GENERAL
What are Prepaid Calls?
Prepaid calls are Internet telephony calls made
from any multimedia equipped PC to a regular
fixed line or mobile telephone. Calls are made
using the Times Telecom account and PIN on Prepaid
Calling Cards.
Who can make Prepaid Calls?
Anyone who purchases a prepaid calling card from
our resellers can make a prepaid call.
However users in countries like Egypt, India and
the United Arab Emirates may have difficulties
with the Prepaid Card service. Check with your
local ISP if their proxy server targets PC-to-Phone
transmissions, thereby effectively blocking calls.
How many calls can I make?
You can make as many calls as you like until your
calling credits run out.
If I want to make Prepaid calls from
more than one computer, do I have to buy separate
Prepaid Calling Cards?
No. Prepaid calls can be made from any computer
(for example, home and office).
One account can be used to make only one call per
session. This means that you cannot make two concurrent
calls using your Prepaid account.
However, we suggest you exercise caution if you
make Prepaid calls from a shared computer. Clear
the account number and PIN fields after ending
your calling session.
The use of public computer terminals to make Prepaid
calls is discouraged.
Can I share my Prepaid Calling Card
with my friends?
Who uses your Prepaid Calling Card is up to you.
Just remember to check your card balance before
trying to make a Prepaid call.
Can I get a refund if I lose or damage
my Prepaid Calling Card?
No. Once you have bought a Prepaid card you are
responsible for the safety of your card and confidentiality
of your account number and PIN.
Can my Prepaid card be recharged?
No. There is no recharge option for Prepaid cards.
After your calling credits run out you'll have
to buy a new Prepaid card.
How do I review the calls I've made
and the balance on my Prepaid card?
Your Prepaid card balance is displayed in the View
Log page. To view log, type in your account number
and PIN and click the "Viewlog" button
on the dialer page.
Where can I call?
You can call any regular and mobile telephone,
anywhere in the world. Check our rate table to
see full details on our supported destinations.
Can the Prepaid Service work behind
a firewall?
The Prepaid Calls Service currently supports PC-to-Phone
calls from behind firewalls. If you are connected
to the Internet using LAN, you may be behind a
firewall, which will prevent you from connecting
to our Internet gateways. To make calls from behind
your firewall, you need to set the firewall settings
by clicking on the link "Settings" on
the web page and select "Use Firewall" for
SOCKS5.
To use NAT firewall, you will need to open or ask
your Network Administrator to open the following
outgoing ports for UDP and TCP: 51719(UDP), 51720(TCP)
and 1800-1810(UDP).
Can I use the Prepaid Calls
Service on Mac/Linux/Unix/Web TV?
For the time being, this service is only available
for Microsoft Windows 98/ME/NT(SP4)/2000/XP.
Why do I get an error message when
I try to make a call?
Please check that the Account number, PIN and destination
phone number are correct and try again. If the
error persists, contact your customer support providing
specific details of the error.
How can I improve the sound quality
of the call?
One of the factors that can affect sound quality
is the Internet bandwidth available during your
call. Try to avoid making calls during peak Internet
usage hours when traffic is high. Another tip is
to use a headset with a built-in microphone. This
will help eliminate echo and ensure better sound.
Adjust the microphone volume so that your speech
is not too loud.
I hear an echo during the call. What
should I do?
We recommend using a headset as this reduces the
echo effect. If you are using speakers the feedback
from the speakers may cause the person on the phone
to experience some echo. Our software component
will detect this and will automatically try to
compensate for this, but it may not be able to
eliminate all traces of the echo. Try to move the
microphone as far away from the speakers as possible.
You can also try lowering the speaker volume. This
will usually reduce the echo.
How do I change the sound volume?
You can control the speaker and microphone volume
by manipulating the volume control knobs on the
dialer. Alternatively, open the Windows Volume
Control by selecting the Start menu, followed
by Programs, Accessories, Multimedia, and Volume
Control.
Why do I get a distorted or choppy
sound sometimes?
The distorted or choppy sound is due to data packets
of the speech being lost or dropped. This could
be due to a bad Internet connection, low bandwidth,
sound card problems, insufficient memory, or a
slow CPU. Always ensure that the latest sound card
driver is installed, and close unnecessary programs
to conserve memory and CPU load when you use the
Prepaid Calls Service. Try to make calls during
non-peak hours to ensure better bandwidth.
Why can't the receiver hear me immediately
after picking up my call?
Due to the network, the receiver may experience
up to a five second delay before hearing your voice.
You may wish to inform the receiver of this limitation.
Would my customer end software be
upgraded in the future?
Yes! Please visit our site frequently, we offer
new function upgrade and multimedia applications.
How do I uninstall the program?
- Launch the Windows Control Panel
- Select Add or Remove Programs
- Choose the appropriate version of Times Telecom and
click Change/Remove (or Add/Remove)
What is the difference between the
client dialer and the web dialer?
Times Telecom client dialer is a fully featured PC2Phone
software that you install on your own computer
or another’s on which you have permission
to install. Times Telecom web dialer enables you to
quickly and easily use your PC2Phone on a web browser
on any computer without having to install the software.
