Internet calls continue to gain popularity. For this purpose, IP telephony is used, which is characterized by fast connection and cheap tariffs. You can call anywhere - to mobile and landline numbers, throughout Russia and abroad. International calls via IP telephony are really cheap; depending on the operator, the cost per minute is from 0.1 rubles.
- How cheap internet calls work
- Paid and free calls to any city in the world
- Internet services for free international calls
- Mobile applications for calling abroad
- How to choose the cheapest way to call abroad
To become an IP telephony subscriber, you will need a computer and Internet access. The subscriber will not need to enter into a contract, receive a SIM card or purchase additional equipment. The connection is made through IP telephony operators - there are quite a lot of them in Russia to quickly find a suitable option. It is telephony that will be discussed in our review:
- Let's talk about operators;
- We will give recommendations for connection;
- Let's talk about the cheapest ways to call abroad.
Find the latest information on cheap international calls.
How cheap internet calls work
For calls over the Internet, IP telephony is used. It does not use traditional telephone lines, providing voice data transmission through existing Internet channels. Thanks to this, communication via IP telephony is several times cheaper than cellular communications and landline telephony.
If the heart of city telephony is an automatic telephone exchange, then the heart of IP telephony is the server of the SIP operator. It is he who ensures the switching of subscribers and directs calls in the right direction. Using IP telephony, you can call a mobile phone, a landline phone, as well as another IP telephony subscriber in the same or another network (a subscriber of a different operator).
IP telephony does not require the installation of expensive and maintenance-intensive telephone lines. Instead, ubiquitous Internet channels are used. Thanks to the compression of digital voice data, tens of thousands of calls can be transmitted over one channel in any direction. Let's see what happens when a call is made:
- An IP telephony subscriber dials a number, after which his equipment connects to the server of the selected operator;
- The operator’s server looks for another subscriber in its network, sends a request to cellular communication or landline telephony systems - depending on the direction of the call;
- Next, the interlocutors connect to each other - as mentioned above, they can be on different IP networks and use different communication systems.
The entire chain largely consists of Internet channels connected to each other. The cost of traffic in them is cheap, thanks to which IP telephony users enjoy low prices for calls.
If both subscribers use the same IP telephony operator, then communication between them is completely free - even if the interlocutors are on different ends of the planet.
Approximate cost of calls via IP telephony:
- In Russia – within 1-4 rubles/min, depending on the direction;
- To CIS countries – from 3 to 40 rubles/min;
- To underdeveloped foreign countries – from 20 to 50 rubles/min;
- To developed foreign countries – from 0.5 to 5 rubles/min.
Oddly enough, the cheapest destinations are often the USA, Australia and Canada. At the same time, calls to CIS countries are more expensive - here Belarus is often the most expensive destination.
Your country
This MTS tariff is suitable for calls to Armenia and Ukraine. This is the most suitable solution.
Today the company does not have a special tariff, which is designed specifically for communication with other countries. Therefore, you will have to be content with the available options. Let's study together the conditions of the Your Country program:
- To the phones of subscribers with the Your Country plan - 1 rub.
- On MTS – 2.5 rubles.
- For other operators – 2.5 rubles.
- To other regions – 5 rubles.
- On Vivasell – 3 rubles up to 30 minutes per day.
- Starting from 31 – 5 rubles.
- Other operators – 20 rubles.
- MTS and Vodafone of Ukraine – 3.5 rubles.
- Other numbers – 20 rub.
- SMS within Russia – 2.5 rubles.
- In the CIS – 3 rubles.
The plan is not the cheapest. Initially it was developed for communication within Russia. Relatives or friends can connect to one program and pay only 1 ruble per minute.
Advantageous calls to Armenia on MTS and to Ukraine are available. But you can only contact your interlocutor at discounted prices on MTS and Vodafone. Therefore, your relatives will need to connect to these operators.
In general, the program is well suited for international calls. But the company also has special offers that will allow you to save money on communications.
