International mobile phonecalls - Rebtel tested
October 05, 2006
New consumer service claims to slash prices on international mobile calls. Mobil Magazine has tested the service.
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Plus and minus
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Plus:
Very cheap when using call-back
A mobile phone is enough, no need to use a computer
No special software needed
Minus:
Roundabout way with local numbers
No number portability
Does not cover some countries
Can be costly when roaming
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International calls have for a long time been a real cash cow for mobile operators. But now budget services are appearing. I have tested Rebtel, one of the newcomers.
To use Rebtel, you enter your information on the web page and open up an account. You start by entering name and a desired pin code and continue by selecting payment method: Visa, Mastercard, American Express or Paypal. There is no way to use bank payments. The least possible amount to start with is 5 dollars. Fifteen percent VAT will automatically be added on top of that for European users, as the company in registered in Luxembourg.
Generally, all prises are marked excluding VAT, a trick that has been used earlier by Skype. It makes it look like the prices are cheaper than they really are.
When the money is in the account it is time to add a contact to call to. When in Sweden, to call the mobile phone of a friend in Germany, I start with entering his mobile number and name on the webpage. I then get a local individual Swedish number to him. At the same time a German local number is created, which is sent via SMS and e-mail to my German friend. To add a new contact like this is relatively easy and can be also be done by sending an SMS to Rebtel.
To be able to add new contacts only using the mobil phone is a strength for Rebtel compared to other competitors. There is no need to sit byt the computer and download special software to the phone.
When the new contact is established, I can call him via the Swedish number, and then I pay local rate to my ordinary mobile operator in addition to Rebtel's minute fee for calls to Germany, which currently is 0,23 USD excluding VAT.
My German friend can now also call me on the local German number and will then pay the German mobile rate for a local call. When he does that, I myself will be paying for the international call from Germany to Sweden, at Rebtel's rate (currently 0,28 USD excluding VAT). That means I get a cost for a call I would normally not have to pay for.
But here is what separates Rebtel from other competitors - there is a possibility to cut prices further, down to a dollar per week for unlimited calls. If the German colleague calls me, I answer my phone and then quickly hang up on him. I then call him back on the local Rebtal-number I got earlier. At this point, the Rebtel service automatically reconnects the calls again via IP. We are then both calling at the respective local rates and Rebtel does not demand any per minute fee. Instead, they only charge a fee of 1 dollar exckluding tax per week, for the time period the service is used. If I then use a bucket plan where I have free local calls, I will be able to call to Germany for about a dollar a week and talk for as long as I like. That is really cheap.
There is obviously a need to change user behaviour when calling with Rebtel. But even if the instructions on Rebtel's web site could be much clearer, it actually works much better than one would expect. The call quality is just like what I get using my regular mobile phone operator.
But, keeping the rather slow way to add new contacts in mind, it is probably only something that will be worth the effort for the persons that I will call often and talk long hours with, such as family and friends.
It might also feel a bit unusual to have to hang up on someone, even if the reconnection only takes a few seconds. I can't help but feeling I lose something when I start handing out numbers to me that are not ”my own”. This also makes me a bit tied to Rebtel in a way that does not make me feel entirely comfortable.
Another thing to keep in mind when using the service, is that when you are in a different country using your mobile phone, you will have to pay the roaming fees of your regular mobile operator, which can be very costly.
At this point, there are 37 countries in Rebtel's system. Among them the US, Japan, Great Britain, Germany and France. There are still plenty of countries missing, even if that number is steadily increasing.
The conclusion is that Rebtel's service is a very cheap alternative to make mobile phone calls, especially for those in need of frequently getting in touch with friends and relatives abroad.
By:
Jonas Kämpe
Pricecomparison delivered in cooperation with Kelkoo
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