Here is the background on what I am trying to do to provide context.

For a few years, I've been using Fido prepaid in Canada. The data charges are outrageous and I've lost count of the hundreds I've spent on data. I am getting a new phone with LTE, and given I rarely if ever leave the big city (where LTE is prevalent now), I think this scenario should work.

I want to port my Fido number over to Callcentric as a local number (I think they call it DID?) so I don't lose it. I also would like (if possible) to port my Google Voice number over to Callcentric, but this is not so important.

Once the Fido number is with Callcentric, my goal is to install a SIP client on my new LTE phone and use that when in Canada because I will get a Rogers LTE SIM card that will run my $5 per month when I don't use it, and only up to $40 when I am there and hit 5GB of data (which I can do easily give the lack of wifi where I am). So, when someone calls my old Fido number, the phone should ring (via the SIP client), and I can use the SIP client to make outbound calls, and only use data.

Additionally, when I am not in Canada, I can set Callcentric to forward the call to my local US cell number. I asked about Google Voice because it would be handier to get all my numbers (home, Canada cell, GV to reach me globally) on one platform.

Is this possible, and is it complicated to do?

The setup you described seems to work. However keep in mind that SIP clients can eat up your iPhone battery very quickly when you have it running in the background. Personally, I use Counterpath Bria as my SIP client on my iphone.

You might want to reconsider using Callcentric. Their technical support isn't very good as it takes them a long time to reply to support tickets. You might want to also consider les.net and Vitelity. Their technical support is very responsive when it comes to support tickets.

If you want to go a bit more advanced, you might want to consider installing Asterisk (with FreePBX) onto an old computer or a RaspberryPi. Your VOIP trunk can then point to the Asterisk PBX. With Asterisk, you can do lots of cool stuff.

As an example, when I travel, I forward my Fido cell phone# to a temporary DID# at les.net which then rings one of the extensions on my Asterisk PBX. On my iPhone, I would sometimes run Counterpath Bria which registers to the extension on my Asterisk PBX. At the same time, "call forwarding no answer" is setup for that particular Asterisk extension to forward incoming calls to a local SIM card I am using (should I not have Counterpath Bria running in the background on my iPhone). Sometimes when I go to the UK and use a local UK SIM, I set the "call forwading no answer" on my Asterisk PBX to forward the call using a local UK VOIP provider.


When I don't have Counterpath Bria running in the background:
Fido Cell Phone --> Les.net DID --> Asterisk --> (via UK VOIP Provider) --> UK Cell phone# (using UK SIM)

When Counterpath Bria is running in the background (usually when on wifi at a hotel etc.):
Fido Cell Phone --> Les.net DID --> Asterisk --> Extension for Counterpath Bria

Well I definitely don't want to go advanced I already use Callcentric and they seem OK for what I need. My phone is an Android, I guess I can search for a SIP client that won't drain the battery. I read that at least some of the older Android versions had a built-in SIP client as part of the native dialer.

I looked around at the Callcentric website, and it appears I can port in my Fido and Google Voice numbers, but what I can't figure out just yet is how to combine all the numbers into one plan, or if I need to select one plan per number...and I think it might be the latter.

Confirmed with Callcentric that my scenario is possible, but each number I port over requires it's own calling plan, they cannot be combined.

I use twilio for a similar set of use cases. You can use twimlets to route calls wherever you like. It costs about a dollar a month per line for me.

(if you don't know, T-mobile has free high-speed Canada/Mexico data roaming+voice+text on their regular plans. avoid some of this complication, though your canadian folks will have to call your USA phone #)

I checked their website, thank you, but way too techie for me

I wouldn't switch to Tmobile, their coverage and quality are horrible.

Right now I have Straight Talk on ATT for $45/mo and my goal is to use LTE/data only for data and voice when I'm in Canada and keep my Toronto number which I can't give up for other reasons - with Callcentric, I can keep the number and people up there can call me with the call being forwarded to any number I designate and they have no idea where I am.

The data only plan in Canada is only $5 when I'm not using it, and would be about 25-40% less than my current cost combining Fido prepaid plus Wind for laptop access if I can use my phone as a hotspot when I'm up there.

Not to derail the thread, but this sort of blind assertion is only accurate some of the time. T-mobile coverage is quite good in many (most?) cities/large towns, and works fine in the country as long as you're within a few miles of the interstate. But if you need wall-to-wall coverage, stick with the A and B band cellular carriers. I had T-mobile for six years and only switched to Verizon because I wanted an iPhone, and at the time T-mobile didn't offer it. Also I now have Mr. Gfunk's 18% company discount on Verison.