Paid and free calls to any city in the world
Any IP telephony operator will offer paid calls to any city in the world. Tariffing is carried out according to the current tariff schedule and the tariff plan chosen by the subscriber. To start making calls, you need to register an account and top up your account with a bank card, through a terminal or e-wallet.
As for free calls, they are provided within the framework of:
- Current promotions - for example, operators provide subscribers with free directions. The duration of the free period is 1-2 days;
- Cash bonuses – new subscribers are provided with bonus funds that can be spent on calls in any direction;
- As part of bonus points or credits - they are earned, won, or accepted as a gift.
You won’t be able to use free calls on a regular basis - promotions and discounts are short-term, and credits and bonus points are almost never used. As for cash bonuses for new subscribers, they are provided under conditions that exclude the registration of a large number of accounts.
By the way, free calls to any city in the world are provided within popular instant messengers. Their list included WhatsApp, Viber, Skype and Telegram. If both interlocutors use the same messenger, they will be able to talk without the slightest cost - even if they are in different cities and countries.
As for the Viber and Skype instant messengers, they provide the ability to call mobile and landline numbers around the world with payment from the internal balance. There are two types of tariffs - per minute or subscription. The second option is more profitable, as it involves lower cost of calls.
This option is basic, that is, it is initially included in the package of any contract. The only exceptions will be proposals for business. You can check whether the function is active on your SIM card through your personal account or by calling a call center specialist. If it turns out to be disabled. Then you can connect it using:
- Ussd combinations *111*2157#;
- Personal account or mobile application;
- SMS messages to number 111. In the text you must write the combination 2157.
The service makes it possible to receive and send SMS messages and calls in 112 countries. A detailed list can be found on the official page of the MTS company.
The offer has no subscription fee and is activated free of charge.
Internet services for free international calls
Let's move on to services and operators that provide the opportunity to call via the Internet for free or with minimal expense. Their list includes three Russian SIP providers with really low prices for international calls.
Zadarma
This provider is actually ready to offer free international calls for every new subscriber. For this purpose, each new subscriber is given a bonus of 20 rubles. Not so much, but it’s enough to check the quality of the connection. And given the low cost of international calls, you can have time to talk with friends or relatives living abroad.
For example, the cost of calls to the USA on the Economy tariff is only 0.54 rubles/min. Taking into account the bonus, the duration of the free call will be 37 minutes. Calls to Kazakhstan cost from 2.08 rubles/min, the bonus is enough for almost 10 minutes of conversation. Calls to Ukraine cost from 1.65 rubles/min, the bonus is enough for almost 12 minutes of conversation. Another cheap destination is Mexico, calls here cost 0.448 rubles/min, the bonus is enough for almost 40 free minutes.
IP telephony from Zadarma is really cheap - several times cheaper than a landline phone or cellular connection. For example, with the Tele2 operator on the “Classic” tariff, the cost of calls to Mexico and Europe costs 69 rubles/min, to the CIS countries – 30 rubles/min. Compare with the prices above and find out how much you can save on every minute of a call via IP telephony.
Connecting to Zadarma is extremely simple:
- Fill out the registration form;
- Confirm your registration using the link in the email;
- Add your mobile phone number to the system to receive a bonus.
To call abroad, go to the “Services – Call from website” menu. Here is a simple web phone with a virtual keyboard. Connect a headset or microphone with headphones to your computer, dial the number of your interlocutor and wait for an answer. Don’t forget to top up your account with a card, electronic money, through Sberbank Online or in the terminal - the bonus tends to end.
Feedback from our reader
My company required IP telephony that would meet a number of requirements: the presence of a PBX, the ability to use numbers from different regions, reasonable prices and the ability to quickly resolve issues.
