THE BEST WAY TO MAKE TELEPHONE CALLS TO INDIA

Options abound these days with technology opening up a plethora of cost effective ways for making a simple phone call. The good news is that it is delivering more talk time for your money. However, with choice, it also means that you have to trawl through all the information to make an informed decision and confirm that you have selected the right service.

So, we did some research and focussed on making outbound calls from Australia to India and compare price and quality using the different options. We will base this on a nominal 10 min call.

Internet Telephony
As the name suggests, if you want to use this option, you need an Internet connection. The quality of your Internet connection is also important - to get really clear speech, broadband is preferable. The most basic configuration requires you to install the Internet telephony software on your PC and use what they call a 'softphone' that requires a headset with a microphone. You can also go all the way in purchasing and installing an ATA (Analogue Telephone Adaptor). This is simply a method to connect your traditional analogue phone into some ports so that you can make calls using the same handsets you have been using all these years. Once you have this set up, you need to find a provider and start calling!

One of the best known companies that offer Internet telephony is Skype. If the party that you are calling is also a Skype subscriber, the call is FREE! Yes, undoubtedly, this is as close to utopia as it gets, for making calls from Australia to India is concerned, if cost is important to you. The software for this is free which can be download from Skype. The cost of a good headset will set you back around $30 and a basic ATA at around $150.

If the party that you are calling does not have Skype, you can still make calls using 'Skype Out'. However, there is now a cost involved which means that you have to buy credits. The charge to India is $0.20 per min. Based on our 10 min call example, it will cost you $2.00 for that duration.

There are also Australian based Internet Telephony providers such as Engin. Their model is also free if an Engin user calls another Engin user. Their charge to India if the other party is not an Engin user is $0.29 per min. This equates to $2.90 for our 10 min call. In addition, there is also a monthly subscription charge of $9.95 when you sign up for their service.

Skype rates from http://www.skype.com/products/skypeout/rates/all_rates.html

POTS
POTS is an industry term that stands for Plain Old Telephone Service. This means using your traditional analogue phone over a normal telephone line that you would get from Telstra or Optus. Obviously, there are monthly rental charges that you pay for the line which equate from $18.50 upwards. Call charges can vary depending on the plan that you subscribe to.

The cheapest rate available to India from Telstra is $1.10 per min with a flagfall of $0.35 which means that our 10 min call is now a whopping $11.35. There is a special 10 min block plan that can bring this call now down to $10.35. 

AAPT's rate for India is $1.05 per min with a 0.35c flagfall which means our 10 min call is $11.40 through that provider, whilst using Optus' online international call calculator, it comes to $12.49.

Telstra rates from http://www.telstra.com.au/phones/homeservices/distance_international.htm
AAPT rates from http://www.aapt.com.au/homephone/homechat/index.asp
Optus rates from http://www.optus.com.au

Mobile
There is no doubt about the convenience in using a mobile phone while you are on the road. However, is it cheaper to call India using my mobile? 

Looking at Vodafone's rates, it is $0.605 for 30 seconds with a $0.275 flagfall. This means that our 10 min call is going to cost us $12.37. Still an expensive option but may have the mobile convenience factor for you.

Vodafone rates from http://www.vodafone.com.au

Prepaid Telephone Cards
Finally, let's have a look at prepaid Telephone Cards. Using the rate calculator on www.telephonecards.com.au we see that rates start from $0.134 per min. But, let's not pick the cheapest option.

With the Bharat card, the cost is $0.149 per min. In calculating our 10 min call, we have to take into account the cost for the local call (using 20c as the charge). This card also charges in 3 min increment blocks, which means that our 10 min call will be calculated as 12 mins in total. Therefore, the 10 min call to India using this card will cost us $1.99.

If you chose the South Asia card, the cost is $0.165 per min. The local call cost will still apply. This card charges in 2 min increments which mean that our 10 min call will be charged as a 10 min call. The total cost therefore using this card is $1.85

Bharat and South Asia rates from http://www.telephonecards.com.au

The Conclusion
From a cost perspective, if your called party uses the same Internet telephony platform and provider as yourself, it wins hands down. However, it does require a high quality Internet connection as well as some investment in the equipment.

Using a POTs line with some of the big carriers for making calls to India is costly. However, the call quality is typically very good - but at over $10 a call, it may be hard to justify. Our call to India using the mobile, whilst convenient when travelling, was also expensive at over $10.

If you do not use Internet Telephony, then a good prepaid Telephone Card is still the best option. Our 10 min call was below $2.00 and it has the portability to be used at home, at work or even on a hotel phone with no contract obligations. In addition, certain cards offer a bonus 10%, when buying $50 denominations which reduce the cost even further. Buying it online such as from www.telephonecards.com.au also allows you to accumulate points to get free cards as well. This validates that prepaid Telephone Cards is still a winner for international calls.

All rates in the above report accurate as of May 2006

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