FaxWithouttheMachine

How Fax to Email Works

Simtex Fax to Email gives you a dedicated Australian fax number. Incoming faxes sent to that number are received by the Simtex platform, automatically converted to PDF, and delivered to your nominated email address as an attachment. No fax machine required, no dedicated phone line, no paper.

Receiving Faxes

1. A sender dials your Simtex fax number from a fax machine or fax software
2. The Simtex platform receives the transmission and converts it to a PDF
3. The PDF is emailed to your nominated inbox — including delivery details showing the sender's number and transmission status
4. Access the fax on any device: desktop, laptop, smartphone, or tablet

Sending Faxes

Outbound faxing is handled through your Simtex account. Compose a fax, attach a document, enter the destination number, and send — the platform handles the transmission to a traditional fax machine at the other end. Your recipient does not need to be on any online fax service; outbound faxes reach any fax machine on the public telephone network.

Your Fax Number

You receive a dedicated Australian phone number that functions as your fax line. You can choose a new number in your preferred city, or port your existing fax number across from your current carrier so clients and colleagues can continue using the number they already have on file.

• New capital city numbers — allocated immediately in Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide
• Regional numbers — available, typically with a short provisioning lead time
• Number porting — port your existing analogue (PSTN) fax number from most Australian carriers; contact Simtex for porting timelines and requirements
• Need a 1300 or 1800 number as well? — see Simtex 1300/1800 services for inbound number options alongside your fax line

Who Uses Fax to Email?

Despite the rise of email and digital document platforms, fax remains a required communication method in several Australian industries. This is partly regulatory — certain document types are accepted by courts, health systems, and government agencies specifically via fax — and partly practical, as many organisations still maintain fax-only contact paths for sensitive or time-critical documents.

Medical and Allied Health Practices

General practices, specialists, pharmacies, and allied health providers in Australia regularly exchange patient referrals, pathology results, and prescriptions by fax. Many hospital systems and Medicare-related processes accept or require fax for specific document types. Fax to email lets a medical practice receive these transmissions directly in their inbox without maintaining a physical fax machine or a dedicated PSTN line — both of which become increasingly difficult to source as copper infrastructure is decommissioned.

Legal Firms and Conveyancers

Australian courts, land titles offices, and regulatory bodies frequently accept or specify fax for urgent document lodgement and correspondence. Solicitors and conveyancers who need to maintain a fax number for court use or client correspondence can do so via a Simtex fax number without the cost of a physical fax line.

Accountants and Financial Services

The Australian Taxation Office and some state revenue offices still use fax for certain correspondence types. Financial advisers, accountants, and bookkeepers who receive ATO faxes or exchange documents with clients prefer fax-to-email for its automatic PDF conversion and searchable archive in their email client.

Government and Local Councils

Local government, state agencies, and federal departments maintain fax numbers for public submissions, approvals, and contractor correspondence. Fax to email reduces the infrastructure requirement while keeping the number active and accessible.

Any Business Dealing With Legacy Suppliers or Clients

Some suppliers, particularly in manufacturing, wholesale, and trade industries, still send purchase orders and delivery dockets by fax. A Simtex fax-to-email service ensures you receive these documents reliably, even if the rest of your office has moved entirely to digital workflows.

Replacing Your Fax Machine in the NBN Era

Traditional fax machines require a dedicated PSTN or ISDN analogue line to operate. As Australia's copper network transitions to NBN, these lines are being decommissioned. Fax machines connected to the old copper network will stop working when the copper is switched off in your area. Fax-to-email eliminates this dependency entirely — your fax number and capability are preserved on the Simtex platform, independent of what happens to the physical phone line infrastructure at your premises. Businesses moving their phone system to the cloud at the same time can combine Simtex Cloud PBX with fax to email on the same account.

Why Businesses Switch to Online Fax

• No hardware maintenance — no toner, no paper, no machine servicing costs
• No dedicated phone line cost — your fax number runs on the Simtex platform, not a copper line at your premises
• Faxes delivered to any device — receive on mobile, laptop, or desktop without being physically present at a machine
• Automatic PDF archive — every received fax is an email in your inbox, searchable and storable in your email or document management system
• Delivery confirmation — each fax email includes transmission details: sender number, page count, date, time, and delivery status
• No missed faxes — no paper jams, no machine offline, no ink ribbon errors; transmissions are received by the Simtex platform 24 hours a day

Security and Document Handling

Simtex Fax to Email includes optional message encryption for sensitive transmissions. Received faxes are delivered to the email address you specify — access is controlled by whoever controls that inbox. For practices handling sensitive documents, using a dedicated email address solely for fax receipts (rather than a shared inbox) is a straightforward way to manage access.

Faxes are delivered as PDF attachments, which are compatible with most document management systems, electronic health record (EHR) platforms, and practice management software used in Australian medical and legal practices.

Simple, Predictable Pricing

Simtex Fax to Email is available on a single plan at $9.95 per month (including GST). The plan includes 1,000 pages of inbound fax per month. Additional pages beyond the inclusion are charged at $0.011 per page. One phone number is included — either a new capital city number allocated immediately, or a ported-in number.

What's Included

• $9.95/month including GST — no lock-in contracts on month-to-month plans
• 1,000 inbound pages/month included — covers most business usage
• $0.011 per additional page for higher-volume months
• 1 dedicated fax number included — capital city or ported-in
• Automatic PDF conversion — every received fax delivered to your inbox as a PDF attachment
• Delivery reports — each fax email shows sender details and transmission status

Cheaper Than a Dedicated Fax Line

A standard PSTN line for a fax machine typically costs $30–$40 per month from a carrier, before call charges. At $9.95 per month with 1,000 pages included, Simtex Fax to Email is substantially cheaper — and it works over your existing internet connection with no new hardware or installation required.

Number Porting

If you have an existing fax number on a PSTN or ISDN line, Simtex can port it across to the fax-to-email platform so your existing clients and contacts can continue to reach you on the same number. Contact the Simtex team for current porting fees and timelines, as these vary depending on the originating carrier and number type. If you are also replacing ISDN voice lines, Simtex SIP trunks handle the same porting process for voice numbers.