Cheaper by the minute

Mehra also makes use international calling cards. “They are as low as one cent per minute. I usually buy talk-time in bulk,as it’s way cheaper,” he adds. There are many youngsters like Mehra who have smartly and effectively overcome their calling woes by using such alternate means. Thus international calling has now become much more pocket-friendly than STD calls in India where the prices start from Rs 1.50 per call to Rs 3 among different networks.

Ritika Bose,who has to make calls regularly within India and abroad,says,“I have started using the Internet to connect with people,so applications like chat messengers,skype and so on really come in handy as they have the option of voice and video calls. It’s a lot cheaper then using STD services.” It is then just a matter of having an unlimited Internet connection and a laptop to get connected with family and friends. “It takes Rs 6.40 per minute when I use my mobile to call a US number. but I use the Internet on the phone and call at a very cheap rate,in fact its cheaper than calling within India,” adds Bose.

A lot of Indians settled abroad also use phone-in systems that connect you across countries and cost virtually peanuts. Pallavi Jain,who is currently studying in Chicago,shares,“Normally,I use Pingo to call India from Chicago. It’s a calling card and they charge 1.95 cents per minute. Other than this,I have also used Vonage,which is an Internet phone. The device is set up at my home in India,and with a monthly amount of 25 dollars,I can make and receive unlimited calls. Also there is something called ‘magic jack’ which is a VOIP service; for 20 dollars a year,you can insert the pin in your laptop and make calls through it.”

Though the Internet has made international calling a very easy and reasonable affair with zilch hassles,people in places like the middle east still rely heavily on calling cards as the cheapest options. Raunak Gupta,who is working in Dubai,says,“I use Internet for calling because it’s cheaper,but then that’s restricted mainly to the google chat messenger. VOIP is not fully allowed in UAE,and Skype is blocked. Calling cards are available at phone booths and thus it’s the preferred option.”

A lot of websites also enable free messaging and call connecting. Says Rimjhim S,who lives in Australia,”A lot of websites allow you to use their services for free,which also includes SMSing. Thus it’s very convenient.”