Calls for US

by Frank Vanderlugt
Making calls to US to our loved ones is not an easy task. It is obvious for our hearts to desire for more when it comes to establishing a conversation with people we love. However, limited talk time and exorbitant call tariffs leave our hands lied.

There are several ways to communicate in the US including telephones and emergencies.

When it comes to phone numbers, the standard American telephone number is ten digits such as 555-555-1234. Now, here the area code consists of the first three digits and often need to be dialed when one makes a local call. In case, you are calling a number outside the originating area code, you would require to dial '1' prior to the ten-digit number if you are calling via a residential landline phone such as 1-555-555-1234. You should also check with your hotel before dialing a long distance number because hotels usually have their own specific dialing policies.

Most 'toll-free' phone numbers are with area codes "866", "800", "888" and "877". These numbers are billed to the owner of the particular number and not the caller. Hence, you don't require to pay anything for these numbers via a pay phone. However, you should keep in mind that most of the hotels in the US still change a fee for connection if you want to dial these numbers from a room phone.

Emergency calls from the US can be made by dialing 911. This will provide you immediate assistance from an emergency personnel. This number can also be dialed to reach the fire department, police or medical assistance. 911 is a free number and can be dialed for no fee at all from any phone including pay phone. If you are looking for directory assistance, dial 411. Here, you may require to pay some charges.

There is also a provision in the US to make calls in case a spider or snake bites someone. All one requires to do is to contact the poison center at 1-800-222-1222. This will provide you prompt assistance.

Cell phones are really popular in the US. The coverage of cell phones here is good in well populated areas however, you would find different carriers with exclusive systems and areas. This indicates that the cell phone service provided to you in certain areas of the country may be extremely poor and really great in some other areas.

You may have to face mediocre or non existent coverage in several subways and buildings. GSM mobile telephones work at varied frequencies in the US as compared to other countries. The 1900 MHz is really common in the US. These days 850 MHz is really common in the US. These days 850 MHz is used in cellular phones, specifically on the cingular network.

You may additionally require a tri or quad-band telephone service to work well in the United States. Try contacting your cellular provider regarding the phone and service compatibility prior to traveling.

You can also purchase calling cards from convenience stores. Almost every super market sells these cards.
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Omley Case Study

The Customers Situation
In 1989 Larry Vo came to the United States with a driving mission. He wanted to find a way to for his displaced Vietnamese countrymen to communicate. Over 1,000,000 people fled Vietnam after the war in 1975, and many of them could never go home again. In the exodus, many families were split up and lost communications and Larry was one of them.
In the 1990s he founded USA Gateways which is a multi faceted business provider of services for the Asian Community including: travel, accounting, calling cards and pin-less numbers. Larry also had a vision to connect his business enterprises and expand his services into the VoIP world and connect his US customer base directly with Vietnam and Asian. In Vietnam it is illegal for business to operate traditional TDM systems, and Larry felt VoIP was the perfect solution. He wanted to offer his customers the most advanced technology that had room for expansion because he expected explosive growth in this new market situation.
In 2006, he founded Omely Telecom Corporation in California. This company expanded its infrastructure with XRainbow a SIP Based, class 5 softswitch from Seawolf Technologies (News - Alert) Inc. XRainbow is a powerful turnkey system and had the capabilities to enable Omely Telecommunications to provide broadband, calling cards, pin-less and softphone services. It also allowed them to establish a web site and manage thousands of agents globally: USA, Canada, Japan, Vietnam, and Cambodia.
The Solution
The synergy between Omely Telecommunications and Seawolf was tremendous. Omely was a savvy marketing organization but did not have the VoIP technological backbone needed to set up and run a carrier grade system and work with the Vietnam and Southeast Asia carriers. They needed the latest VoIP technology to meet their goals and penetrate and capture the Vietnam market. They also had to move quickly to deliver the services they contracted for with the Vietnam carriers. Seawolf was there to help them set up the softswitch, train their people and walk them through operation every step of the way.
In addition, Omely needed customization to set up their sales agents to give them a competitive edge. Seawolf was able to develop the software they needed in a matter of a few weeks. Seawolf set up the entire system to run their operation on just a few servers. Larry Vo was quoted to say, XRainbow is so powerful and has everything all in one and it made it much easier for me to start this business than I anticipated. With just a few servers, you can market to the world!
Seawolf had become a trusted provider to Omely Telecommunications during the sale and installation of XRainbow. When Omely expressed its special needs to work with the carriers in Vietnam and convert H323 to SIP and via versa, Seawolf proposed XGateway. This is a product which works like a conventional TDM gateway and offers multiple IVR languages, has traditional routing functionality and interchangeable termination. It also converts SIP to H323, and H323 to SIP as well as allows them to maintain a neutral position with their carriers. Omely used this product in conjunction with their TDM gateways and found that it saved them time and money. It also helped speed their time to market and Larry believes it helps keep him ahead of competition.
The XRainbow solutions recommended by Seawolf Technology provided all of the features necessary for Omely Telecommunications to introduce a competitive service offering meeting all of their requirements. They were able to offer calling cards and pin-less numbers and have their agents work with them through a special website that was built by Omely Telecom. Their customers are now experiencing features such as web-based consumer provisioning, voice mail, selective call forwarding, global follow-me numbers, and other revenue generating services.
"Our relationships with Seawolf really helped us grow our business. Sam Wen their CTO has been wonderful and he and his team have given excellent technical support. There is no problem they can not solve. XRainbow is the best technology and is very powerful platform and gives my customers a variety of products to choose from." said Larry Vo.
Results
Omley Telecommunications had a very successful launch of the service in March, 2007. Their 1st month they added over 40,000 customers and their revenues grew by close to over $200,000 in that month. Their customer base and revenues have increased steadily since then. From March 2007 to June 2007 their VoIP customer base grew over 700% and their revenues grew over 885% in the same time period. They have an integrated system that is easy for their customers and sales agents to use. Their technical staff has learned from the experts at Seawolf how to operate in a VoIP world. The company has been able to capitalize on this business opportunity and has positioned itself as a VoIP leader in Vietnam.
In the four months following their service launch, the company grew both their customer base and revenue alike. Their success has allowed them to move from a 3,000 sq ft. building into a 20,000 sq ft building on 4 acres. They have been able to hire an additional 50 people to help with their growth. Growth is expected to continue as Omley utilizes a combination of innovative marketing and leading edge technology. They expect to stay ahead of competition and be able open up new opportunities with Seawolf as a partner.
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BSNL launches instant pre-paid mobile card for foreigners

