How To Maintain A Long Distance Relationhip With An International Phone Card

How often have you heard the comment that long distance relationships don't work? Well, they may have been tough to maintain at one time, that is, until international phone cards appeared on the scene!

Not only do phone cards cut long distance call rates by up to 90% but I've discovered they can be the lifeline in a long distance relationship. Take my example for instance. I was travelling through the USA two years ago and bumped into an old friend called Cupid. He did his usual thing with the bow and arrow and yes, I began a relationship. Trouble was, I lived in Australia and she lived in Georgia. So began my first encounter with an international phone card.

For two years we communicated via the telephone, that is, in between visits, and I can quite honestly say that without being able to take advantage of the cheap call costs, well, our story may have become another one of those Mills And Boon style brief encounters. Not that there's anything wrong with them, is there?

International Phone Cards Are Easy To Buy

It's so simple to get set up with a phone card but you do need to observe some well worn rules . Not all phone card companies are created equal. During their history, phone card sellers have been a "dime a dozen"; here one day and gone tomorrow and yes, their has been the odd scam or two perpetrated by them. Today however, the industry has undergone some radical changes and there are some terrific phone card providers out there and they are determined to stick around for the long term.

Some Traps To Avoid

There are some danger signs to take notice of before and after purchasing your card. Here is a short list:

- Be wary of poor customer service. I always like to know I can contact a company direct if something goes wrong. If you intend on being a long term user, then make sure you can communicate with them by phone...naturally! - Establish whether there are hidden fees involved. These can be a real nuisance with some companies and what looked a super cheap deal when you purchased, could quickly deteriorate into a pretty ordinary one. - Make sure you know exactly how much talk time you are getting. Check a company's disclaimer policy.

My biggest piece of advice is that when you find a company that satifies all your needs, stick with it. Show some loyalty and avoid jumping from one sweet deal to another. In most cases, legitimate phone card companies who are here for the long haul will offer some type of loyalty program or incentive to stay with them.

Finally, ask for printed phone records. In most cases these will be supplied on demand. In some countries, a statutory declaration may be required.

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Cellular Phone Choices

Determining what kind of phone service you want is not so easy anymore. There are lots of choices to make: local phone service, long distance phone service, cellular phone service, calling cards, and voice over IP (VoIP) are just some of the choices we have to make. Does it make more sense to just have a cellular phone, or is VoIP best for you? Or, should you stick with the traditional land line phone service? Well, the answer is...it depends. Here are some interesting facts about cellular phone service.

Did you know that a cellular phone is basically a radio? To be precise, it is actually a radio transmitter and receiver. A cellular phone is essentially a two-way radio transceiver that patches into the telephone system via a cellular network of base stations. The antenna of a cellular phone is the phone's primary source of radio frequency, and the quality of the signal depends on your phone, the distance to the source (usually a tower), and other factors which may affect radio transmissions.

What kind of service is best for you? First, understand that, for the most part, you will need to enter into a contract with the service provider. In other words, a cellular phone is typically provided with a service contract so caution is advised that you think about what kind of use your cell phone will get and to sign up for the appropriate service plan.

Trying to decide which mobile phone service is right for you can be very difficult. But there is another option: if you do not want a lengthy agreement, opt for prepaid mobile phone program. The prepaid cellular phone is an alternative to a monthly cellular phone plan. Basically, you pre-pay for your service (like a calling card). When you near the end of the amount of minutes you've paid for, you either just discontinue using it or buy more time (minutes).

While the cellular phone is mostly made up of plastics, it is run by several powerful computer chips. Each cellular phone is assigned a unique ESN, which is automatically transmitted to the cellular tower station every time a cellular call is placed. All that means is that the cellular phone is even unleashing us from telephone wires. This is hi-tech in motion.

But if you want to buy a new cellular phone but don't know where to begin researching, look for wireless phones and cell phone plans based on plan features or usage. What kind of cellular phone should you buy? Well, that's where that research on your part comes in, just like picking the right service does. And, there are lots of choices to make. For example, a camera phone is a cellular phone that also has picture taking capabilities. There are also video phones available. There are games, organizers, Bluetooth technology. The list grows daily. In fact, picking a cellular phone is almost a science in itself.
And don't forget ringtones! Because of the multitude of cellular phone ringtones available now, you never have to wonder whose cellular phone is ringing. And after all, to be stylish you want a ringtone that not only is unique but defines your personality.

So go forth and do your research and find the best service for you. Talk to you later.

Make Cheap And Free Phone Calls Over The Internet

The world of telephony is undergoing a revolution. Mobile phones are everywhere in both developed and underdeveloped countries and now another great development is technology that enables anyone to make phone calls over the Internet for free or for a fraction of the normal price.

Calling over the Internet is done with a process known as VOIP , which stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol. In many applications of VOIP, such as the popular Skype service, Internet phone calls are made using a computer. A user of this type of VOIP service must connect to the Internet and make phone calls using a microphone, or attached headset. It is possible to call users on another computer, or, for a fee, to make calls to landlines or mobile phones.

While computer to computer calling and computer to landline calling has become popular, a new application makes it possible for consumers to make long distance calls over the Internet, using their existing land lines or mobile phones. The service, provided by a European-based company known as Jajah, works by making local phone calls at both ends of the connection and then connecting the two parties over the Internet, thus by-passing the long distance charges of the conventional telephone companies.

The users of the Jajah service do not have to call using their computer or purchase extra equipment. They can make calls using either their landline or their mobile phone. Calls between members are free of charge, and other calls are billed at rates that are substantially lower than conventional long distance charges.

