With well over 20 years experience in setting up offshore trading structures and communications facilities we are well positioned to hazard an educated guess at the likely direction of future developments in communications. The last five years has shown that things evolve incredibly fast and in many ways things have advanced much more quickly than anticipated especially in Voice over Internet (VoIP) which five years ago was far from perfect as far as the sound quality was concerned and even eighteen months ago was still pretty shaky compared to a landline. Now in late 2008 VoIP is comparable to a fixed landline and sometimes even superior assuming that you have a stable and fast internet connection. The fact that here at ORCA we use just about every new facility the moment it becomes available - while evaluating them for both communications companies and our clients - means we are well placed to pass judgment on the merits of the various cutting edge developments as they become available. One problem almost everyone faces when they operate internationally is that they often use numerous telephone numbers and messaging facilities in various locations around the world. The more internationalized you are the more complex it all becomes; the result is potentially more frustration to the customers and unwanted hassle to the people running the business. Many clients end up spending more and more time trying to keep track of all the calls, messages, faxes, online chat’s and emails, throw in a couple of voicemail numbers and the whole thing becomes a maze which can easily run out of control and become unmanageable. Here at ORCA we undertake twice yearly assessments of the merits of all existing communications arrangements. This is because in common with any business simplification and proper structuring increases overall productivity and efficiency. We also make use of the technology which exists to unify our systems and route calls to any device, anywhere in the world, on any network. This means if a client has a crisis and needs our help or advice quickly a contact route will normally be available; it might not be the office he normally deals with but one of us will be just a text or phone call away. This is the goal and it is quite simple to put in place a communications system in several different countries using existing technology which is both 100% reliable and user friendly.  Interestingly while updating this section of the site at the end of 2008 what became apparent was just how much the operating costs have decreased whilst the actual performance of the facilities had improved immensely in just 2 years since the last site update in 2006.

The Component Parts of your Communications or Virtual Office structure

Putting together the vital components of your offshore structure such as phone and fax facilities, mailing address and email facilities takes careful planning. It is crucial that the whole thing is done properly in order that it is both tax efficient and at the same time instils confidence in your potential clients. All of the services which we offer can either be used as stand alone facilities or combined with various other services to create a complete virtual offshore office structure. It is the customisation and creation of bespoke packages for clients that is our area of expertise. It doesn’t matter where you need a phone line or where you wish to create a virtual office we will be able to offer help and advise regarding the plus and minus points of a large variety of potentially useful worldwide locations.
Unlike most offshore service providers we know that just as our needs are unique so are yours, one size fits all is not an option, when you contact us we will quickly identify the best and most cost effective arrangements and advise on the most appropriate route to set things up.

As fax has diminished in importance and been replaced by email the option to have one phone line that can be routed anywhere has become much more attractive. This is especially so because even forwarding a number to a cellular phone has come down in price so dramatically over recent years. Only last week we were discussing the fact that calling a UK cell phone from a landline is now only 13p per minute (with some UK Phone companies) as opposed to 40p or more 10 years ago. In the US and Canada the same call from a landline to a cell phone is as cheap as 2c per minute. These changes in recent years such as discount calling plans with free calls to a selection of countries for a small fixed fee per month and of course Voice over Internet have all contributed to change the whole game plan and have reduced phone bills to around 25% of what they were 10 years ago. The key is to make it work effectively and avoid the hidden costs and pitfalls which can easily arise. Putting everything together is where ORCA can help because we know exactly what works and how to arrange everything to achieve the optimum results.  Modern facilities can even direct your calls to different numbers according to where you are during the different parts of the day or week this means the line can be set to route to you during the day and an answering service or your cell phone after hours. The biggest plus with these state of the art routing systems is that they are very flexible and you choose how you utilise it.

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Secure Communications: Keeping it private!

The first question is do you need a secure communications structure? The answer probably depends on the nature of your business. As a guide it is reasonable to assume that the following businesses or individuals are more likely to require secure systems than others: defence contractors, offshore tax advisors, political parties, politicians, financial institutions, lawyers, doctors, companies tendering for government contracts, private investigators and anyone who is not on speaking terms with their government!
The area of concern which impacts everyone is the storage of personal data by government departments. Generally when we talk about Data Retention by governments it is in the area of telecommunications where many governments store details of calls made and received as well as SMS/Text messages, websites visited your surfing history, IP addresses and copies of email headers and send and receive addresses.  With cellular phones they also store location data and can pinpoint you within a few metres. The primary goal of government data retention is not crime and terrorist related it is mass surveillance. By careful analysis of the data which the government has gathered it can identify not only the actual location of an individual in real time but also determine who he associates with, what his interests are and if he should be deemed undesirable according to whatever formula they use to arrive at that decision.