When does my prepaid
PIN expire?
Times Telecom prepaid PINs have an expiration date
of 6 months. If the prepaid minutes are not used
within the specified amount of time, those minutes
become invalid and you are required to purchase
additional minutes before placing a call.
ADDRESS BOOK
What is the
address book?
The address book is an application that allows you
to store your frequently call numbers information
in your local PC. Entry headings include the firstname,
lastname and phone number.
How do I enter
names?
Click on the address book icon to launch the interface.
- Click on the "Add Contact" button
(alt. Select File/Add new contact)
- Enter the firstname (max 50 characters)
- Enter the lastname (max 50 characters)
- Enter the phone number e.g. 14085551234 (max
29-digits)
- Click "OK" to save
To add a new caller group:
- Select File/Add new group (max 500 groups)
- Enter group name
- Repeat steps 1-5 above
How many entries
can I store?
You may store up to a maximum of 1000 entries. Please
bear in mind that the more entries you store, the
slower the address book will take to load.
How do I modify
my entries?
While at the main address book interface:
- Click on the entry you wish to modify
- Double click the entry or click the "Modify
Contact" button. (alt. Select File/Edit/Modify
Contact)
- Make your desired modifications
- Click "OK" to save changes
How do I delete
my entries?
While at the main address book interface:
- Click on the desired contact
- Click "Delete Contact" (alt. Select/Edit/Delete
Contact)
CALL
TIPS
These tips will help enhance the quality of your
PC-to-Phone calls.
- Do not run any other telephony application
together with the PC-to-Phone dialer.
- Use a headset with a built-in microphone. This
will help eliminate echo and ensure better sound.
Adjust the microphone volume so that your speech
is not too loud.
- If you are using separate microphone and speaker,
move the microphone as far away from the speakers
as possible and lower the speaker volume. This
will usually reduce the echo.
- To make a PC-to-Phone call, you will need the
Country Code, Area Code and Telephone Number.
- Omit the international calling code prefix and
the first "0" in the area code.
- Try to make calls during non-peak hours to ensure
better bandwidth.
SYSTEM
REQUIREMENTS
In order for PC-to-Phone calls to work properly,
you need to make sure that your system satisfies
the following requirements:
- Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0, Netscape Communicator
6.1 or Mozilla 1.2 and above.
- JavaScript is enabled.
- Internet access with an Internet Service Provider
(ISP).
- Dial-up connection.
- Windows 98/98SE/NT with SP1,2,3/2000/ME/XP operating
system.
- Pentium 166 MHz processor.
- 32 MB of RAM
- Full-duplex sound card.
- SVGA display card with 256 colors (16-bit color
recommended)
- Microphone & speakers, or headset
- 28.8 kbps modem (33.6 kbps recommended)
TROUBLESHOOTING
My dialer was unable to load properly during installation,
what must I do?
If you are loading the dialer for the first time,
it may take up to 5 minutes for the components to
completely load especially when the network traffic
is congested. Subsequently, dialer will take a much
shorter time to load.
Please make sure that you have Microsoft Internet
Explorer 5.0, Netscape Communicator 6.1, Mozilla
1.2 or more recent version installed If this still
does not solve your problem, try our Diagnostic help
page for an interactive analysis of the PC-to-Phone
component installed in your PC.
Sometimes, I encounter error messages like "Scripting
Error", JavaScript runtime errors, exception
errors, etc, what should I do?
Most of the time, these errors are due to an unsuccessful
installation. Try to refresh the component page by
holding down the Shift and Ctrl keys, and clicking
Refresh (IE) or Reload (Netscape). If the errors
persist, note down the line number, if any, and contact
Times Telecom Customer Service for assistance.
You can also try our diagnostic utility to help
determine common problems.
Why do I get the message 'unauthorized to access
account' after I click on the call button?
If you had encountered the error 'not authorized
to access account', try the following:
- Make sure the 6-digit pin entered is correct.
- Make sure you haven't tried dialing an international
access code or typed a zero in front of the country/area
code of the number you are trying to call.
- Check that you have sufficient credit to make
the call by going to the 'View Log' in the dialer
page to check your balance. You will need your
6-digit PIN to check your account balance.
- If you have multiple accounts and PINs, please
make sure that you have not mismatched the accounts
and PINs.
Why do I get an "Invalid destination number" error
message after I enter the telephone number?
Make sure you only enter the country code, area code
and telephone number eg. 14083830123. Leave out the
International calling code prefix and the first "0" in
area codes.
I get a busy tone after my call is connected, what
is the cause?
It means that the phone number that you've dialed
is engaged or busy. The phone gateway that the PC-to-Phone
Service communicates with is unable to end the call
automatically. Click the hang-up button to end the
call manually and try again later.
My friend on the phone can hear me, but I can't
hear him properly. What's wrong?
Check the speaker volume and make sure that it is
not muted. Use the Audio Tune Wizard to configure
your microphone and speaker settings.
Neither of us can hear anything. What can we do?
This is probably a bandwidth problem. Under extreme
cases where there is consistent data packet loss,
the PC-to-Phone Service will not operate properly.
Hang up and try again later.