For those Jajah users who want to use their computer directly, they can take advantage of a growing list of services including conference calls, call scheduling and text messaging. While all of these computer based services are similar to those offered by Skype, Yahoo and other VOIP applications, Jajah's big selling point is that its primary service allows consumers to make phone calls using their normal telephone apparatus and without changing their normal calling behavior.

Another attractive feature of Jajah is that it has an affiliate system. Affiliates can place banner and buttons on their website and earn a portion of the revenue that Jajah gets when web visitors sign up and use the service. Some successful affiliates claim to have made thousands of dollars through their participation in the program.

The world is becoming smaller and smaller thanks to the availability of cheap mobile and Internet calling services, and this trend will only accelerate in the years ahead.

Voice over IP Telephony Comes of Age

With the advent of widespread broadband Internet connections, consumers are discovering what businesses have known for a while. Voice over IP telephony, or VoIP as it is known, can be a viable and cost effective alternative to the Plain Old Telephone System (POTS). As VoIP upstarts are popping up everywhere, most notably Vonage, Packet8 and Skype, even the big Internet Service Providers are offering voice over IP packages to their residential subscribers

Such features as caller ID, call forwarding, automatic redial, and even 3-way calling are standard on most VoIP packages, whereas many phone companies consider them add ons and will charge you extra. But the real kicker is, if it is right for you and you pick the right Voice over IP solution, you should be able to reduce your phone bill by half or more.

How Does Voice over IP Work?
IP Telephony is a packet switching technology, as opposed to circuit switching as used by the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network). The PSTN method uses copper wires to physically connect one caller to another through a series of circuit switches, as illustrated by the switchboard operators of old.

In Voice over IP, the analog voice is converted into digital packets that are routed through the internet, and in the case of one of the parties being on a PSTN connection, the packets are routed to the nearest local switching station and placed back on the PSTN. If both persons are using VoIP, then there is no reason to use the PSTN, and the entire conversation takes place over the Internet.

Needless to say, this is much more cost effective than using land lines for the entire distance. If a caller in New York uses VoIP to call a PSTN number in Seattle, the call doesn't leave the internet until it reaches the switching station in Seattle, making it for all practical purposes, a local call.

The Drawbacks of Voice over IP Telephony
There are some points that one should seriously consider when thinking about dumping the POTS. VoIP generally requires a Broadband Internet connection, which in turn requires power. If a power outage should occur, you have no telephone service. Battery backups could solve this problem, but not on a long term basis. Internet Service Providers (ISP's) also have a tendency to go down occasionally, though they are getting better all the time. Calls can be forwarded to your cell phone if your power is out, but in real disaster situation, even cell phones are not a perfect backup, as seen by Hurricane Katrina.

Faxing over an IP network has proven to be problematic. Fax machines scan a document and convert the data into sounds, which don't travel well over the internet. In IP telephony, much progress has been made on a standard called T.38, whose mission is to convert the fax sound into sendable data. Another option is iFax, the T.37 standard that sends faxes as an email attachment or a remote printout using the Internet Printing Protocol. Today, seperate Fax lines can be added by most VoIP providers for an extra charge.

Emergency services such as 911 are also an issue with IP telephony. It is the nature of the Internet that tying a particular node to a geographic location is quite difficult, and street addresses are not easily routed to a nearby call center. In the U.S., the FCC has mandated that VoIP providers implement Enhanced 911 (E911). Providers are making progress by encouraging their customers to register a street address to their phone number, enabling them to route emergency calls to a nearby call center.

Voice over IP and Broadband Connections
While a broadband connection is not absolutely necessary, it is what makes VoIP shine. Many households are turning to DSL or cable modems for their internet connections, and wireless broadband WiFi hotspots are popping up everywhere.

The problem with DSL is that it is provided by telephone companies which for the most part require you to have a landline, pretty much defeating the purpose. Some regional Telco's are starting to unbundle their DSL services by offering "naked DSL", an Internet connection without the analog line on the local loop. When you think about it, there really doesn't seem to be much motivation for the Telco's to promote VoIP, as it would effectively be like cutting their revenues in half.

If your household has cable television, you more than likely can get broadband access through a cable modem. Most cable providers charge around $50 a month for broadband internet access, and for those who utilize the Internet often, a high speed internet connection is well worth the price. Some cable IPS's offer residential Voice over IP for $40-$50 a month. Through the pure play VoIP companies like Vonage or Packet8, you can get VoIP for around $15-$25 a month, potentially eliminating the need for a land line at all.

Wireless networks also work great for VoIP, and are especially convenient if you travel a lot. Hotspots all over the world allow you to call anywhere using a WiFi VoIP phone. Internet phones come in all shapes and sizes with all kinds of bells and whistles. From a full business desk phone from Cisco, to phones indistinguishable from cell phones, even regular cell phones that are VoIP capable; new products and technologies are coming out every day to get you better connected for less.

Voice over IP telephony has come of age. If you have access to a broadband Internet connection, you could conceivably cut your phone bill by half or more, never pay long distance charges in the U.S. and Canada, and pay way less for International calls - as low as 3 cents per minute. Sound quality is usually as good as a cell phone connection. To test you current broadband connection, visit www.TestYourVoip.com and download the java applet. In about 20 seconds they will show you in detail how your VoIP phone call would fare to and from national and international destinations. Once you know if your connection can sustain the extra traffic, it's just a matter of finding a reliable Voice over IP telephony service provider.