This summer I wrote about using Google Voice to avoid hefty international data fees while abroad. Just recently, I discovered another use for the service: making calls in “dead zones” for mobile phones.
A few weeks ago my wife and I spent several days in one of the big hospitals here in town while welcoming our new son into the world. The hospital was very modern and well-appointed, but somehow built in the one place in Green Bay that no cell phone tower reaches. My wife and I had no connection just when we most wanted one—family and friends were anxiously awaiting news. There was a landline in the hospital room, but those family and friends all live outside of our local calling area.
Once upon a time I would have purchased a phone card for this kind of situation. Instead, however, I logged into Google Voice (the hospital did have wifi) and added our room phone to my phones list. Then when we wanted to call someone long distance, I would dial the number in Google Voice—either on my computer or though the Google Voice app on my phone—our room phone would ring, and when we picked it up we’d be connected to the person we wanted to call. Dialing through Google Voice was much simpler than the steps required with a phone card, and all of our long distance calls were absolutely free.
Of course, you’ll need some kind of connectivity to make this work. But if you find yourself needing to make calls from a dead cell zone, Google Voice may be able to help out.
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