International calls to a cell phone - higher charges apply
Calling a cell phone abroad is not the same as calling a regular telephone. International calls to cell phones usually cost several times more than calls to wireline numbers. This is because in most countries cellular subscribers never pay for incoming calls. In other words, unlike the US in most countries people pay higher charges to call a cell phone because receivers of the call do not pay anything. This is what happens when a US caller places an international call to a mobile number - the US caller will incur higher charges. Below are a few examples of differentiated rates charged by Power Net Global:
- US to UK
- calls to a regular phone number: 4.2 cents/min
- calls to a mobile phone: 28.6 cents/min
- US to Italy
- calls to a regular phone number: 4.6 cents/min
- calls to a mobile phone: 34.4 cents/min
- US to Poland
- calls to regular phone number: 6.2 cents/min
- calls to mobile phone: 31.4 cents/min
As you can see rates are highly differentiated. This type of calling system is present in most European countries, but not only. There are also exceptions to this rule - some countries have a telephone system similar to the one in the US, therefore calls to a mobile phone in these countries are not charged higher. Some examples: India, Brazil.
Make an informed choice
- Before placing an international call ask your service provider about international rates to a mobile phone in the country you wish to call (in most cases you'll be able to find these rates online)
- Many countries use different starting digits for cellular phone numbers; if you are not sure what type of number you want to call you can use this International calling codes guide to find out if it is a mobile number or a landline