By PTI
New Delhi: Seeking to tap the inbound foreign tourists segment, state run BSNL has launched a special pre-paid card with instant activation facility at a cost of Rs5,618.
Foreign tourists often complain of difficulties in getting a pre-paid connection due to regulatory reasons or identification problems. In calling cards the charges are exorbitantly high.
On the BSNL card, a user has to pay Rs5,618 for an initial talk value of Rs3,000 with a 30-day validity. The applicable pulse rate is 60 seconds and the charges are same as for India citizens, company officials said.
Local call charges are 90 paise a minute for BSNL’s GSM network and Rs 1.20 for non-BSNL network. For STD calls, charges are Rs 2 per minute for BSNL’s GSM and fixed line phones, while for other it is Rs2.40.
For international calls, the charges are Rs7.20 a minute for calls to the US, Canada, the UK, Sri Lanka. For calls to Europe (other than the UK), Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Bahrain, UAE, Oman and Qatar, the figure is Rs 9.60, while for the rest of the world, it is Rs12.
Earlier, BSNL had reduced international roaming tariff for foreigners using its network in the country by up to 40%, a relief for tourists who often complain of high telephone charges while on the move in India.
For foreigners visiting India, the tariff for outgoing local/STD call is slashed to about Rs30 per minute from Rs49, while an ISD call will cost Rs70 per minute, against Rs99 earlier. For an incoming call, a person has to pay Rs50 per minute instead of earlier Rs75 a minute.
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Veterans collecting calling cards for soldiers

PORTSMOUTH — During September, Aquidneck Medical Associates in Portsmouth and Newport are participating in a statewide campaign to collect and distribute international calling cards to overseas military personnel so they can call their families without worrying about the expense.

On average, it costs more than $4 a minute to place a call from Iraq to Boston. The cards are given to soldiers and not to their families because soldiers are not stationed in any one place long enough to have a phone number they can share. Veterans and US Family Health Plan staff members will collect the international calling cards and deliver them to US Family Health Plan at Brighton Marine Health Center, the originator of the campaign.

Aquidneck Medical Associates, 69 Turnpike Ave., 683-2290, is serving as a drop-off site. They are open from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Friday.

Calling cards also can be mailed to: The Calling Card Campaign, US Family Health Plan at Brighton Marine Health Center, 77 Warren St., Boston, MA 02135.
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Prepaid Calling Cards Are Convenient in Making Calls

Prepaid calling card is a card that you can purchase in order to make local and international calls. A lot of people are using prepaid calling card since they can conveniently use it when making calls, they can use it any time and any where.

Since you pay in advance, with the use of prepaid calling card, you do not have any bills. Typically, prepaid calling cards are being use among students, travelers, and to those who normally make overseas calls. Prepaid calling cards are available in the market and even online. You can also see and purchase prepaid calling cards to several news stands, stores and restaurants.

Prepaid calling card can make you save money, since you can only purchase certain amount that you need in making calls, you do not have any bills at all.

But take note, there are wide array of prepaid calling cards to choose from, so you need to pick up the one that can give you satisfaction and can best suit your needs and wants. So it is wiser on your part especially if you are a starter, you need to compare few prepaid calling cards and know there features, rates and services, since each prepaid calling card differs from each other. You need to allocate little of your time in comparing several prepaid calling cards until you find the one that has the rate, services and features that you want and need.

Usually, prepaid calling cards come with PIN which you need to use in making calls. How can you use a prepaid calling card? In making call, you need to dial the access number, next is you have to enter the PIN. After that, a voice prompt will tell you to enter the phone number that you are calling and the voice will remind you with the remaining balance that you have.

There are prepaid calling cards that you can purchase and be recharge by the prepaid calling card company with the use of credit card. But there are also prepaid calling cards that after the balance was used, you can throw it away and buy a new one. Yes, there are lots of prepaid calling cards, and each differs, so it is really up to you with prepaid calling card do you prefer, you need to know there features, rates and services in order to know which with give you convenience and satisfaction.

Typically, prepaid calling cards have expiration dates; it can be in a week, month or a year. So you need to use your balance before the date expires to avoid inconvenience.

Prepaid calling cards can allow users to make calls away from home and office, since these cards can be use with any tough-tone telephones and pay phones. Prepaid calling cards are truly convenient to use since it eliminates the need to bring coins just to make calls.

Of course, you want to have the prepaid calling card that can give you convenience and satisfaction, so it is wiser to check out the prepaid calling card’s authenticity from Better Business Bureau offices.
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