Frequently Asked Questions

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is, basically speaking, is the transmission of voice communications over IP networks such as the Internet. Other terms frequently encountered and synonymous with VoIP are IP telephony, Internet telephony, voice over broadband (VoBB), broadband telephony, and broadband phone.

VoIP refers to communications services—voice, facsimile, and/or voice-messaging applications—that are transported via the Internet, rather than the public switched telephone network (PSTN). The basic steps involved in originating an Internet telephone call are conversion of the analog voice signal to digital format and compression/translation of the signal into Internet protocol (IP) packets for transmission over the Internet; the process is reversed at the receiving end.

A private branch exchange (PBX) is a telephone exchange that serves a particular business or office, as opposed to one that a common carrier or telephone company operates for many businesses or for the general public.

A hosted PBX delivers PBX functionality as a service, available over the internet, using equipment located on the premises of our exchange. Instead of buying PBX equipment, customers enter a contract for PBX services from a provider. With Orbis Voice, it is possible to get a hosted PBX that includes rich customized features to suit your particular needs.

The main requirement is high speed Internet access. Not sure if your connection will work? Contact us for a free consultation. Chances are, if you’re using anything other than dial-up, you’ll be able to use our service.

As you probably know, 911 is the official national emergency number in the United States. Dialing 911 connects you to a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) operator trained to route your call to local emergency medical, fire, and law enforcement agencies.

E911 or Enhanced 911 has the added benefit that your telephone number and location are automatically transmitted to the operator during the call. These two features (telephone number and location) are what make E911 “enhanced.”  You do not have to do anything differently to use E911; the number for dialing emergency services is still the same: 9-1-1.

Upon signing up for service from Orbis Voice, you will be asked to fill out an E911 registration form. This form will be used to associate your physical address with your phone number.

IMPORTANT: If you move any of your phones used with Orbis Voice service and you do not register the new service address with Orbis, your 911 calls may be directed to the wrong emergency authorities, or the wrong address may be transmitted with your 911 call.

To update your service address in the 911 database, you can login to your PBX at Orbis Voice.com. Click on PBX configuration, then click on E911 on the right side of the screen. This will allow you to view and/or edit your E911 information.

Absolutely! To keep your current numbers, we’ll need you to fill out some extra paperwork associated with a process called Local Number Porting (LNP). Then we’ll contact your former carrier to ensure that your numbers are transferred over to our service.