Cheap International Cell Phone Calls

Cell phone technology and increases in global network coverage by expanding networks has made it easy to stay in touch with anyone Worldwide. There is now a sizeable market of international travelers signing up for expensive roaming agreements which allow them to roam with their US numbers on GSM networks around the world.

However, as we make it through a recession companies still need to travel on an international basis but the costs need to be managed more effecitively. Fortunately products like the World GSM Phone have made this an affordable and reliable way to have an international cell phone.

Further Reading:
Country Calling Codes
Signal Map
Buying a Tri-Band GSM Phone

Emergency Communications - Tornadoes or Flooding effects on your business

Each business should have disaster planning ready to ensure a fail proof business continuity service for it's clients. The internet is now a primary method of business communication - being either VOIP telephony services, email, or similar. The disaster planning for Tornadoes, Floods, and other natural disasters is rarely taken in to consideration for most business continuity services. Mobile telephone networks run near to capacity generally and major increases in call volumes during a natural disaster can make these systems fail.

While some businesses may not feel the need to call during an emergency, many others should consider this as part of their business continuity solution. Giving your staff the opportunity to remain in contact may be vital where you place them in either remote or dangerous environments, or they have vital requirements to stay in touch with other office locations during natural disasters or failed standard communication methods. This post may deal with business related requirements, but should also be considered as part of a family emergency preparedness plan if you live in regions suffering from Tornadoes, Hurricanes, or live in remote locations where general phone networks may not be reliable and communication can be vital to survival.

Solution: Using a satellite phone during an emergency.

Terrestrial cell antennas and telephone networks tend to be damaged during a natural disaster. Examples where this has occurred include the September 11 attacks, the Hawaiian earthquake, the 2003 Northeast blackouts, Hurricane Katrina, the 2007 Minnesota bridge collapse and the 2010 Chilean earthquake. Satellite telephony can be critical in natural disaster communications. A satellite phone should be a considered part of your business continuity service for communication during a disaster. Calling during an emergency can be life saving, but can play an important role for your business.

Satellite view of Port-au-Prince, Haiti Earthquake damage.

The FCC have started to work on plans to ensure 911 services remain operational in the US, though this is just for emergency services and will not allow you to contact family, colleagues who may be stranded (or to inform them the server farm has just been sunk), or to make other vital continguency plans for your business;

"..reviewing the impact of Hurricane Katrina, the FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (PSHSB) is working on several fronts to improve communications during emergencies, including streamlining collection of outage information during times of crisis through the Disaster Information Reporting System, helping ensure that communications workers receive “essential personnel” credentials during emergencies, working with other federal agencies to improve interoperability among first responders, and promoting use of enhanced 911 best practices."

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While Public-safety answering points (PSAP) may begin to help the strain for the vital lives, secondary businesses may require to stay in communication to remain in business. It may be vital to the business life line even if no lives rely on it. A Low Earth Orbit (LEO) based Satellite Phone like the Iridium can be the ideal solution and will leave emergency service lines open for the life savers, and help you save your business life line.



Further Reading:

Wikipedia Entry on Satellite Phones

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Cruise Calls: Onboard Extras For A Lot Extra

Recently I've been planning a cruise and came across the Royal Caribbean website while trying to find out the best way of contacting home. However the extortionate fees made me run for the hills (or upper decks) looking for something that doesn't require me to mortgage my house to call it.



I did some further research, being recommended by many to use Skype.. which would require buying a laptop, then paying Skype's rates to a land line or cell phone of 2.4-2.2 cents per minute (or less) for an international call. Even then I'd need to pay to use the onboard internet access fees. For example, Norwegian Cruise Line offers a package of 33 minutes for $25 - 75 cents a minute.. before I buy a laptop, pay for Skypes fees.. going over $3 a minute at least (before I consider the cost of a laptop).

If I use my own mobile I'll be subject to any roaming fees my mobile phone provider deems appropriate. Others had the same requirements for me to buy a laptop and pay for access per minute/data fees.

Fortunately I found that renting a satellite phone would be the cheapest option overall on board a cruise ship. I'd only have to pay a daily rental fee (than buying a laptop and then the Skype+internet access fees), and was more cost effective than the international roaming charge my cell provider was going to charge me (plus a charge to activate it) and then the additional cost per minute call charges.

The largest advantage of this is that I can use it from anywhere at all at exactly the same rate. While I can use the antenna extension to get access from the privacy of my own cabin I can freely walk around outside the ship calling home stress free. Plus I love to walk while I'm talking on the phone.

Further Reading:

Wikipedia List of Cruise Ships
$6.95 'economical' calls to Cruise Ships