On Tue, 30 Aug 2005 09:16:03 -0400, Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
wrote:
> International Wireless Rates Are Finally Starting to Fall; Six Cents a
> Minute to the U.K.
In the article it states:
> Most landline and cellular carriers provide two types of overseas
> calling plans: a standard plan where users don't pay extra monthly
> fees, but the calls are usually pricey; and discount plans where
> customers pay an average of $4 a month for access to less-expensive
> per-minute rates on the calls. In general, even if you only make a
> few international calls every month, the monthly fee option quickly
> pays for itself.
Just like monthly "service" charges for land lines monthly charges for
"discount" rates for international calling is no bargain. A closer in
example is what T-Mobile is doing for calling to Canada and Mexico.
For a "privilege" fee of $5/month you can call Mexico for 5
cents/minute or $5/month to call Canad at 9 cents/minute. When you
think about this setup it's a bit strange since calling to Mexico
T-Mobile's regular rate is 32 cents/minute (which is high) or 20
cents/minute to call Canada (which is high as well since it's easy to
get per minute rates to Canada very commonly for 5 cents or *less* per
minute.)
> Under a new plan from Verizon Wireless, which is owned by Verizon
> Communications Inc. and Vodafone Group PLC, customers who pay an
> extra $3.99 a month get access to cheaper per-minute rates to more
> than 100 countries. A call to London using the plan, which was
> launched in April, costs 20 cents a minute, compared with $1.49 a
> minute without it.
And this is supposed to be a bargain? Getting a long distance plan
that give you a rate to call the UK for 4 cents/minute or less are
common! Even to call Australia is 5 cents or so from several
carriers.
And to get these "bargain" rates you have to pay a monthly fee. And
something people often don't take into account that when they pay
those fees of 4 or 5 dollars it means that your per minute rate is
*not* 20 cents/minute when you factor in what you're paying for a
monthly service fee.
Joseph (JoeOfSeattle@yahoo.com)