FaxMail FaxMail is the fax equivalent of VoiceMail. A caller calling your GSM mailbox can either leave a voice message or send a fax. The best analogy is that of a combination phone/fax/answering machine that you can buy at most stores: when it answers, it starts playing your greeting message, but can also automatically detect whether a fax is being sent. If a fax is being sent, it automatically activates the fax receive mode of that machine. GSM mailboxes work exactly in the same way. The faxes are stored at the GSM network switch. [To retrieve a fax message stored on your mailbox, you must specify a destination number for the mailbox to forward the stored fax to. [See below] On Vodacom, you can send a fax to a Vodacom mailbox directly by inserting 131 between the 082 and the rest of the number. For example, 082-131-1234567. You will hear the same greeting message that you normally hear when their phone is unavailable for whatever reason. The Vodacom Faxmail system will recognise the fax tone, and automatically start it's fax-receive mode. In fact, the subscriber's phone will not ring since you are directly accessing (calling) their mailbox via the 131 numbering and not calling the cellphone. Using the "131" number thus bypasses a direct call to a cellphone. On Vodacom, this FaxMail facility is called VodaMail Executive. You must ask Vodacom to activate it for you. Vodacom customers can call the 24-hour toll-free Vodacom Customer Care Line at 0800-111-234 for further information and instructions in this regard. On MTN, you can send a fax to a MTN directly by inserting 8 between the 083 and the rest of the number. For example, 083-8-1234567. You will hear the same greeting message that you normally hear when their phone is unavailable for whatever reason. The MTN FaxMail system will recognise the fax tone, and automatically start it's fax-receive mode. In fact, the subscriber's phone will not ring since you are directly accessing (calling) their mailbox via the "8" numbering and not calling the cellphone. Using the "8" number thus bypasses a direct call to a cellphone. In both cases, the destination number to forward a stored fax can be that of a hard copy fax machine, or a GSM mailbox, or an INCOMING GSM fax number [see below] used exclusively for receiving faxes via GSM. Incoming GSM Fax When you want to receive a fax DIRECTLY onto your computer & not to your FaxMail box on Vodacom or MTN, the person sending the incoming fax must dial a specific incoming fax number provided addtionally to your normal GSM voice number. So instead of them dialling a FaxMail number (inserting 131 or 8 after the 082 or 083 prefix respectively), they dial another special number - the incoming fax number. The reason for this additional numbering is that not all the (analogue) Telkom exchanges can process and route the digital data that the digitally-based GSM networks and cellphones use. Thus the digital data must be fed through an appropriate incoming voice, data, or fax number. So, someone wanting to send you a fax can do it two ways:   Fax to your FaxMail box on MTN or Vodacom They must use the 8/131 numbers plus your normal voice number. Once sent, the fax pages will be stored at Vodacom or MTN until you retrieve it. To view these stored faxes, you will have to forward the stored fax by going into your mailbox and telling the Mailbox system on the network which number you would like the fax stored on their system forwarded to.This forwarding number can be to a hard copy fax machine, or a GSM mailbox, or to an INCOMING GSM fax number used exclusively for receiving faxes via GSM. Fax you directly via your incoming GSM fax number: They can send the fax directly to your computer via the special incoming fax number provided by the GSM network, using your Option 2-in-1 PCMCIA card plugged into an active cellphone & the computer, along with the applicable fax software in AutoReceive mode. Thus for this to work, the computer must be on, fax software on this computer must be activated, the Option PCMCIA must plugged in, the cellphone on and data/fax services must be enabled on your subscription. Thus, faxes sent via the incoming fax number will be stored on the hard drive of your computer. You can view the pages instatly using the fax software. To get your incoming GSM fax numbers, Vodacom customers can call the 24-hour toll-free Vodacom Customer Care Line at 0800-111-234 for further information and instructions in this regard. MTN customers can call the toll-free 24-hour MTN Customer Care Line at 0800-111-007

http://www.cellular.co.za     FREE NEWSLETTER