Virtual Fax Overview

Virtual Fax (or vFax) is an alternative to a physical fax machine and allows users to receive faxes via email. To receive faxes, a phone number must be directed to the Virtual Fax. Inbound faxes to that number are converted into PDF files which are then delivered to the email addresses specified for that line. Additionally, faxes can be received by a fax machine connected to an ATA.

Virtual Fax Services

There are three types of Virtual Fax services:

1. Shared Virtual Fax. The user's phone number can receive both phone calls and faxes. Faxes are received by the user's voicemail box and are forwarded to the user based on their Forward Voicemail to Email settings. It is up to the user receiving the fax to not answer the call and let it go to voicemail so the fax can be received.
   
   Shared Virtual Fax is included with Home Phone, Cloud PBX, and BCC as part of the user's voicemail service. They are not listed on the Virtual Fax page.
   
   
2. Dedicated Virtual Fax. The phone number is set up to receive faxes only. Dedicated Inbound Virtual Fax lines are available on SIP Trunking, Cloud PBX, and BCC. Not available for Home Phone accounts, which are limited to one line.
   
   
3. Outbound Virtual Fax. Once it's enabled on an account, Business Cloud Communications end users who have an email address on their profile can send faxes as a PDF attachment right from their email accounts. Available as an added service on BCC.

Billing

Dedicated and Outbound Virtual Fax are add-on services (additional costs apply). Each Dedicated Virtual Fax box requires one license. Outbound Virtual Fax requires one license to enable it for the account. However, because we don't want to charge more for two-way service, if a BCC account already has at least one Dedicated Virtual Fax license, Outbound Virtual Fax can be enabled for free. For example:

• 1 Dedicated + Outbound = 1 License
• 2 Dedicated + Outbound = 2 Licenses
• 2 Dedicated only = 2 Licenses
• Outbound only = 1 License