In the end, it just depends where you intend to use the phone. There are places where Verizon and AT&T have lousy coverage, too.

Where did you find roger 5gb plan for $40? i cannot find it on the their site.

Why would you want to port your GV to callcentric too? You only need to port Fido to callcentric.

How many minute do you think you will used from people calling from canada?

After you port over your number select

http://www.callcentric.com/dids/pay_per_minute

as your receiving plan. It cost 1.95 monthly and each minute is 1.5 cent.

Then select

http://www.callcentric.com/rate/plans/pay_per_call/

as making call plan. it is free monthly, but cost about 2 cents per minute to forward to a us number.

There are two options:

A)
1)install a sip client on your android
2)setup the client to receive call from callcentric.
3) if there are incoming call your phone will receive it as voip(voice over data = sip, just so i dont confuse you)

This cost 1.5 cent per minute

B)
1)Setup your callcentric setting to forward all incoming call to your Straight Talk #.
This will cost 1.5+2 = 3.5 cents per minute.

I'm not 100% sure, but I think there is a Callcentric setting allow you to setup: if A didnt pick up the call, it will go to B. Just in case the connection is bad. If the connection is bad, the voice will lag. With B the voice will not lag even when the data connection is bad or no data at all.

Also make sure you Fido # is portable to callcentric, sometime some # are not compatible.

If you receive a lot of calls from canada upgrade your callcentric plan to unlimited.

Bonus: If you're going to some other place around the world you can change setting in B to forward call to anywhere in the world, you just have to pay per minute charge. you can check the rate here

http://www.callcentric.com/find/rate/

Let said you want to forward to a Ireland #. rate for Ireland is 5.5 cent per minute.

If anyone call you while you're are in Ireland you will be charged:
1.5 (receiving) + 5.5 (forwarding) = 7 cent per minute.

If you have wifi in Ireland you will only be charged 1.5, assume you use A.

Android does have a native SIP dialer. Some of the carrier versions of phones remove that functionality. My new Nexus 6P has a native SIP dialler, as does the Moto X and pretty much any android phone that has not been crippled by a carrier.

I understand the battery drain is only when you have the SIP client running in the background for incoming calls. If you are OK with having people leaving you a voicemail on a service that will send you the VM by email, you can just call them back immediately and not keep the SIP client running in the background.

Another option is to buy a T-Mobile prepaid SIM - I think the prepaid SIMs now include Canada calls and data. Since you are willing to have a forwarding number to your phone, you don't have to use the T-Mobile SIM long enough for them to figure out it is only for Canadian use.

I really need solid coverage including off the beaten path areas and I have contractors with TMobile who can't get a signal where we are working and that would be a major problem. Also, the TMO plans are very expensive when you get into unlimited data which I would need to cover my phone use plus the tethering of my laptop when I'm in Canada - one week could easily exceed 8-10GB.

My current phone is a Docomo branded S4 which has pretty much everything crippled, including SIP client and tethering. I am trying to get a Z5 Premium from Singapore when I'm there next week, so that would be my new phone and it comes unlocked from the Sony store with a very lightly skinned version of Android - so the SIP client should be there.

Both Rogers and Bell have the standby data (tablet) plans - $5 per month when you're not using it, then the cost scales up depending on your data. If I use 10GB between tethering and my phone, it would run about US70 or so, which would be almost 20 less than what I pay now between a Wind datastick (which isn't LTE and dog slow in the afternoons) and constant recharges of my Fido data ($35/1GB+5c/MB).

I already confirmed the Fido number can be ported, so that's no problem. I figured out the right setup, but I need to figure out the right combination of plans. I won't need to port my GV number because I can use the hangouts dialer to make and receive calls with LTE if I can figure out how to keep it running in the background without closing and missing calls.

I would make and receive very few calls while in Canada (I would be using GV hangouts 99% of the time to make free local and long distance calls), so I would have the minimum by-the-minute plan with Callcentric to keep the number parked and cover the 10-15 total minutes of non GV calls I might make or receive off that number in a month.

The key is making sure the new Z5 phone will have LTE and support tethering with that Bell or Rogers tablet plan SIM card - the latter not being available would kill this plan, but I confirmed the Z5 model supports LTE bands 4,7,17 which would cover me on either service in Canada plus my Straight Talk on ATT when I'm home in the USA.