Why use a DID number?

The advent of Direct Inward Dialing (DID) services for VoIP provides access to local telephone numbers in most countries around the world without the need for a physical presence in those countries. Calls to these DID virtual numbers are then forwarded by companies such as mydivert.com to PSTN or mobile networks, VoIP carriers, or SIP/IAX servers.

This means that:

1. International and long distance telephone calls are made with the caller only paying local call rates. For example, your family lives in Islamabad, Pakistan but you live in Dublin, Ireland. You would like your family to be able to phone you, but the long distance rates from Pakistan are very costly. If you purchase a Pakistani DID, anyone dialing that local number in Pakistan would connect to your phone in Dublin, but they would pay only local phone rates.

2. You are able to add telephone numbers to your phone line so that you are no longer restricted to one telephone number per line. This can be useful if a virtual telephone contact point is required in more than one country.

3. Conventional telephone calls may be terminated at non-PSTN devices such as VoIP. This has particular relevance for VoIP communications, as it allows people connected to the traditional PSTN network to call people connected to VoIP networks.

Besides these basic functions of DID numbers, there are many additional uses for local numbers. For example, consider the issue of privacy. If users advertise services on a website and they wish prospective buyers to contact them without publishing their own, private telephone number, a DID virtual number could be used.