Phone Stuff When Living Off-shore?

[yubrew]

When you're doing media buys or whatever and you're offshore, how do you make and receive phone calls without getting ass raped?

When I'm outside the US, AT&T charges like $.79/min and then $20/MB for txt messages and internet.

 

[Dr_Ngo]

magicjack and skype

 

[pstation]

get a t-mobile blackberry 9700. then use UMA to make/receive calls over wifi

 

[ricdes]

well I just use skype for my calls. and when I'm in a foreign country I mostly just get a prepaid card... one of the advantages of not buying phones on contracts

 

[iSynergy Media]

SKype is best its too cheap

 

[HiGhPeR]

Skype.

 

[numerouno]

Get a Skype-In phone number, take your phone where you live, forward it to your Skype-In phone number. As I'm currently in Europe for 3 months, I bought a Skype-In number in Canada, forward my cell to my Skype-In, forward my Skype to my cellphone number I bought here when I'm away and remove the forward if I'm working. Some countries like Canada doesn't have any Skype-In service but multiple companies offer Business number for Skype for fees of like 10 bucks a month.

 

[consigliere]

if you dont already have a google voice number hop on that

 

[bigwavesurfer]

magicjack and skype

combination of this ^ and google voice should be enough to connect you to whoever you need to be connected to pretty much anywhere in the world.

 

[envision]

Free Washington State and Nevada call-in numbers:
FREE IP Calling with IPKall
Set it up on a SIP softphone software like
CounterPath Corporation | X-Lite
Done.
Cost: $0

Alternative:
http://www.gizmo5.com/
Call-in numbers not free, but still cheaper than Skype. Screw Skype.

Oh, almost forgot about these guys:
http://www.sipgate.com/
Numbers free as in beer.

 

[ret]

I use skype for unlimited US calls for $3 a month. If you get the subscription it's 50% off a skype in number as well. You can then forward this number to a cell phone you buy in the foreign country for when you don't have skype on if you want (can be expensive depending on the country).

This works for me, although now I'm curious about sipgate and gizmo5.

 

[TVensor]

Skype is good, but only if a decent Internet connection is available. Otherwise get a local SIM that has free incoming calls. Most Asian carriers also have an outbound voip calling option to the US for about $.03/min.

 

[DirSP]

Get a skype # and then forward it to your local # wherever you go to receive call. You are probably with an internet connection when working anyway so use skype to make call.