With the iPhone it is possible to make cheap
international calls using either iPhone VOIP (Voice Over IP) or standard
cell phone
network using many iPhone applications such as iSip or Skype for iPhone.
There are many apps for the iPhone that allow free text messages with
your friends and family. However, some iPhone applications like Skype, iSip or NetTALK allow you to make
cheap or iPhone free calls
using your local wifi network or 3G/EDGE through your iPhone data plan.
iPhone Service Plans:
There are two plans that you can choose from when
you select
your
cell phone
service provider. For the iPhone it is mandatory to have an iPhone data plan besides the normal calling minutes plan.
The normal calling minutes plan defines how many
minutes you get per month such as 500 or 700 minutes and so on. The iPhone data plan is your
internet
connection which is usually unlimited with
AT&T. It is the iPhone data plan that is interesting because with it, you can make cheap international calls and also save on your minutes with iPhone VoIP calls.
Generally, there are three different ways you can use your iPhone VoIP to make cheap or iPhone free international calls. You can use
wifi, your minutes plan, and/or iPhone data plan.
Using wifi/3G to make VoIP iPhone calls:
Skype for iPhone allows you to make Voice Over IP communications with Skype users only while or iSip allow you to make VOIP phone calls to land line phone numbers.
To make a completely free international calls using
Skype,
your
friends or family members must have Skype accounts, and they must have
Skype running on their
desktop computer.
On the other hand,
you can use many text chatting services like MSN, Google Talk, Yahoo, AIM,
ICQ, Twitter and others besides voice communication with skype contacts.
The disadvantage with using Skype or Fring to make a free international phone calls is that your friend or family member
must be
a Skype member, and must be running Skype on his/her computer all the time for you to find him/her.
This is one of my favorite
methods of making cheap international calls. It uses
wifi
or 3G
to make Voice Over IP phone calls to any land line phone number.
You need to set up a SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) account with one of the ITSP (Internet Telephony Service Providers).
I use a company called Callcentric,
and I find its rates very attractive.
Once you set up your account, you will get an account
number and a password.
You can use iSip on the iPhone to input your SIP account number and password in the SIP
setup in those applica tions.
Once you are logged in, you all your outgoing phone calls will be placed using your SIP account and saving your monthly minutes.
This method of making VoIP phone calls is best used if you
are abroad and there is no cell phone service available. I used SIP phone
calls in the hotel in Mexico for example. I used the free wifi that was
provided by the hotel to make iPhone free calls to the US.
Many VoIP iPhone applications are starting to appear in the App Store. Some of those iPhone applications like NetTALK and iCall allow you to make completely free iPhone calls to anywhere in US and Canada.
You need to register with NetTALK for free to use their service while iCall allows you to make cheap international calls by subscribing to one of their plans.
NetTALK allows you to record your voice conversation while iCall allows you to receive phone calls over wifi or 3G network.
Both iCall and NetTALK use VoIP and require either wifi or an iPhone data plan to work.
Using cell phone network to make cheap international
calls:
You can always use the traditional way of calling to make cheap international
telephone calls by using a
calling card
for example .
You start by calling an 800 or a local phone number, then enter the
calling card
number
or account number, and then you enter your destination.
I use SamrtCaller which is an iPhone application that makes this process a one touch process.
I set up my account in the application by entering the
calling card, or account number. I enter the 800 number to dial and then I enter
the phone number I want to dial from my contact list.
This information
is then stored in the iPhone application for any future phone call I want to
make.
If I want to make another call, then I simply change the
contact phone number from my contacts list. SmartCaller will use my stored
calling card
information to dial any of my contacts.
One disadvantage of using the
cell phone
network to make
cheap
international calls however, is that it will use your minutes unless
you use it in week ends or after the peak time. Then the calls would be
cheap and would not use your minutes.
The other disadvantage is that you have to be in the
country
that provides your phone service otherwise roaming charges would apply and the phone call would become very expensive. If you are outside the country of your service, then use iSip as described above to make cheap international calls.