Making international calls in Europe
For many people, the importance of being able to keep in touch with loved ones in and around Europe is vital. The advent of the European Union has made travel, working and living in Europe much easier for many and as borders have been opened, many people have seen friends and family move across Europe for a variety of reasons. Friends and family bonds remain as strong as ever which means that we really need a reliable way to make cheap calls to and within the continent.
This can be problematic; for many years international calls in Europe were very expensive, but now with the boom of smartphones, the Internet, VoIP, Wi-Fi, 3G and other communication technology, you can keep in touch with your friends in a variety of ways, at a fraction of the cost.
Calls to Landlines
Traditional operators like BT, AOL and Virgin have reduced their rates greatly over recent years, though this is not necessarily as pioneering as it may first seem. Indeed, the actions of the main telecommunications firms have been as a consequence of the emerging online ‘VoIP’ services who are able to undercut their competitors thanks to the use of digital (instead of satellite) technology. Nonetheless, traditional landline calling does remain a preference for some people and as such there are decent deals to be had. Your best bet would be to do some research and check with your provider as they likely have a variety of specific packages for the countries you are looking to call.
Calls to Mobile/Smart Phones
So how do the costs compare when we look at keeping in touch using mobile phones (i.e. your normal monthly contract)? While the days of excessively high international calling costs are now thankfully behind us, there are still huge savings to be made by swaying from the default contract rates. If you want to call any European country with Orange from the UK, for example, you make huge savings by joining their ‘Call Abroad’ subscription. Equally, other providers have similar subscriptions, and while their rates do not compare to those of online (VoIP) services, they are significantly cheaper than the exceedingly high rates of a ‘default’ domestic package.
Internet ‘VoIP’ Calls
By using VoIP services such as those offered by Skype, Fring, Rebtel and more, it is possible to make calls across Europe at seriously cheap rates. While some services have free calls to other users on the same service (for example Skype user to Skype user), this is not always a reality for everyone. With so many apps out there, we often need a way to make regular phone calls but without running up huge costs. It’s strange to think that only a decade ago we were still paying extortionate prices for cross European phone calls. Now, market leaders like Rebtel have some incredible rates that keep the hassle away from staying in touch with loved ones, friends and business associates on the continent.