UK Call Costs

Because I now no longer have a land line I was checking out the international call costs from my VOIP phone.

Most countries I call are simple rates at about 2 or 3 cents (1p) per minute whether you call a land line or a mobile but the UK had this complicated table



Calling a landline is easy but a mobile? forget it! If I have to call a UK mobile I will use my mobile at 16 cents (8p) a minute

Why are the UK rates so complex and expensive? I don't understand it, It is almost as if these companies don't want you to call their customers.

BTW using my mobile to call anyone in Australia landline or mobile costs me 9 cents a minute yet to use the same phone to call most places in the world is about 6 cents a minute (except UK mobiles - see above) - how do they work that one out?

Re: UK Call Costs

I don't want to give the impression that the UK was the most expensive because it wasn't but there are some interesting entries for example:

Vanuatu $1.29c/min - Vanuatu Mobile $1.12c/min

Which, when you think about the relative cost of the infrastructure, is the right way round (if a little expensive).


This is a late edit!

I came across this document

http://consumers.ofcom.org.uk/files/.../numbering.pdf

I have to say your phone system is a totally daft, money making scheme not geared to public service. I just hope we don't go down that path, it is far too complicated and expensive.

• Here local calls are a fixed rate and untimed but all mobile calls are timed
  
• Long distance calls are timed
  
• 13xxxx numbers are charged at the fixed local call rate. 1800xxx numbers are free. Bigger businesses tend use one of those as their contact number.
  
• Each state has an STD prefix (eg (02) for NSW) but if calling within the state you only need to dial the actual number and only use the prefix when calling interstate
  
• 19xxx are premium rate calls but you can set a $ limit on them or have them barred all together. No legit business use this as their call number.

I think that is about it. Simple eh?

Re: UK Call Costs

I think our companies just like to squeeze as much profit out of us as they can and that is the simple answer. They are not in it for our good or to provide a service just to hand money to the shareholders. It's the same with most utilities and some are foreign owned so the profit doesn't even come back into the country.

Re: UK Call Costs

I am with Virgin so just have a normal package of free calls at the weekend to the UK. You can buy packages from them on a monthly basis so if you have mobile or calls abroad you can pay for the package to suit you.
On Skype here in the UK you can Skype people but also phone them.
I don't know their charges but my son uses them to phone me from France and he hasn't said its really expensive. Don't know about mobile charges as I don't phone them apart from texts on my mobile.
There are also companies you can search google for and you pay your telephone line to the company you are with like Virgin but you can then pay the phone charges to another company and they are quite cheap calls like
1p, 2p etc.

Re: UK Call Costs

I used to use Skype but now use Line.

My mobile company has free calls and texts to any other mobile phone using the same company at any time and untimed which is handy.

My VOIP costs me $5 ($2.50) a month and includes 60 Australia wide untimed calls. If I make more than 5 calls a month I would think I had gone mad because I use my mobile phone for all my calls (except ones which might take a long time ie 13xxxx numbers).

You can't complain about 2c (1p) a minute to UK landline from half a world away though can you?

Unfortunately I do need what appears to be a landline because too many pensioners won't ring mobile phones and I receive a fair number of calls from club members needing help or advice. Being able to keep my old number, which I have had for nearly 35 years, is a great benefit.

Re: UK Call Costs

Is Vonage available there? We have it here and can call anywhere in the US for free, unlimited for about $29 per month. That doesn't include the internet connection that we have with a cable company.

Re: UK Call Costs

With some of these numbers its not the provider who makes the money its the phone owner..such as the 09 numbers which cost about£1 a minute.

I'm on Talk Talk all normal evening and weekend calls are free except to premium rate lines and mobiles.