vB Easy Archive - Landline advantage: international calls to mobiles

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Landline advantage: international calls to mobiles
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Posted by: aero4

One of the big advantages to landlines is the fact that a number of 1010 discount calling numbers charge actual MTF surcharge to mobile phones overseas ("mobile termination fee"). US mobile companies, even with "discount international plans" tend to double and triple the MTF. (example spain the actual MTF is what is charged on 1010987 at $0.12 on 1010987, yet sprint tacks on more than a 100% profit on the MTF alone and charges $0.26 surcharge)

10x20 minute calls on sprint: $66 + $4 plan fee $70
10x20 minute calls on 1010987: $41.30

The difference is more than my landline costs.

If anyone can tell me how to work around this so I can get rid of my landline I would love it. By the way the VOIP serivces also tend to charge rip off MTFs so that isn't helpful.

Posted by: monkeyboy

well I can't say for sure, but when I want to call int'l for cheap, I buy an int'l calling card, often tailored to the country I want to call. Those cards invariably have toll free access numbers, like 866-xxx-yyyy. I don't believe it matters what kind of phone you use to call that access number, whether it be cell, voip or landline.

try www.firstphonecard.com

if OTOH you're talking about incoming calls to the US, yeah you're probably not doing your int'l friends any favors by asking them to call a nonlandline...

Posted by: Mark Larson

Quote:

Originally Posted by monkeyboy

if OTOH you're talking about incoming calls to the US, yeah you're probably not doing your int'l friends any favors by asking them to call a nonlandline...

I use calling cards as well, but this statement is not correct to my knowledge. Landlines are treated the same as mobiles, so your friends will incur the same cost whether they call your cell or your landline. This is why incoming is charged in the US.

Posted by: aero4

Quote:

Originally Posted by monkeyboy

well I can't say for sure, but when I want to call int'l for cheap, I buy an int'l calling card, often tailored to the country I want to call. Those cards invariably have toll free access numbers, like 866-xxx-yyyy. I don't believe it matters what kind of phone you use to call that access number, whether it be cell, voip or landline.

try www.firstphonecard.com

if OTOH you're talking about incoming calls to the US, yeah you're probably not doing your int'l friends any favors by asking them to call a nonlandline...

If you look firstcard sells completely different cards for calls to mobiles not the per minute costs are about 10 times their rates to landlines

The termination to mobile surcharges appear to be about 75% more than 1010987.

These cards also expire in 60 to 90 days.

Posted by: mch

Quote:

Originally Posted by aero4

One of the big advantages to landlines is the fact that a number of 1010 discount calling numbers charge actual MTF surcharge to mobile phones overseas ("mobile termination fee"). US mobile companies, even with "discount international plans" tend to double and triple the MTF. (example spain the actual MTF is what is charged on 1010987 at $0.12 on 1010987, yet sprint tacks on more than a 100% profit on the MTF alone and charges $0.26 surcharge)

10x20 minute calls on sprint: $66 + $4 plan fee $70
10x20 minute calls on 1010987: $41.30

The difference is more than my landline costs.

If anyone can tell me how to work around this so I can get rid of my landline I would love it. By the way the VOIP serivces also tend to charge rip off MTFs so that isn't helpful.

voicestick's voip service
around $0.16/minute total for calls to a spanish mobile (varies slightly by carrier from $0.155 to $0.168)
10 x 20 minute calls to spanish mobile: about $32.00

for a little extra (1.2 cents per minute), you can also make these calls from your mobile phone instead of voip via their i2bridge. The worst case total would be $0.18/minute for calls from your mobile via i2bridge ($36.00 for your 10x20 min calls). No connect fees, unlike 1010987.

http://www.voicestick.com/

Posted by: Mark Larson

Quote:

Originally Posted by aero4

Yeah, calls TO mobiles in other countries. Not calls from mobiles to the 1-800 number in the US.

Posted by: aero4

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark Larson

Yeah, calls TO mobiles in other countries. Not calls from mobiles to the 1-800 number in the US.

uh, lol, the thread title is "international calls to mobiles,"

Posted by: aero4

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark Larson

Yeah, calls TO mobiles in other countries. Not calls from mobiles to the 1-800 number in the US.

the thread title is "international calls to mobiles,".

From mobiles simply comes up in the discussion of to mobiles because 1010 dialaround does not work with mobiles.

So I am not sure you understood my first post and the response I responded to.

I mentioned how landlines allowed me to use 1010, and how this saved me money because a couple of the major 1010 players had realistic and cheap MTF and I had observed that doubling or more of the MTF Fee on mobiles. Even with Sprint's $4 a month international calling plan they often double the MTF which doubles the per minute cost.

Just like we use mobiles more often, so do europeans and almost all my calls to europe are to mobiles, ie MTF calls.

Here in the states we have distributed payment (LD/ minutes to caller, nil to landline receiver, minutes to mobile receiver). In most of the rest of the world, and certainly in Europe mobiles work on "CPP" (calling party pays), ie you dont use minutes or incur costs when you answer your mobile phone. The calling party pays everything, including the fee to your mobile phone company to cover the minutes.

Here in the states that isn't the case due to the structure of phone billing even before mobile over years, and especially the decision to use normal phone numbers for mobile numbers (meaning CPP could not be instituted because callers would not know thye are calling a mobile. )

Quote:

Originally Posted by mch

that is a helpful answer. I plugged in my normal numbers and they came out very reasonable.

Can I do this without one of their yearly or monthly plans?

Posted by: mch

Quote:

Originally Posted by aero4

...I plugged in my normal numbers and they came out very reasonable.

Can I do this without one of their yearly or monthly plans?

Yes, with the Next2Nothing plan (no monthly fee, however there is a $1/month minimum usage requirement)

Posted by: monkeyboy

Quote:

Originally Posted by aero4

So I am not sure you understood my first post and the response I responded to.

You're right, I didn't really understand what exactly you were asking in your first post... sorry... Nevertheless, in this situation in the past, generally I scoured www.firstphonecard.com for cards that offered the best rates to the country that I wanted to call, looking specifically at the TO-mobiles rate. Are you saying that it is possible to do even better than that ? I would imagine that it *heavily* depends on the specific country in question. In my case, it was usually China. And the rates to China mobiles for some of those calling cards I considered to be acceptable. I would guess that this is all generally set by the country's mobile companies and it would be difficult to get around. Furthermore, I seen reports where, *if* there was once a cheap to-mobile rate in a specific country, if that was used alot, the rates "magically" got raised to plug the loophole.

Posted by: aero4

Quote:

Originally Posted by monkeyboy

Nevertheless, in this situation in the past, generally I scoured www.firstphonecard.com for cards that offered the best rates to the country that I wanted to call, looking specifically at the TO-mobiles rate. Are you saying that it is possible to do even better than that ? I would imagine that it *heavily* depends on the specific country in question. In my case, it was usually China. And the rates to China mobiles for some of those calling cards I considered to be acceptable. I would guess that this is all generally set by the country's mobile companies and it would be difficult to get around. Furthermore, I seen reports where, *if* there was once a cheap to-mobile rate in a specific country, if that was used alot, the rates "magically" got raised to plug the loophole.

On your second point the rate is set by the mobile companies in a country/ It is called a MTF (mobile Termination Fee). But the companies here in the states (calling card, voip, landline, dial around. mobile. etc) can either charge that rate or screw their customers and charge way more.

I don't know about China. I call Europe quite a bit. As an example Sprint charges $0.27/minute for MTF or more to call a Spanish mobile. Skype and Vonange do to. Your calling card companies charge that much for MTF and more.

1010987 charges $0.12 for MTF.