International Mobile Calling - What is a (Really) Good Rate?
Finding the best rate and provider for international mobile calls is a challenge. The new breed of providers offering low cost international mobile calls (sometimes as part of a range of services) typically headline rates for popular destinations. But what really is a bargain rate? [Tell me now!] How can you compare them without going to a lot of trouble?
Unfortunately, even this new sector follows the bad old habits of the phone business. The information is there but the trouble is you are typically overwhelmed with detail and umpteen options. And, of course, each provider does it differently making comparisons difficult.
LowCostMob.com has solved this problem bringing together all the rates information from different providers in a common format making comparisons quick and easy.
The technology used to set-up and make calls has a big impact on costs yet often you have to plough through all the marketing speak on a providers site to discover how calls are made. The range of methods are: real mobile VoIP (there is a VoIP client on the phone which uses the data connection or WiFi for media transfer); call-through; substitute local numbers; and call-back. LowCostMob.com gives you clarity here as well.
Here we make use of the LowCostMob.com rates database to give you an at-a-glance summary striking a balance between necessary detail and simplicity. It answers the questions: What is a good rate? Who is offering them?
The following tables summarise the relevant data from the LowCostMob.com rates comparison database.
The symbols used for different types of services are:
mv = mobile VoIP; cb = call-back; ct = call-through; and ln = local number substitute (which is a type of call-through). Types of services explained here.
Table 1 – Rates for Calling a Mobile
| Calling to a Mobile in: | Calling From a Mobile Phone Rates in $cents/minute |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Range of 10 Cheapest Rates | Well Known Brands | Range of 10 Highest Rates | |||||
| Lowest | Low | JAJAH cb ct |
Skype ct mv |
Truphone ct mv |
High | Highest | |
| Australia | 10.2 | 18.1 | 34.8 | 20.3 | 30.0 | 32.8 | 52.0 |
| China | 1.0 | 2.1 | 19.3 | 2.1 | 6.0 | 18.8 | 31.5 |
| India | 3.0 | 7.0 | 23.5 | 9.2 | 50.0 | 24.8 | 50.0 |
| Mexico | 6.0 | 22.0 | 45.6 | 33.6 | 50.0 | 45.6 | 78.0 |
| Poland | 9.9 | 22.4 | 37.6 | 24.6 | 30.0 | 37.6 | 86.0 |
| South Africa | 11.8 | 21.0 | 36.9 | 23.3 | 50.0 | 41.0 | 62.6 |
| UAE | 14.4 | 25.0 | 39.4 | 26.2 | 40.0 | 40.0 | 56.8 |
Table 2 – Rates for Calling a Fixed Line
| Calling to a Fixed Line in: | Calling From a Mobile Phone Rates in $cents/minute |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Range of 10 Cheapest Rates | Well Known Brands | Range of 10 Highest Rates | |||||
| Lowest | Low | JAJAH cb ct |
Skype ct mv |
Truphone ct mv |
High | Highest | |
| Australia | 1.2 | 2.2 | 19.6 | 2.1 | 6.0 | 19.6 | 32.3 |
| China | 1.0 | 2.1 | 19.3 | 2.1 | 6.0 | 18.8 | 31.5 |
| India | 3.8 | 6.9 | 23.8 | 9.2 | 10.0 | 23.8 | 42.5 |
| Mexico | 1.4 | 2.5 | 21.6 | 2.1 | 20.0 | 18.8 | 56.9 |
| Poland | 1.2 | 2.3 | 20.0 | 2.1 | 6.0 | 18.8 | 33.1 |
| South Africa | 4.0 | 6.8 | 24.0 | 6.8 | 10.0 | 24.3 | 37.5 |
| UAE | 14.4 | 25.0 | 38.6 | 26.9 | 40.0 | 35.1 | 57.3 |
Table 3 – Cheapest Providers for Calling a Mobile
| 10 Cheapest Providers for Calls from a Mobile Phone to a Mobile in: (Ascending order - cheapest at top) |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | China | India | Mexico | Poland | South Africa | UAE |
| Localphone ln | Localphone ln | Challenger mv | Barablu mv | Localphone ln | Localphone ln | Localphone ln |
| Manifone ln | jaxtr ln | jaxtr ln | Challenger mv | Barablu mv | Barablu mv | Barablu mv |
| Challenger mv | Challenger mv | Localphone ln | Localphone ln | Raketu mv | Manifone ln | Challenger mv |