Only you can decide if you need to increase your security so check out the following sites, and read about these worrying developments at the two URL’s below and decide.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecommunications_data_retention

http://www.statewatch.org/news/2005/nov/01uk-eu-police-access-to-data.htm

Fortunately almost all government monitoring systems can be circumvented. Below we have summarised the type of surveillance government’s use and the routes to prevent it. The information below is based on the UK which is worse than many other countries (although not as bad as some) so for this reason the UK is ideal as an example where we can examine the monitoring methods or Data preservation as it is often called as well as the counter measures which can be employed.

The section which follows can be technically challenging but to many clients who work in the communications and computer industry many of the abbreviations will be familiar. In addition it helps to understand the exact technology involved.

Telephony Data - retention period 12 months:

All numbers (or other identifiers e.g. name@bt.com) associated with calls (e.g. physical/presentational/network Assigned CLI - Command Line Interface, DNI, IMSI - International Mobile Subscriber Identity, IMEI - International Mobile Equipment Identity, exchange/divert numbers) Date and time of start of call Duration of call/date and time of end of call Type of call (if available) Location data at start and/or end of call, in form of lat/long reference. Cell site data from time cell ceases to be used. IMSI/MSISDN*/IMEI mappings. For GPRS & 3G, date and time of connection, IMSI, IP address assigned. Mobile data exchanged with foreign operators; IMSI & MSISDN, sets of GSM triples, sets of 3G quintuples, global titles of equipment communicating with or about the subscriber.

MSISDN is a number uniquely identifying a subscription in a 3G, GSM or UMTS mobile network. Simply put, it is the telephone number to the SIM card in a mobile/cellular phone. The abbreviation has several interpretations, most common one being "Mobile Station International Subscriber Directory Number".

In addition it has been reported that the UK police and security services have the following additional capabilities on mobile telephones, provided by telephone operators, but not covered by the voluntary code.

1. The capability to record the content of selected conversations.
2. The capability to determine the location of a mobile telephone to within a few metres by using triangulation and multiple base stations.
3. The capability to remotely activate the microphones of some mobile telephones. The UK Financial Times reported that the UK police can ask mobile phone operators to download special spying software to a mobile telephone without the user’s knowledge or permission. When this has been done the authorities can turn on the microphone of a mobile telephone and listen to any conversations in its vicinity. This capability only exists for mobile telephones which can accept downloaded software but when you consider that we all use a variety of smart phones how many phones are not vulnerable in this area? It must be kept in mind that the telephone must be turned on for the microphone to be activated, but the user does not have to be actually making a call.

Countermeasures:

1. Use a SIM Card from a foreign network which can roam between different networks in your home country (free of roaming charges if it is bought from us) and is acquired via a country which does not retain large amounts of call data. Cost: $200 / GBP100 / EUR125
2. Install a security suite on your smart phone. Contact us for advice we have access to an ideal solution which offers the following features
• Client support for: Symbian S60, UIQ and Windows Mobile devices
• Transparent, real-time protection against viruses, trojans, worms and spyware in the device and on the memory cards
• Incremental automatic antivirus database updates to the mobile terminals over https, or with SMS messages
• Automatic detection of data connections (GPRS, Wi-Fi , WLAN, UMTS, PC connection) for updates
• Fastest antivirus database updates
• Over-the-air application updates (S60 3rd edition and UIQ3 support delta update – only changed parts are updated)
• Protection for all Internet connections (GPRS, Wi-Fi, WLAN, UMTS, EDGE)
• Pre-defined firewall profiles enable easy selection of desired firewall protection level
• Customizable firewall rules (S60 3rd edition and Series 80)

We tried this software on a Blackberry and it picked up every intrusion attempt. Of course the important consideration is how many people use security software on a smart phone? The answer is not many but forewarned is forearmed!  Any attack will trigger an alert so it makes sense to run the security suite in light of the minimal cost just for the peace of mind of knowing your communications are secure.