I chose from several providers on the market, and finally settled on Zadarma, it meets all our requirements. More details >>> Advantages of Zadarma over other operators:
- Low prices for international calls on any tariff plans. The “Unlimited” tariff with a subscription fee of 790 rubles/month is very profitable - this price includes 2000 minutes for calls to 80 countries. The operator also has a “Standard” tariff plan, which includes 100 free minutes monthly - the list of destinations includes Moscow landline numbers, landline numbers in Poland, Great Britain and Spain, as well as any numbers in the USA, China and Canada. To receive free minutes, you need to top up your account monthly with an arbitrary amount (at least 5 rubles);
- Instant connection – filling out the form, confirming registration and entering your mobile phone number to receive a bonus takes no more than 2-3 minutes;
- There is a bonus for free international calls and a tariff with free minutes in seven directions - these are unique features of the operator that other IP telephony providers do not have;
- A convenient application for Windows, Android and iOS - it does not require complex settings and has a simple interface. Turn your smartphone into a full-fledged SIP phone in 2 minutes and use inexpensive international calls even via the mobile Internet;
- High voice quality on all tariff plans - the operator uses premium routes for high-quality communications and impeccably fast connections with interlocutors.
Zadarma is a leader in the field of cheap international communications with any country in the world.
Sipnet
This operator began its activities in Russia, and today it is registered in the Czech Republic. But this does not matter much - low tariffs for international calls for Russian subscribers are much more important. The operator has created the “International” tariff specifically for calls abroad. It is provided without a monthly fee, calls are billed per minute. Prices for some destinations:
- Israel, stationary – 0.16 rubles/min (0.21 rubles/min);
- USA, stationary – 0.32 rubles/min (0.43 rubles/min);
- Germany, stationary – 0.14 rubles/min (0.19 rubles/min);
- Ukraine, stationary – 8.16 rubles/min (11.12 rubles/min);
- Hong Kong, mobile – 1.87 rubles/min (2.54 rubles/min);
- China, any numbers – 7.79 rubles/min (10.61 rubles/min);
- Czech Republic, stationary – 1.37 rubles/min (1.86 rubles/min);
- Australia, stationary – 0.77 rubles/min (1.05 rubles/min).
The cost of the first and every fifth minute of conversation is indicated in parentheses, which creates some confusion and makes the tariff plan more expensive than it seems.
The Sipnet operator does not have free minutes or bonuses when connecting - this is a minus. A few years ago there were promotions with free directions, but today they do not work. An interesting offer would be to double the balance when you replenish your account for the first time - the bonus size ranges from 25% to 100% or up to 1000 rubles, depending on the replenishment amount. The subscriber can take part in the promotion only once. The proposed bonus will make some calls free.
Telphin
Another operator worthy of inclusion in our review is Telphin. The company is old and proven, it provides high-quality communications and relatively low rates for international calls. For individuals, we recommend the “Per-minute” tariff plan, which is provided without a subscription fee. Cost of calls to individual directions:
- Australia, landline – 1.2 rubles/min;
- Belarus – 35 rub/min;
- Brazil – 9 rubles/min;
- Canada – 0.6 rub/min;
- China – 1 rub/min;
- Cyprus – 5 rubles/min;
- Czech Republic – 7.4 rubles/min;
- Egypt – from 7.5 rub/min;
- Finland – 25 rub/min;
- Greece – 3 rubles/min;
- Israel – 3.15 rubles/min;
- USA – 0.75 rub/min.
A complete list of directions with call costs is published on the official website of the Telphin operator.
The operator focuses on connecting corporate clients, so all promotions apply only to them. There are no free minutes or bonuses - this is a minus.
FreeCall
This is a foreign IP telephony service aimed at calls around the world. The official website is completely in English, but with the help of a translator you can figure out what's what. The service provides an application for calls for computers and mobile devices; you can also make calls through a browser. Call costs:
- Free to US mobile and landline phones;
- Great Britain – from 0.4 euro/min;
- Türkiye – from 0.026 euro/min;
- Thailand – from 0.035 euro/min;
- Australia, landlines – free;
- Canada – from 0.01 euro/min.
Thus, FreeCall is suitable for those who need free calls to US numbers and UK landlines.
