I frequently make international phone calls for personal stuff and work.
And AT&T really gets you if you want to make such calls over the mobile phone network. Here are some examples of AT&T’s international calling rates:
- India – $0.32 / minute or $3.49 / minute
- United Kingdom – $0.28 / minute or $1.69 / minute
- Germany – $0.26 / minute or $1.66 / minute
Sooo, what’s the best solution? First, let me say that there are 1,001 ways to get the job done. There are calling cards, callback services, Skype, Reliance CallIndia and everything in between.
What’s worked really well for me is my Google Voice account with the Google Voice iPhone app because:
1) The rates are low
2) Calls are made using the voice network so they’re good quality
3) It’s integrated with the iPhone contacts directory, so it’s easy
Here’s how to set it all up:
1) sign up for a google voice account at http://voice.google.com (be sure and choose the option to have it do more than replace your voicemail)
2) add your mobile phone to your google voice account (this is a simple process that will involve google voice calling you and your entering a 2 digit code)
3) now over to your iPhone… Install the google voice app (get it here). Sign in with your google account and assign a number to your phone.
4) add numbers you frequently dial from your iPhone phone book to the app’s “quickdial” menu.
5) now tap the number you want to call and you’re done!
Apart from the good call quality and convenience of being able to use your iPhone’s direcory, Google Voice’s rates are cheap. Examples:
- India – $0.02 / minute
- United Kingdom – $0.02 / minute to $0.24 / minute
- Germany – $0.02 / minute or $0.10 / minute
Once you start using the service, you’ll need to add some $$ to your Google Voice account– do that from the web-based interface. Enjoy!