Click here to contact us for more information

Cost is $99/£50/EUR62.50

3. Route calls to your phone from another number e.g. a phone line in another country which means the authorities don’t know where it is being answered because all they have is the first number. For example lets say you live in Denmark and have a number in Florida the Danish authorities have no way of knowing where the number is routing to. Combine this with option 1 above and it makes it very difficult for a government to snoop.
4. Make your calls via the Internet. Voice over internet or VoIP means that call traffic flows across the Internet in unencrypted packets or if you choose the right system encrypted packets. This means that if the data is encrypted and goes through numerous servers it is very hard to trace it back to the original source.

SMS, EMS and MMS Data - retention period 6 months.

Calling number, IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity ) - Called number, IMEI - Date and time of sending - Delivery receipt - if available - Location data when messages sent and received, in form of lat/long reference.

Countermeasure:

1. Use a web-based system to send text messages which uses a virtual cellular phone number. This is easier than using the phone itself and is also cheaper and vastly more secure. Cost: Pennies per message. Contact us for advice if this service is potentially useful to you we have many options worldwide including the USA, Switzerland, the UK, Canada, Australia etc.

Email Data – retention period 6 months. Log-on (authentication user name, date and time of log-in/log-off, IP address logged-in from) - sent email (authentication user name, from/to/cc/bcc email addresses, date and time sent) - received email (authentication user name, from/to email addresses, date and time received).

Countermeasure:

This one is easy all you need is a secure email system in the right location. There are lots to choose from but a few are below.
Based in Japan which is a country with very strict privacy legislation and does not permit data retention Anonymous Free Speech  
Hushmail has been established for years and for routine secure mail is ideal. You can set up a free account too Hushmail

This one we have not tested but clients recommend it so check it out Mutemail

ISP Data – retention period 6 months. Log-on (authentication user name, date and time of log-in/log-off, IP address assigned, Dial-up: CLI and number dialled, Always-on: ADSL end point/MAC address (If available).

Countermeasure:

This one is easy. You can’t hide the logon but you can hide everything else! Just go to Hide Your IP Address  you internet provider will be able to see you were online but not which sites you looked at or who you emailed.  Once you sign up you can select from one of many fake proxy IP addresses for totally anonymous browsing. We have tried this system ourselves on a laptop we prepared for a client and it works fine. Best of all it is simple and easy to use.

Web Activity Logs – retention period 4 days. Proxy server logs (date/time, IP address used, URL’s visited, services. The data types here will be restricted solely to Communications Data and exclude content of communication. Web browsing information is retained to the extent that only the host machine or domain name (web site name) is disclosed. For example, within a communication, data identifying www.homeoffice.gov.uk would be traffic data, whereas data identifying www.homeoffice.gov.uk/kbsearch?qt=ripa+traffic=data would be content and not subject to retention.

Countermeasure:

This is the bad one! Fortunately as with ISP data it’s easy to deal with. Just go to Hide Your IP Address  and see what your connection shows about you! Once Hide Your IP Address is installed your internet provider will be able to see that you were online but not which sites you looked at or what and who you emailed.  The program is absolute simplicity to use once you sign up you can select from one of many fake proxy IP addresses for totally anonymous browsing. We have tried this system ourselves on a laptop we prepared for a client and it works fine.

PHONE LINES AND OTHER COMMUNICATIONS FACILITIES

VOICE COMMUNICATIONS

Live Local Numbers:

Although we all tend to speak much less on the phone since the advent of email, SMS and chat panels phone lines are still crucial for immediate contact and of course everyone expects you to have a phone number. ORCA can provide phone lines anywhere in the world and in 90% of cases within 24 hours. We have contacts in phone companies such as AT&T, Telstra, Telefonica, and BT and can secure very competitively priced deals for our clients. These lines can be routed to any fixed line or cell phone wherever you choose. For example your business might be in Dallas, Texas or Southampton, England although you yourself could be miles away in say Chile or Spain so clearly the need here is a local line on the appropriate exchange which also gives the right ringing tone and routes a caller to your actual number. This is so easy to achieve many people can’t believe it. The cost for a number in Dallas for example routing to Santiago in Chile is only $395 per annum and this even includes 1 hour of calls per month so for just $16.25 per month you can appear to be still in Texas! Now let’s assume you are a British Expat in Spain but want to appear to be in Southampton, UK the cost for this line is even lower at just £175 per annum again including an hour of calls each month with extra minutes at 8p each. Considering a local British Telecom call from London to Birmingham costs 8p per minute this is amazing value.  If you are a whizz with technology and into VoIP or SIP it gets even cheaper because you get 175 minutes of call time per month with additional minutes at just 2p each in both the US and the UK regardless of the exchange or your location where your number is located or terminates.