| Barablu mv | Barablu mv | PhoneGnome ct | Velofone mv | Manifone ln | Velofone mv | Rebtel ln |
| jaxtr ln | Raketu mv | Rebtel ln | MOBIVOX ct | EQO ct | Raketu mv | Manifone ln |
| Raketu mv | Vyke mv | Vopium ct mv | Manifone ln | Challenger mv | Challenger mv | Raketu mv |
| MOBIVOX ct | Tpad mv | EQO ct | Raketu mv | PhoneGnome ct | PhoneGnome ct | Vyke mv |
| Rebtel ln | MOBIVOX ct | Manifone ln | Rebtel ln | Vyke mv | Vopium ct mv | Vopium ct mv |
| Vyke mv | Rebtel ln | Tpad mv | Tpad mv | Morodo ct | Vyke mv | Tpad mv |
| Vopium ct | Skype ct mv | Vyke mv | Vyke mv | Velofone mv | Rebtel ln | Skype ct mv |
Table 4 – Cheapest Providers for Calling a Fixed Line
| 10 Cheapest Providers for Calls from a Mobile Phone to a Fixed Line in: (Ascending order - cheapest at top) |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | China | India | Mexico | Poland | South Africa | UAE |
| Localphone ln | Localphone ln | jaxtr ln | Challenger mv | Localphone ln | Localphone ln | Localphone ln |
| Challenger mv | jaxtr ln | Localphone ln | Barablu mv | Challenger mv | Barablu mv | Barablu mv |
| Barablu mv | Challenger mv | Barablu mv | Localphone ln | Barablu mv | Raketu mv | Challenger mv |
| Raketu mv | Barablu mv | PhoneGnome ct | Tpad mv | Raketu mv | Rebtel ln | Rebtel ln |
| MOBIVOX ct | Tpad mv | Rebtel ln | MOBIVOX ct | Rebtel ln | Vyke mv | Raketu mv |
| Vyke mv | Raketu mv | Vopium ct mv | Raketu mv | MOBIVOX ct | jaxtr ln | Manifone ln |
| Rebtel ln | Vyke mv | EQO ct | Rebtel ln | Vyke mv | Vopium ct mv | Vyke mv |
| Skype ct mv | MOBIVOX ct | Manifone ln | Skype ct mv | Skype ct mv | Manifone ln | Vopium ct mv |
| Tpad mv | Rebtel ln | Raketu mv | jaxtr ln | EQO ct | Skype ct mv | Tpad mv |
| EQO ct | Skype ct mv | Tpad mv | Vyke mv | jaxtr ln | Tpad mv | Skype ct mv |
What This Shows
The cheapest services are all call-through (ct) or local numbers (ln) or mobile VoIP (mv). The most expensive are all call-back.
BUT there are two very big considerations
(1) With call-through or local number systems you are using local or bundled minutes. You are paying in total only the cheap rates shown in the table (the rate quoted by the provider) only when your local minutes are free or you have already paid for them in your bundle.
If you are paying for local minutes outside your bundle call-back could be the best deal. The call-back rate is the total of what you pay (there may also be minimal use of your data connection).
(2) With mobile VoIP you need to have access to flat rate data and a contract which allows VoIP or be in a free WiFi zone (which, of course, could be your home or office WiFi)
You can also see that well known brands are not the cheapest and are sometimes very expensive.
BUT
Quality is a big factor but it is usually easy to trial use these cheap services without making a commitment or taking out a contract, and if the quality is not satisfactory you can easily change without losing anything.
Also, some providers, such as Truphone, charge a lower rate if you also pay a low regular monthly charge.
Those with both mobile VoIP and call through charge the same for the two services.
Providers move up and down the table column depending on the country. Though most tend to wobble about a top or middle or bottom position some move up and down more dramatically and even off the table altogether.
In general, with call-through, substitute local numbers and mobile VoIP, it doesn’t matter which country you are calling from, the international rates are the same. With call-back, the country the call is made from does have an impact on the rate as the cost includes the call-back part of the call to the caller incurred in the country from which the call is made.
We hope this analysis sets you in the right direction to find a suitable low cost international calling service but it is very important that you check out the latest information on the providers’ web sites before taking any purchasing decision.