Considering moving from Shaw Home Phone VOIP to Fongo: what do I need to know?

[Hmm888_8]

I was considering Fongo for our apartment and I had some questions/concerns. I also pointed out some issues with Fongo's website and account page.

The support I received was cryptic and bot like. It was unclear and I followed-up requesting additional information. Fongo chose to remain silent including issues regarding my Account.

As a free service (their mobile app), Fongo is ok (not great) but to use Fongo VoIP services as a primary phone line, my experience says no. I don't recommend Fongo.

[Hmm888]

We have several hardwired telephone jacks in the condo. No junction box. Long ago Shaw tech did some tweaking and created a dual main telephone jack in the living room allowing us to use the existing jacks with the Shaw Telephone Modem. The Internet Modem is a separate device from the Shaw Home Phone modem. We also have a Digibox interface that allows us to access/use the condo intercom system.

Will Fongo/Freephoneline work out of the box? Additionally, are there other comparably priced VOIP services in Canada where we don't have to incur pay per minute charges? We often spend hours on hold via speakerphone.

I also noticed the Reddit sub is not active which makes me wonder if Fongo/Freephone isn't common and maybe it's been sunset in the future.

[Hmm888_8]

bump

[Hmm888_8]

Obviously, we cannot predict the future. However, is anyone else (the few readers who come to this site) concerned about Fongo’s long-term outlook, especially its Home Phone service?

Fibernetics Corporation, the parent company, is not publicly traded, so there are no stock prices or early warning indicators of financial turmoil. Discussion about Fongo is very limited even on Reddit and other forums.

The FreePhoneLine desktop app is no longer operational as of June 3, 2025. Users cannot log in to it. In October 1, 2024, Fongo began charging $1.95 per month for 911 access for VoIP unlock key users, which had previously been included for free.

Forum posts and social media show ongoing complaints about account suspensions, service drops, and technical issues. Fongo’s online presence is sparse, mostly limited to outage alerts with little proactive communication. Only the forum moderator representing Fongo remains active here with no wider company engagement visible.

Users who depend on Fongo’s services may risk losing their long-standing phone numbers if the company were to discontinue Home Phone service entirely or significantly alter operations. The CRTC doesn't protect VOIP users should services suddenly discontinue. Their phone numbers are automatically added back in the public queue for anyone to grab.

Given these service changes, limited visibility, and persistent user issues, the long-term viability of Fongo and its Home Phone service seems very uncertain to me.

Has anyone else noticed these trends or heard updates about Fongo or Fibernetics’ plans? Are you planning to stay with Fongo or switching to another more "secure" VOIP provider?

[Liptonbrisk]

Fibernetics Corporation, the parent company

Fibernetics hasn't been the official parent company in years.


https://web.archive.org/web/20120211042 ... fongo.html

"Is Fongo a CLEC?
No, but we’re good friends with one.
A CLEC (competitive local exchange carrier) is a government regulated classification for phone companies. Fongo has agreements with Fibernetics, a CLEC with a national telco network. These agreements allow Fongo to leverage Fibernetics' network assets and regulatory status, providing Fongo with a huge cost advantage over other VoIP providers. We pass these savings on to customers.

What’s Fongo’s track record?
Fongo has been providing free calling across Canada since 2009 under the name freephoneline.ca. We’ve powered millions of free phone calls and saved Canadians millions of dollars. In 2010, we launched our first partner brand – BudPhone – with Labatt Breweries. The team behind Fongo has a long history of offering innovative calling services dating back to 1997.

How are Fongo and Fibernetics related?
Fongo was formally spun-out of Fibernetics in 2010. Fongo and Fibernetics are now independent companies. That said, we really like each other."

The FreePhoneLine desktop app is no longer operational as of June 3, 2025.

VoIP unlock key users don't need the desktop app. They can use MicroSIP or other SIP clients. However, yes, Freephoneline isn't free anymore.

Forum posts and social media show ongoing complaints about account suspensions, service drops, and technical issues.

No SIP service that I'm aware of has 100% up time, and no SIP service provider is completely void of customers experiencing issues.

The most recent Freephoneline service disruptions did not affect me because my devices are configured for server failover.

persistent user issues

Fongo Home Phone is working.

Only the forum moderator representing Fongo

I am not an employee of Fongo, and I don't represent Fongo. I am not affiliated with Fongo or Fibernetics. My signature makes that clear.

In fact, I told you I didn't work for Fongo before:

viewtopic.php?p=81945#p81945

I am not a Fongo employee.

viewtopic.php?t=5
Useless posting will also not be permitted nor will posts with the intent of “creating a reaction”.

You were warned previously.

Consider this a warning. The next time I have to intervene to deal with your posts, I'll be banning your account(s).

Users who depend on Fongo’s services may risk losing their long-standing phone numbers if the company were to discontinue Home Phone service

viewtopic.php?p=66450#p66450

This isn't something you have to worry about. Hypothetically speaking though, if something were to happen, arrangements would be made for users to be able port their numbers out, or stay with whichever company were to take over operations of FPL. The bottom line is, you would not simply lose your number.

[Liptonbrisk]

are there other comparably priced VOIP services in Canada where we don't have to incur pay per minute charges?

These forums are for discussions concerning Fongo services--and not for the promotion of other, competing services.

Keep in mind that DTMF setting change requests would need to be made by submitting tickets to Fongo for Fongo Home Phone: https://support.fongo.com/hc/requests/new.

Thread closed