The Potential Applications and Benefits of Traditional Landlines with Call Diversion / Forwarding

• Its a fast route to obtain a number in the next town or even a town on the other side of the planet
• You can create multiple branches of your business in an unlimited number of locations
• You can relocate whilst still appearing to be in your original location
• You can build or test a business in a new location before you relocate there
• If you live near a big city it can be useful to have a downtown (city centre) number.  For example a 212 area code in New York or 0207 in London adds prestige
• Very convincing that you are in the country where the number is located
• Portable, you can travel from country to country and it can be rerouted anywhere
• Easy to use and hassle free

Drawbacks

• There are no drawbacks to this option other than that past a certain limit once the inclusive minutes – available in many locations - are used up you pay for calls but even then the cost is minimal and only a few cents or pence per minute.

Toll Free/Free Phone Numbers

In many countries a toll free phone number is an ideal option. It is also non geographic so it could in effect be anywhere in the country. As far as cost it is a little dearer to operate than a local number but response is often increased too. Some countries actually expect you to have a toll free number. Among the locations where Toll Free is used by almost all businesses are both Canada and the US.

National Rate and Local Rate Numbers

These numbers exist in several countries among them Germany, Holland, Australia, Spain, France and the UK. The UK utilises Flat Rate Numbers more than anywhere else but the possibilities are enormous. The UK codes are 0870, 0844, 0845, 0871 etc.  The big plus these numbers offer is that you can receive your phone calls on any phone within the UK or in over 40 other countries at zero cost. This means no divert fees no matter how much the number is used.

Advantages:

• No diversion or forwarding fees to over 40 countries
• Non Geographic Codes
• Easy to use and re-routable by phone
• No Annual Fees

Disadvantages:

• None other than you need to be careful to select the right number code for your needs. For example in Britain 0844 and 0871 are only reachable from inside the UK, in Germany the same applies to 01805 etc. If you contact us we can arrange the right solution with a one week free trial.

Roaming Cellular Phones

A foreign cellular phone is the simplest way to create the illusion of being in two places at once. Let's assume you are based in Singapore but wish to appear to be living or working in Italy or the UK then the solution is easy because for a small outlay we can supply a cellular phone card with free incoming calls and no roaming fees. This cuts out the biggest headache of cellular phones and means you can talk all day on a foreign network and pay nothing. Outgoing calls are cheap too and the cards work in 80+ countries. This is a great solution because you can be up and running in 48 hours and it is incredibly easy to use.  Once the card arrives put it in your phone and you are all set to tell the ex wife or anyone else for that matter that you are now living permanently abroad. The best thing is that if they don't believe you they can pick up a phone and dial your foreign telephone number. Of course, most clients buy foreign mobiles or SIM cards as a route for direct contact, in this case mobile fax and data lines can sometimes be provided if required. SIM cards from a variety of locations are generally available but for free roaming it is limited to 12 choices at the time of writing. Among those choices are Liechtenstein, Jersey, Isle of Man, Monaco, Iceland, Estonia, the UK and a few others.

Advantages

Very convincing that you are in the country where the number originates. Portable, you can travel from country to country and, subject to signal coverage, it works anywhere.

• Free incoming calls – in over 80 countries
• Instant live communications
• Outgoing minute price from EUR 0,29 – on calls from abroad
• Easy Recharge – via the web
• Global Coverage – in 140+ countries (currently 83 with free roaming)
• Prepaid – no monthly fees, no contract, no minimum usage requirements
• One Number – keep the same phone number around the world
• Door to door delivery – buy your card for only $199 / £99 / €125 including some initial credit and delivery.

Disadvantages

We can arrange SIM cards from most countries but currently a great buy is a Channel Islands or Liechtenstein Mobile Phone card. We can deliver the card worldwide with some credit already on the card to get you started. The card can be topped up on the web and has free international roaming in most countries. Cost is: £99 / $199 / €125

Click here to contact us for more information  

Dual SIM Card Phones

A phone which accepts two SIM cards is ideal if you operate a business which either is or needs to appear to be in two locations.  A dual SIM phone can operate with 2 SIM cards from any GSM, TDMA or 3G network simultaneously. When a caller dials one of the SIM cards the screen will say SIM 1 or SIM2 so you know which number they are calling. When a Dual SIM phone is combined with a cell phone card with free roaming it becomes a very powerful tool because not only can it accept two SIM’S but they can even be on different networks. Several ORCA staff members use these phones and it is a brilliant solution to solve communications issues. For example a staff member in Gibraltar has a phone with both a Gibtel card and a Spanish Vodafone card this enables her to use one phone both sides of the border with no roaming charges.
Basically there are two main types of Dual SIM Cell phone although the second option is the best route to go down.

