Recent circulars have recommended that officers establish a private number for PSOS to contact them on. The following guide explains how to set this up. There are essentially two stages.
- Initial registration with a phone provider
- Setting up a smartphone to receive call and/or setting up and email address to receive voicemail messages
Many people use a company called Sipgate to get an extra line sipgate.co.uk
This is an additional line and does not impact on any other phone numbers you have.
Receiving calls through Sipgate is free. You can however pay-as-you-go to dial calls from a Sipgate number.
Once you register, an activation code will be posted to your address. Once you receive this and enter it into the website, you will be able to use the service.
You have the option of sending all calls to this number to a free voicemail -that is then emailed to you as a sound file.
You may also/instead choose to connect a smartphone or even a computer to Sipgate. This will allow you to receive calls on it through an app. Zoiper is a free app which many people use ( Apple iOS app or Android App)
The following video shows how to set up sipgate and iOS devices. Android setup is very similar.
Please remember the line will not be operational until you activate the account with the posted code.
There are other service providers available that may be better suited to individuals.