JMP.chat

JMP.chat is a *phone number that lives in your chat app instead of your pocket* — a real PSTN (callable, textable) number bridged to XMPP/Jabber, set up without a real name and paid in Bitcoin or cash, so you can hold a working phone identity that isn't tied to your device or your legal name.

Background. Running since 2017 (from the Soprani.ca / Cheogram ecosystem), JMP gives you a *real US/Canada phone number* whose calls, SMS, and MMS are bridged into your *XMPP client* (with a Matrix path too). You talk and text from Conversations/Cheogram/your Jabber app of choice; the PSTN side just sees a normal number. That longevity plus the federated, standards-based (XMPP) foundation is why it earns an A in /sims: it's privacy infrastructure built on an open protocol, not a walled app.

What you trust. The signal is *minimal identity + open standards*. Signup requires *no real name*, and you can pay in *Bitcoin or cash by mail* — so the number need not be linked to a card, an ID, or your true identity. Because it bridges to *XMPP*, a federated open protocol, you're not locked into a proprietary client and can even self-host parts of the stack; the gateway software (Cheogram/bifrost) is open. The trust concentrates in JMP as the PSTN gateway (it necessarily handles the telephony leg), but the identity and payment model are designed to keep *who you are* out of that relationship.

Operational specs. You get a *real dial-able/textable number*; inbound calls and SMS/MMS arrive in your XMPP client, and you send from there too. Funding is *BTC + cash-by-mail*, no real-name requirement. It uses the Cheogram app/gateway on top of standard XMPP, so any compliant Jabber client works. Practical sweet spots: a *receiver for OTP/2FA codes* you don't want hitting your real SIM, a public-facing number you can hand out and rotate, and *isolating phone-based identity from your physical device* (no SIM, no IMEI tie-in).

Philosophy. The phone number has become a de-facto government-and-corporate identity key — demanded for signups, used for tracking, hard to get without ID. JMP's premise is that you should be able to *have a functional number without surrendering your identity or carrying it on your device*: route it through a federated chat protocol, pay anonymously, and decouple "a number people can reach" from "the SIM in my phone that follows me everywhere." Building on XMPP rather than a proprietary app is the philosophical core — open, federated, not a new silo.

Grade rationale. A in /sims. The grade reflects no-real-name signup, BTC/cash payment, a *real* PSTN number (not a flaky VoIP throwaway), an open federated (XMPP) foundation with open-source gateway software, and a multi-year track record. It's the standout for privacy-preserving phone identity. The caveats are the inherent realities of bridging to the legacy phone network, not weaknesses in JMP's model.

Useful when. Reach for JMP when you need a *working phone number that isn't your real one* — receiving OTP/2FA codes away from your primary SIM, a public/disposable contact number, or separating phone-based account identity from your device. It's ideal for the privacy-minded who already live in an XMPP client, and for anyone who wants to pay for telephony without a card or ID.

Caveats. The PSTN leg is inherently *not private end-to-end*: calls and SMS traverse the legacy phone network, which is surveilled and lawful-intercept-capable, and JMP (as the gateway) handles that leg — so treat it as *identity decoupling*, not content secrecy. Some services actively block VoIP/non-carrier numbers for OTP, so a JMP number won't pass every 2FA gate. It requires comfort with *XMPP* (picking a client, understanding federation), which is a small learning curve for non-XMPP users. And it's US/Canada-numbered, so fit depends on your region. None of these reduce the A — for "a real number, anonymously, off my device," JMP is best-in-class; just don't mistake it for encrypted comms.