We live in a global world, where countries, cultures and people are increasingly moving closer to each other. While that means a lot of opportunities, the options for keeping in touch across borders are still limited, and they often come with a catch. There are plenty of modern-day solutions to modern-day needs, but to create communication services that don’t face a couple of bumps along the ride is a challenge.

There is not one singular reason why international calling is such a necessary aspect of 21^st century life. Many travel far and wide to study abroad, while others have made bold cross-border career moves or simply have a large group of international friends. Whatever your situation is, you need to know that you can stay in touch with friends and family, wherever you, and they, are.

Online calling is great (if your connection is)

Skype has become such a ubiquitous name for internationals all over the world, to the point where you simply say “Let’s Skype” when calling each other through the service. Skype is a magnificent tool, but most who have used it know what happens when you’re faced with a sketchy connection. The call drops, and you’re left disappointed. The same is true for other online calling services like Facetime, Google Hangout and Viber.

International rates that add up

International calling rates haven’t really caught up with the times yet, despite all. It’s still dominated by prices that at first glance may not seem very high, like AT&T’s pay-per-use rate of $1.62/min on calls from the United States to France. But if you know you’ll be calling somebody in France on a regular basis, those rates add up to some pretty high numbers.

Rebtel wants to revolutionize international calling

Internet connection and rates-per-minute are quite obviously the main issues here. In many parts of the world, internet connection leaves a lot to be desired and may include hefty data charges. If you prefer to call through regular phone lines, you have to be prepared to pay for it.  

Rebtel wanted to find a way to remedy this situation, and find a path that is neither dependent on a perfect internet connection nor cross-border rates. They therefore launched the app-to-app calling service Rebel Calling, with the outspoken ambition to revolutionize international calling. They do this by routing your international call through local phone lines, meaning you could be calling as far as from Japan to South Africa and it would function as a simple local call. This means that you are dodging both the need for an internet connection and expensive international rates. 

It’s a simple and straightforward process to get started, as new users only have to download the app and sign up. It’s completely free to use until 2017 at which time it will cost only $1/month. As it was just recently launched the user base is still somewhat small, so to enjoy all the benefits of unlimited, internet-free app-to-app calling, users should invite their friends to download the app. 

Rebel Calling is currently available in 54 countries and anybody with a Smartphone can download the app, either through the Apple Store or Google Play.