For some countries like the US, Canada, Hong Kong and Puerto Rico, it is also possible to make free calls to cell phones.
Currently Betamax offers two services namely: WebCallDirect and Voipbuster.
The services are almost identical:
- Both are using fast servers all over the world which are inter-connected and are locally hooked up to the phone network.
- Before use you need to deposit €10 / $14.
- Depending on your choise you will be able to call to landlines of 30 or 33 countries for free, however after 60 days you have to re-deposit, otherwise the normal rate, which is overall cheaper than eg. Skype will be charged. Your old deposit will be still available for use.
- The rates for calling inside or to Thailand are not free and will cost €0.01/min. - $0.014/min. calling to landlines and €0.012/min.- $0.017/min. to cellphones.
- A call back service is being offered, so that during the call, you will have hardly any problem with possible dips in the internet connection which will change your voice into a robot. I think this is a very important option when making more official calls and when calling to 'free' countries from Thailand or vice versa, just the Thai rate will apply.
- When calling to paid services, like helpdesks etc in your own country, a thing which is otherwise impossible to do from abroad, the extra charges wil apply. When calling to a free service and then are being transfered to a paid service, I noticed the sofware will not detect this. Although this could have been 'improved' by now.
- Besides PC software, apps for iPhone and Android are being offered.
On the website of Voipbuster you are allowed to make a test call to before spending any money. Apart from being allowed to call to 'free' countries only, I currently don't know what other restrictions apply to these test calls.
When it comes down to free calls to countries abroad, both services have different offers.
All other rates seem to be identical.
All other rates seem to be identical.
In the past another service called Gizmo5 allowed people call to 60 countries for free. End of 2009 it was bought by Google and as of april 2011, free calls became restricted to the US and Canada only and for non-US users services were suspended.
Below is a list of countries which can be called for free with the services from Betamax:
Country
|
WebCallDirect
|
Voipbuster
|
Andorra
|
√
|
√
|
Argentina
|
√
|
X
|
Australia
|
X
|
√
|
Austria
|
√
|
√
|
Belgium
|
√
|
√
|
Canada
|
√
|
√
|
Canada mobile
|
√
|
X
|
Cyprus
|
√
|
√
|
Czech Republic
|
√
|
√
|
Denmark
|
√
|
√
|
Estonia
|
√
|
√
|
Finland
|
√
|
√
|
France
|
√
|
√
|
Germany
|
√
|
X
|
Guam
|
X
|
√
|
Hong Kong
|
√
|
√
|
Hong Kong mobile
|
X
|
√
|
Hungary
|
√
|
√
|
Iceland
|
√
|
√
|
Ireland
|
√
|
√
|
Italy
|
√
|
√
|
Japan
|
√
|
√
|
Luxembourg
|
√
|
√
|
Malaysia
|
X
|
√
|
Monaco
|
√
|
√
|
Netherlands
|
√
|
√
|
New Zealand
|
X
|
√
|
Norway
|
√
|
√
|
Poland
|
√
|
X
|
Portugal
|
X
|
√
|
Puerto Rico
|
√
|
√
|
Puerto Rico mobile
|
√
|
√
|
Russian Federation [moscow]
|
X
|
√
|
Singapore
|
X
|
√
|
South Korea
|
√
|
√
|
Spain
|
√
|
√
|
Sweden
|
√
|
X
|
Switzerland
|
√
|
√
|
Taiwan
|
X
|
√
|
United Kingdom
|
√
|
X
|
United States
|
√
|
√
|
United States mobile
|
√
|
√
|
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