Hi,
Which are the best and most reliable operators in Finland which provide cheap international calls? I am not referring to the big phone companies like Elisa or DNA but small private operators who charge lower prices for international calls, and their prefixes which have to be used before the numbers, are usually in the form of 99588 or 99599 etc. I have been using Scandicom Oy until recently when I found out that I have been outrageously overcharged, even more than their regular rates. Do Not use their prefix, they are definitely not serious! I have been receiving huge phone bills and have just started demanding explanations.... and it seems very suspicious so far.
So I would like to use another prefix when calling home and would like to use the service of a trustworthy company. Does anyone know which have good prices and are reliable?
Thanks in advance!!
Cheap international call operators?
Re: Cheap international call operators?
Depending on your needs and the type and quality of Internet connectivity at both ends, you could buy a pair of simple SIP gateway boxes (something like these) and talk freely over the Internet without any charges or subscription, using ordinary wired telephones connected to the local box both at your end and the remote end. (Still, you may want to register to a free SIP registrar service in order to make both ends able to find each other with fixed virtual “phone numbers” instead of having to deal with ever-changing dynamic IP addresses. Most consumer broadband connections do not have a fixed IP address so it would be difficult to call someone by their IP address only.)
Many cellphones (Android, Nokia S60 phones) also contain built-in SIP functionality in which case you could possibly make do with a mere cellphone at one or the other end... or both ends. At least when the phone is connected to a home router via Wi-Fi. (VOIP protocols such as SIP or Skype may be unreliable on a mobile broadband connection due to limited bandwidth and congestion.) And let’s not forget that SIP VOIP client software is also readily available for tablet devices, such as the iPad and Android-based tablets.
Skype, a proprietary competitor to SIP, is another possibility, of course. One of the benefits of Skype is that it allows easy video calls, too. Unlike SIP, though, Skype cannot usually be easily integrated to landline or DECT systems — at least not with stand-alone gateway/router boxes. (There are some USB-based boxes which allow interfacing Skype to these systems but they usually require a PC running the Skype client software, so they are not stand-alone, and therefore quite cumbersome.) Modern touch-screen mobile phones and tablets can function as stand-alone Skype clients, though.
At higher end, you have something like the VOIP-enabled models of the Fritz!Box multifunction broadband router. These are full-fledged broadband routers/NAT boxes/firewalls which feature a built-in SIP gateway (essentially a mini PBX with connectors for ordinary phones), in some cases even a built-in ADSL modem or DOCSIS cable modem should you need one, and also serve as DECT/GAP base stations for wireless DECT/GAP phones — which, with the help of the router, can then receive and make SIP calls just like the landline phones connected to the router (the router essentially converts them from ordinary phones to VOIP phones.) Some models also come with ISDN functionality (the S₀ bus, which can also be used for VOIP functionality) and an option to connect a 3G modem.
Both SIP and Skype can also be used to cheaply call ordinary mobile phones and landlines in a foreign country, and it is also possible to acquire a fully working phone number in a foreign country whose incoming calls are routed to your (VOIP-enabled) phone via Internet and charged the local rates. These are always a subscription-based, charged services when you’re using Skype. With SIP, there are both commercial options (SIP registrars which allow routing SIP calls to landline phones in a foreign country for a fee) and DIY options (you do the routing/gatewaying yourself, using an existing phone service and broadband service of a family member who is willing to make these services available for your remote use.) For example, with a device like the Fritz!Box and enough tinkering with VPNs and such, you could make and receive VOIP calls via your parents’ or siblings’ fixed landline in another country, using their number as if you were actually residing in that country, making and receiving the calls locally.
Many cellphones (Android, Nokia S60 phones) also contain built-in SIP functionality in which case you could possibly make do with a mere cellphone at one or the other end... or both ends. At least when the phone is connected to a home router via Wi-Fi. (VOIP protocols such as SIP or Skype may be unreliable on a mobile broadband connection due to limited bandwidth and congestion.) And let’s not forget that SIP VOIP client software is also readily available for tablet devices, such as the iPad and Android-based tablets.
Skype, a proprietary competitor to SIP, is another possibility, of course. One of the benefits of Skype is that it allows easy video calls, too. Unlike SIP, though, Skype cannot usually be easily integrated to landline or DECT systems — at least not with stand-alone gateway/router boxes. (There are some USB-based boxes which allow interfacing Skype to these systems but they usually require a PC running the Skype client software, so they are not stand-alone, and therefore quite cumbersome.) Modern touch-screen mobile phones and tablets can function as stand-alone Skype clients, though.
At higher end, you have something like the VOIP-enabled models of the Fritz!Box multifunction broadband router. These are full-fledged broadband routers/NAT boxes/firewalls which feature a built-in SIP gateway (essentially a mini PBX with connectors for ordinary phones), in some cases even a built-in ADSL modem or DOCSIS cable modem should you need one, and also serve as DECT/GAP base stations for wireless DECT/GAP phones — which, with the help of the router, can then receive and make SIP calls just like the landline phones connected to the router (the router essentially converts them from ordinary phones to VOIP phones.) Some models also come with ISDN functionality (the S₀ bus, which can also be used for VOIP functionality) and an option to connect a 3G modem.
Both SIP and Skype can also be used to cheaply call ordinary mobile phones and landlines in a foreign country, and it is also possible to acquire a fully working phone number in a foreign country whose incoming calls are routed to your (VOIP-enabled) phone via Internet and charged the local rates. These are always a subscription-based, charged services when you’re using Skype. With SIP, there are both commercial options (SIP registrars which allow routing SIP calls to landline phones in a foreign country for a fee) and DIY options (you do the routing/gatewaying yourself, using an existing phone service and broadband service of a family member who is willing to make these services available for your remote use.) For example, with a device like the Fritz!Box and enough tinkering with VPNs and such, you could make and receive VOIP calls via your parents’ or siblings’ fixed landline in another country, using their number as if you were actually residing in that country, making and receiving the calls locally.
znark
Re: Cheap international call operators?
Try checking cubio , their prefix is 9951 . I ave had problems with billing from them , but usually they are quite reliable. Some services they provide are unique - "travel - and- save" for example. But I use a combination of SIP over 3G and cubio.if sip fails or becomes unreliable I use cubio.
What do you want from me?????