Interesting development in the land of Skype… they are no longer offering inbound phone numbers in Brazil. Per a post on Skype’s Portuguese blog, translated into English via Google Translate, the company providing phone numbers in Brazil, Transit Telecom, has notified Skype that it will no longer be supplying these phone numbers.
Skype’s inbound numbers are now referred to as “Online Numbers” but were originally called “SkypeIn” numbers. For an annual fee of somewhere between $30 – 60 USD per year (depending upon discounts with subscriptions), you can have multiple inbound numbers attached to your Skype account from a range of countries:
In full disclosure, I’ve had a SkypeIn/OnlineNumber for years and it works extremely well.
The challenge for Skype, of course, is that they typically have to work with local carriers in the individual countries to obtain those inbound numbers (also referred to as “DIDs” in telecom)… and obviously is at the mercy of the local carrier to keep providing those numbers. Now who knows what happened in this case… perhaps Transit Telecom wanted to charge more than Skype wanted to pay… perhaps they had some other business challenge between the two companies.
Whatever the case, Brazil is no longer an option for an inbound number into your Skype account. Per Skype’s note, existing Brazilian numbers will continue to work for the duration of your subscription but will not be able to be renewed. Unless, of course, Skype can find another service provider to provide them with Brazilian DIDs…
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“Per Skype’s note, existing Brazilian numbers will continue to work for the duration of your subscription but will not be able to be renewed.”
That doesn’t seem to be the case. My Brazilian SkypeIn number stopped working yesterday, May 4, when my service is valid until November 2012.
Yikes! Sorry to hear that.
Mine also stopped working. Transit Telecom is a disgusting business. Even though my Skype Online number expires in early 2012 they have already disconnected me. I have been unfortunate enough to buy other VOIP numbers in Brazil from Transit (in many cities they are the only provider). Half the time they don’t work. They are famous for not accepting calls from cell phones–which constitute the majority of phones in Brasil. Instead callers hear “this phone is not in service,” in Portuguese, of course. Yet their numbers take calls from fixed phones. Useless people, useless company. I am sure the Skype side of this story is the correct one.
Now all my Transit numbers, including DIDs purchased through third party providers that have nothing to do with Skype, have stopped working. All those providers can say is “Transit telecom seems to have a problem.” Transit is a disgrace.
Hi everyone, I am having the same problem. My online number is not receiving any calls, nor even from land lines. My contract with skype is until August 2011 and despite the fact they said it would work normally until the end of the contract, it is NOT working. I contacted them last week and they said they will follow up with me as soon as they know more about the situaiton. Also they told me to contact the Brazilian company (Transit), however, nobody has got back to me or solved my problem. I would like to know what have you done so far to get your problem solved and if you have received any feedback or follow up from either companies? Is your online number working properly since the last time you posted the note here? I look forward to seeing your responses. Thank you in advance for your attention. Take care,
Renata