Switchable Phones

This is the best choice because it allows you to have 2 SIM cards live on standby at the same time and you can receive calls or make calls on either SIM at anytime. They are very easy to use and in day to day use almost as straightforward to use as a normal cell phone. You can even program different ring tones for the two numbers to save looking at the screen to see which is ringing.
As far as cost is concerned a decent phone is usually $195/£99/EUR125 this would typically be a smart phone with all the features below and able to operate on the following networks 3G, GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz (can work in UK, Europe, Australia, USA, Canada and Asia) if you need a phone contact us because we have access to lots of models and some even come with SIM cards which offer free roaming from a number of locations. Currently the most popular model has one SIM from Liechtenstein and one from Jersey in the British Channel Islands and the all in cost is £249/$495/EUR310 including some credit on both of the SIM cards.

Below is the spec of the typical phone referred to above which is quad band operating on 3G and Tri-Band GSM 900/1800/1900. The phone is Unlocked for use in the United States, Canada, UK, Europe and Australia;

• 2.6 Inch 260K True Colour TFT
• High Sensitive Touch Screen + Keypad
• MP3 Music Player: Play your favourite MP3 music anywhere anytime
• MP4 Movie Player: Play Stereo 3GP/MP4 Movies
• WAP/GPRS/MMS/SMS Enable
• 1.3MP Camera
• PC webcam +Video Recording (Camcorder) with Voice recording
• Game
• Bluetooth 2.0 Support: For Bluetooth voice headset/stereo headset, Supports A2DP, Supports stereo audio streaming (Stereo Music Playback), Data transfer with other Bluetooth device.
• Photo Viewer: Save and View your favourite picture
• Removable Disk: The phone will be recognised as Removable Disk (U-Disk/USB Disk) by the computer, you can paste and copy data files between your computer and the phone.
• Personal Assistant: Phone Book (500 contacts), Calculator, Alarm, Calendar, World Clock, Tasks, Currency Convertor, Notes.
• Snap, save and send: Communication between mobile devices is made easy with MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service). You can a picture, text, voice and even video all at once. Capture those special moments and send them to your loved ones.
• Support External t-flash card up to 1GB (256MB TF-card included, inside phone)

Contact us for further details of current options and packages. We can let you know exactly what will work well is the areas where you live, work or travel.

Click here to contact us for more information

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Calling Cards

In many countries, buying a Calling Card enables you to make calls at prices that are substantially more competitive than local phone company rates. With most Calling Cards toll free numbers are available, dialling the Toll Free access number enables you to make a call from wherever you happen to be, the cards are usually available in various denominations. The cards offer substantial savings when compared with local carriers and payphone rates. In the UK, for example, one company charges 2p per minute, as opposed to 35p from a payphone or 7.91p from a British Telecom landline for long distance calls, for international calls the savings are even greater, for example a call to the USA using British Telecom costs 23.62p per minute using the calling card it's only 8p a saving of 66%. As with anything, you need to check the rates because some cards are dearer that others check out the British Telecom prepaid calling card rates to see what we mean! An excellent middle of the road card which although not the cheapest (an example 3.5c a minutes US to UK) is still very competitive as well as being easy to use and reliable. This card is Western Union’s Gold Card

UK COMMUNICATIONS OPTIONS AND VIRTUAL OFFICE OR VIRTUAL RESIDENCE FACILITIES

The UK has a number of advantages for non-residents. The main plus is it has an extensive range of facilities which are unequalled anywhere in the world, examples include a whole range of phone lines and fax facilities which can be routed worldwide at zero cost, this makes the UK, Isle of Man and Channel Islands very attractive as a communications centre and virtual office base, especially when combined with the fact that the UK is perceived as a respectable location and therefore represents a good choice to create a European virtual office or residence.
For Americans and Canadians - Australians as well if your an insomniac! - Setting up a UK virtual office with UK phone lines diverting live free of charge to your numbers elsewhere in the UK or abroad is extremely beneficial for a number of reasons, the main one for clients based outside of Europe is that it offers access to EU markets and is relatively tax efficient (even a tax haven if things are structured correctly) as well as being fast and economical to setup. The other factor for native English speakers is that the UK presents no language barriers and support staff can deal with clients in their own language.

