broadband service by any means other than ADSL, you do not need, and do not require, a traditional telephone line at all. This, of course, saves you the cost of monthly line rental.

9. I don’t want to pay for traditional line rental but I am on ADSL, what can I do?

You may qualify to have Buzz Broadband installed to replace your ADSL service in which case you can disconnect your traditional telephone line to save the line rental. If this is not possible, we recommend that you subscribe to the lowest line rental plan available. For example the HomeLine™ Budget plan from Telstra ($19.95 per month) or the HomeBasic plan from Optus ($19 per month).

10. Will I still save money if I have to pay line rental for my ADSL service?

Most certainly. Even paying an additional $19.95 per month to your landline carrier, you will still only be paying around what you did for line rental before you had BuzzPhone except that your call charges will now be slashed. For example, adding the Telstra HomeLine™ Budget monthly fee ($19.95) to the Buzz Home plan ($14.90) is still $5.10 less than the $39.95 Telstra HomeLine™ Advanced service. Even if you were on the Telstra HomeLine™ Advanced service you would still be paying 50% more for local calls than with BuzzPhone. On “long distance” calls, compared to BuzzPhone’s flat rate of 10c, Telstra’s connection fee of 39c plus 20c per minute for the call can easily make a single call over 1,000%, yes, 1,000%, more expensive than with BuzzPhone!

11. Can I use BuzzPhone to replace my existing telephone service?

BuzzPhone can do everything that your traditional landline can do. BuzzPhone supports voice, fax and emergency 000 numbers. BuzzPhone is not intended, however, to provide a replacement for a lifeline service. If you want to use BuzzPhone as your principal telephone service, and are concerned about 100% uptime, we suggest that you also maintain a mobile phone account or speak to us about our landline backup service.

12. Can I keep my existing telephone number?

Yes, you can. If your broadband comes from Buzz Broadband and you want to discard your landline service, you can transfer your number to BuzzPhone and disconnect your landline completely. Alternatively if your broadband is supplied via ADSL, you need to keep your number anyway, so we can offer a BuzzBox that takes incoming calls (that cost you nothing) from your landline number but makes all your outgoing calls via the BuzzPhone service.

13. Will I have an entry in the White Pages® and Yellow Pages®?

Yes you will. You will continue to enjoy free directory entries as you have with a landline carrier. Moving your business phones to BuzzPhone will not stop the Sensis™ Yellow Pages® man from wanting your business just as he did before!

14. Can I have a phone number from another part of Australia?

Yes, you can. For the standard line rental fee ($9.90) you can have a telephone number from any part of Australia.

15. I’m moving to the Wide Bay area, can I keep my existing phone number from where I am moving from?

Yes, you can. Before you cancel your existing telephone service, you can transfer your existing number to BuzzPhone. This will enable friends and relatives where you have moved from to continue to call you for the cost of a local call.

16. Is the BuzzPhone service available to customers anywhere in Australia?

Yes. The BuzzPhone service is available to anyone, anywhere in Australia that has broadband access. This can be particularly useful if there is a considerable amount of call traffic between 2 numbers and you want these calls to be completely free.

17. Is my BuzzPhone service mobile or portable?

Yes, but be careful. BuzzPhone is different to a normal telephone line in that your BuzzBox is like a tiny telephone exchange. Whenever you plug the BuzzBox into a broadband connection anywhere in the world, your number will instantly become active. If you make an emergency call while your BuzzBox is not at the address to which it has been registered, emergency services may not be able to render assistance.

18. What if I have my own ATA (Analogue Telephone Adaptor), IP telephone or want to use a softphone?

No problem at all. You can subscribe to the Buzz Basic service for only $9.90 per month. Your voice box will, however, need configuration. Please call our friendly helpdesk for assistance in this regard.

19. Do you offer plans with call caps or monthly spend caps?

No, we do not. There is a good reason why many telephone companies market these gimmicks as if they will save you money – because it makes the telephone companies a fortune! Telephone companies know exactly what average call durations are and you can bet that premium “per minute” rates apply for these calls. Only a fraction of calls actually hit the call cap, for all other calls not reaching the cap, you end up paying the premium – and they know it! Go to a major telco’s website and try to find the per minute rate applying to long distance calls, that’s buried well behind the prominently marketed call cap information. Try to find a 10c call cap anywhere. Hint: you won’t. With BuzzPhone you only ever pay only for what you use.

20. Can I purchase my BuzzPhone equipment?

If you want to purchase your equipment, BuzzPhone offers competitive prices for a range of the most commonly used VoIP products. You can elect to purchase when you subscribe to the BuzzPhone service.

21. What if I need a router or a BuzzBox with 2 lines or want to maintain a lifeline service?

For a small additional charge (starting from $2 per month!) Buzz offers a range of BuzzBoxes that incorporate routers, multi line support and standard telephone line override for lifeline services. These can be specified at the time of placing your BuzzPhone service application and are simply included on your monthly bill.

22. What is the quality of the calls like?

If you are connected to Buzz Broadband the quality will be comparable to that of a standard telephone line. However, you should be aware that the sound quality can vary widely particularly with narrowband connections such as an ADSL 256/64 connection and will also vary on all networks depending on the time of day and the call load. The spectacular call rates, though, more than make up for periodic variations in call quality.

23. I currently rent a telephone from Telstra, will I need a new handset?

Yes, as Telstra will want to pick up their phone from you if you are not using their service. BuzzPhone can offer you a number of telephone types to rent or outright purchase. BuzzPhone have simple handsets starting from a rental of only $3 per month to advanced cordless systems with multiple handsets which can be rented for a fraction of the price of what you would pay to purchase. BuzzPhone can also provide telephones for the visually impaired. Please ask about the options available when you call us. You can also go to any of your local telephone suppliers and purchase any telephone of your own choosing should you want a greater variety, all telephones will be suitable for use with your BuzzPhone service.