Evaphone
From the website of this service there is a direct link to the Calls.Online service. It promises users free calls in exchange for certain credits - they need to be earned by installing games and applications on their smartphone or tablet. The service also operates a lottery - every 1-2 hours subscribers are shown a voucher code for free calls. But user reviews indicate that it is impossible to win. Otherwise, this is the simplest telephony service with not the lowest prices for calls (the legal entity is unknown, support is provided only via Skype).
Flash2Voip
This is not an IP telephony service, but a web phone written in Flash technology - outdated, unreliable and insecure. You can log in to your phone with a Sipnet account and make calls at the rates of this operator. The Gtalk-to-VoIP service, created for foreign users, is also supported. There is no tariff schedule on the website; the cost of calls for each direction must be calculated using a calculator. Verdict – the service is not recommended for use.
Non-working services
The telephony services iCall, Jaxtr, Globe 7 and Poketalk are not working - they have ceased to exist. We recommend using the working services and operators described in our review.
Mobile applications for calling abroad
All applications created for calls abroad belong to IP telephony operators. A typical example of this is the Zadarma application for Windows. It works closely with the Zadarma operator, which provides attractive rates for calls to international numbers - we recommend using this combination. The application is available on Android and iOS. Similar applications are Yandex.Telephony, Mango Talker, Rostelecom Phone and many others.
Also, the application stores are full of software designed to work with any SIP operators. These are universal softphones, multifunctional, allowing you to make calls via home, work or mobile Internet. Examples of applications are Zoiper, Linphone, Sipnetic, Sipdroid and many others.
How to choose the cheapest way to call abroad
We managed to find out that calling abroad from a mobile phone is very expensive. Let's take the USA as an example - the cost of calls in this direction from Tele2 is 69 rubles/min. A call lasting 10 minutes will cost 690 rubles. By choosing the IP telephony operator Zadarma, we can call the “states” for only 0.54 rubles/min. In total, a call lasting 10 minutes will cost 5.4 rubles - this is more than 12 times cheaper than cellular communications.
The truly American Skype boasts attractive prices – calls to the USA start from 2.4 cents/min. It turns out to be cheap, but calls in other directions are noticeably more expensive than in IP telephony. In the Viber messenger, calls to the USA cost from 2.3 cents/min, other directions are more expensive.
Messengers are attractive due to their free internal calls. But not everyone uses them - there are people who use the phone only as a phone (calls and SMS). For calls to mobile and landline phones around the world, we recommend using IP telephony - this is the cheapest method of communication. The main thing is to choose the right tariff plan, focusing on priority areas.
The optimal operator from our review is Zadarma - subscribers can expect low prices for calls and fast connections. For the greatest savings, we recommend using the “Standard” tariff plan - there are seven free destinations with a package of 100 minutes. Savings will also be provided by the “Unlimited” tariff plan with a package of 2000 minutes in 80 directions - ideal for frequent international calls.
This offer allows subscribers to communicate with those who are outside the country and call Russia while in international roaming. Paired with this one.
Attention! A prerequisite for activation is a balance above 0 rubles and the absence of a blocked number.
The option is free of charge. There are no mandatory payments for use. To make calls abroad you must comply with the following rules:
- Be a client of MTS for at least a year. In this case, monthly accruals must exceed the threshold of 1 ruble;
- Use a SIM card from the specified operator for more than six months. During this time, the subscriber must spend more than 470 rubles with mandatory monthly expenses of over 0 rubles.
To activate these two services, you can use any of the following methods:
- Send ussd request *111*2193# or *111*2192# from your mobile phone. The second combination enables both functions at once.
- Carry out the necessary manipulations in the official mobile application “My MTS” or in your Personal Account on the company’s website.
- Contact a mobile phone store in person or call the call center at 0890.
Attention! To activate the function at service offices, you must have your passport with you.
If any of the required conditions are not met in your case, then take advantage of the offer described below.