As we explained at the beginning of this section because the UK utilises Flat Rate Non Geographic numbers more than anywhere else in the world it offers a huge advantage for many clients because they can receive their phone calls on any phone within the UK or in over 50 other countries 100% free of charge. This means no divert or forwarding fees ever; no matter how much the number is used! If you expect high call volumes and will be on the phone for a large proportion of the business day this makes the UK very attractive and can save large sums of money over the course of the year.

UK Number Options

Standard UK Numbers in any of 238 UK towns and cities

Standard UK telephone numbers are available on any exchange from Aberdeen to York at a cost of £195 / $395 / €250 per annum. The number can be connected within 24 hours and routed anywhere worldwide. The price includes connection via BT, NTL and other UK Telephone Companies with at least an hour of call time to any landline in over 40 countries included each month. In some countries such as the USA and Canada calls to Cellular phones are included too but in others such as the most European locations you only get around 30 minutes of calls per month when your calls are routed to a mobile because of the higher calling cost.

UK 0870 Numbers Charged to callers at a standard national rate

With unlimited business hours diversion - free of charge to any landline number in over 50 countries including  all European countries, America, Canada and Australia, call us to check if your other choice of country is free although the main countries worldwide are all on the list. One off connection fee and fully working same day only £50 / $99 / €60 - No further costs ever!

Click here to contact us for more information  

Private / Business UK voicemail number:
With forwarding of messages as e-mail attachments, once off fee £50 / $99 / €63 - No further costs ever!

Click here to contact us for more information  

Private / Business UK Fax number:
With forwarding of messages as e-mail attachments, once off fee £50 / $99 / €63 - No further costs ever!

Click here to contact us for more information  

Private / Business UK combined Voicemail and Fax number:
With phone based voicemail retrieval or forwarding of messages e-mail attachments, once off fee £99 / $199 / €120 - No further costs ever!

UK Number with Live Answering
Live London Based Telephone Answering Service with dedicated 0207 number (and/or 0870 or 0844 number)

We offer a professional UK based answering service at a very keen price. There are a variety of routes by which you can retrieve messages and there is no charge for either collecting your own messages from our central London office in person or having them emailed to you. Every client receives a dedicated central London 020 number as well as a free 0844 or 0870 which can be routed wherever you choose (even outside the UK) by making a quick phone call to the 24 hour automated control centre . Numbers are also available on all UK telephone exchanges if preferred although a small extra fee will apply depending on call volume because they will need to be forwarded to our UK call centres in London, Manchester, Jersey or Birmingham. There are no additional charges for the forwarding of UK national rate 0870 numbers or local rate 0844 numbers.

Retrieving your messages:

There are a number of ways you can receive your messages. The most popular is to phone anytime during normal opening hours and our staff can tell you if you have received any messages. They can also email them to you free of charge; ideal if you have an iPhone or other Smartphone. The other option is call forwarding to your mobile or landline this is charged at 50p/€0.72¢/$1.00 per minute. The next alternative is they can be left on your secure personal voicemail system which is included with the package and comes with 24 hour access, and easy to use features. Of course some clients don't want us to take messages at all in which case we can simply say to callers that you are out with clients but can be reached on a telephone number which you instruct us to give out.

Just compare the prices for unlimited incoming calls using our live 0207 London Telephone Answering Service

Important:
In the event you would like callers patched through to your landline or mobile phone the deposit is £60.00/€80.00/$120.00 (call forwarding to your mobile or landline is charged in over 60 countries at 50p per minute for further information please contact us

