By Rick
Making a phone call is an easy enough thing for most people to do. When trying to call cell phones, the process gets a little trickier, especially if you’re calling long distance. Cell phones in the same country or region can be called just like a traditional landline phone but dialing a friend abroad is harder. This has to do with the way that phone service has evolved over the years. The process for connecting a traditional phone is different than when you call cell phones, even in the same location. The pricing for these cell phone calls can be more expensive as well since you are typically connecting through at least two carriers that each charges a fee for connecting the call.
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The Dialing Challenge
When you call cell phones in other countries, you may have to add a special carrier code for the network the receiving phone uses. These codes are dialed in addition to the exit codes for your country and the country codes needed to make the connection. The confusing part is that these carrier codes are not used in every country. You may be able to call cell phones directly in one foreign country and need the code for a cell carrier in the next country over. The best thing to do is check with the person you’re calling to see if they typically need a carrier code to connect with other callers.
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The Pricing Challenge
Calling cell phones abroad can cost more than calling a landline in most countries. Again, this has to do with the multiple carriers involved when you call cell phones that are involved with connecting the call. If you are using a long distance plan with set rates you might notice in the fine print that this discounted rate only applies to standard, landline phones. When you call cell phones in many other countries, the cost will typically be far higher than a standard call and can be an unpleasant surprise to get when your bill arrives. You can normally call a cell phone in your own country for a similar rate to a landline call but will normally see a premium charged for these calls when made long distance.
Using a VoIP Service
One way to avoid the higher cost of these international calls and eliminate some of the confusion when you call cell phones abroad is by using a VoIP service that connects over the web. These types of phone services have been available for years and normally provide much lower rates when you call cell phones long distance. There are a number of vendors that offer these VoIP services and all of them have very reasonable rates when compared to local carriers. Another way to avoid these higher rates is by using a calling card or dial-around service. Both of these methods allow you to use any phone you like and provide discounted rates on long distance calling. In some cases this rate is mere pennies a minute and can help you to substantially lower your monthly bill. These discounted plans are easy to use and carry no monthly fee or setup charge. One you get used to using one of these services you’ll almost forget how you used to make calls, until the lower bill arrives every month.
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