WORLDWIDE PHONE AND FAX FACILITIES

ORCA has relationships with over 80 large telecom companies in almost every major country worldwide. If you need a number connected in any location from Antigua to Zimbabwe or any US, Canadian, Australian, European or UK town or city, we can generally have it connected and live within 24 hours. These are live lines forwarded to your landline or mobile, although if you prefer a simple voicemail number that is always an option too. Unlike our competitors, we arrange lines direct with companies such as Telstra in Australia, Deutsche Telekom in Germany, AT&T in the US and BT in the UK so the sound quality will be excellent, unlike some VoIP services available elsewhere which must be used via the internet – not much good if you are out on your cell phone! Another alternative is let’s assume you live in Paris or London - although the location is not really a factor - and need a number in Canada or the USA. One problem is that when the call is forwarded and rings in Europe both the UK and France have very different ringing tones from the US and Canada where the tone is exactly the same. Fortunately, we can solve this because our contacts at the various telephone companies can arrange for your number to ring in Europe with a US tone or, vice versa, with say a UK or French tone in North America. This feature is crucial because the wrong tone gives the game away immediately. To see what we mean call our UK number 01273 252900 (from outside the UK dial +44 1273 252900) or our US number +1-708-231-0871 and both will give the appropriate ringing tone even though they are generally diverted to Zurich, Gibraltar or Nassau depending on call volume.
Wherever you need a phone line feel free to phone or email us and we can advise regarding the various options.

WORLDWIDE VIRTUAL OFFICE FACILITIES

Phone lines are vital to any offshore business. It looks absurd to have an offshore company where all of the phone lines are located in your home company. Not only does it look wrong it will cause major hassles with the local tax collectors because regardless of the role that e-mail now plays a company is always perceived to be based where its main phone numbers are - or so one assumes!

The range of facilities is vast and the most popular ones can be ordered here but what you see is just a fraction of what we can provide. If you have specific needs click here to contact us for more information

Canadian and American Live Lines, Voicemail and Fax numbers:
In over 700 cities, annual fee £195 / $390 / €250
Click here for more information then type in your choice of city

Random US or Canadian Voicemail or Fax number:
One off fee only £50 / $99 / €65

Phone number diverting to a landline or cell phone in another country:
Annual fee £195 / $390 / €250 - call charges are extra - Available in America, Australia, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, UK and over 80 other countries worldwide.

Swedish voicemail or Live Number with remote answering system:
Annual fee £195 / $390 / €250 - Click here to contact us for more information
 
Spanish voicemail or Live Number with remote answering system:
Annual fee £195 / $390 / €250 - Click here to contact us for more information  

Australian or New Zealand voicemail or Live Number in all major cities:
Annual fee £195 / $390 / €250 - Click here to contact us for more information
 
Japanese Voicemail or Live Number in 18 cities:
Annual fee £195 / $390 / €250 - Click here to contact us for more information

Caribbean Freephone/Tollfree numbers on most major islands:
Annual fee. £249 / $500 / €299 – Click here to contact us for more information

OTHER COUNTRIES WHERE ORCA CAN ARRANGE PHONE LINES

Africa
Botswana / South Africa

Asia/Pacific
Australia / Bangladesh / China / Hong Kong / Kazakhstan / Vietnam / Pakistan
India / Japan / Malaysia / New Zealand / Philippines / Singapore / Vietnam

Europe
Austria / Belgium / Bulgaria / Cyprus / Czech Republic / Denmark / Estonia
Finland / France / Germany / Gibraltar / Greece / Hungary / Ireland / Italy
Latvia /Liechtenstein / Lithuania / Luxemburg / Netherlands / Norway / Poland
Portugal / Romania / Russia / Slovakia (Slovak Republic) / Spain / Sweden /Switzerland / UK

Middle East
Bahrain / Israel / Iran / Saudi Arabia / United Arab Emirates / Dubai

South America / Latin America
Argentina / Belize / Brazil / Chile / Colombia / Mexico / Panama / Peru
Venezuela

North America
Canada / USA / Bahamas / Mexico

International Toll Free Numbers:

Other Facilities Worldwide

Although we are able to arrange phone and fax facilities in most countries the actual range of facilities varies depending on the location and of course new services  become available all the time. Please phone or email for details of all the current options and we can provide details of the most cost effective solutions for your needs

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Live Answering Services with a dedicated number

It might be that you prefer a personal live answering service with a dedicated phone line; this option is available in many of the countries where we arrange communications facilities although the cost is generally higher than voicemail or standard live lines because you are effectively employing someone to take the calls. In some locations such as North America, Gibraltar, Argentina and the UK we have negotiated some very cost effective deals for our clients who need someone to answer their calls but in other locations it can work out fairly expensive compared to the alternatives such as voicemail or a line routed directly to you. The pricing below applies to the US, UK and Gibraltar. For other locations contact us for a quote.