MediaRing Talk

With a rate of 1.7 US cents a minute and no connection fees or hidden charges, MediaRing Talk has the lowest rate for making PC to phone calls to India. PC to PC calls are free. The company currently has over 2.6 million users and is particularly popular with consumers who want an easy-to-use service for calling anywhere in the world that requires no monthly subscription. The service also offers additional features including instant messaging with presence and multi-user voice conferencing which can be extremely useful around holiday time for impromptu family phone get-togethers.

MediaRing Talk is able to offer this low rate because it utilizes a unique business model that derives income primarily through non-intrusive display advertising. Many industry experts are predicting that this ad revenue model will eventually be adopted by other internet phone providers if they want to remain competitive.  In the meantime, MediaRing Talk’s innovative approach has made it among the best options for individuals wanting an inexpensive and flexible solution for calling India.

To read the rest of the article published in the South Asian Insider, click here.

When shopping for a phone service provider that provides long distance service, there are a variety of options, and it can be tricky to determine the best solution for your particular needs. With hundreds of long-distance companies and countless calling plans, it pays to shop around.

Two options for long distance service that have gained significant popularity over the last several years are Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and international prepaid phone cards. Both deliver quality service, but there are distinct differences between the two that are worth comparing.

International Prepaid Phone Cards

Commonly used by students and travelers, international prepaid phone cards offer a convenient way to make calls while away from home. Calling card users benefit from 24/7 coverage and the ability to make prepaid phone calls from both pay and regular phones.    

There are plenty of international prepaid phone cards available to consumers, and rates, prices, and services can vary dramatically. To take full advantage of the benefits of prepaid phone cards, it’s essential to choose one that works well with your particular needs. When considering purchasing a prepaid card, you should consider the following questions:

• What is the cost per minute of the card? (This can vary from country to country.)
• Is there a sign up fee?
• Is there a direct number for customer service if I need assistance with the card?
• How reputable is the company?
• How many minutes is the calling card worth?
• Is there an expiration date on minutes purchased?
• Is there any monthly fee?
• Can the calling card be reloaded with minutes?

While international prepaid phone cards are convenient and sometimes affordable, they are not problem-free. In fact, many consumers have experience a number of problems with them including:

• Providers going out of business leaving customers with unused minutes and without being reimbursed
• Access numbers of personal identification numbers not working
• Toll-free access numbers frequently busy preventing the use of the card
• Hidden connection charges added to the card
• Poor connections
• Higher per minute rates than other international calling options

Although phone cards are by no means a perfect solution for long distance calling, they are considered to be a smart solution for individuals such as students, international travelers, and migratory workers who need flexibility and convenience to call home.

VoIP – An Alternative to Calling Cards

There is an alternative to prepaid calling cards that is rapidly growing in popularity because of its affordability, flexibility, and quality. It’s VoIP. This innovative technology enables users to take advantage of unlimited, free international calling along with a variety of value-added features that calling cards simply don’t provide.

VoIP works similar to a phone line, but instead of the line being plugged into the wall, it runs through an internet connection. By simply downloading VoIP software from a provider to your PC, you can literally call anyone, almost anywhere in the world for free. Calls can be made from a telephone linked to the Internet, a USB phone, or with a headset attached to a computer. If your computer already has a built-in microphone and speakers, you won’t need any additional equipment at all.

VoIP offers a variety of calling capabilities including PC-to-PC calls, PC-to-phone calls, and PC-to-mobile phone calls. To make calls, you just start the program on your computer and enter the phone number that you want to call. The call will be connected just like a landline or mobile phone call, but you’ll be able to talk for as long as you’d like without having to worry about expensive long distance charges. And, the connection quality is crystal clear.

Some VoIP service providers offer additional bundled features that can add even more value to your long distance communications. Instant messaging with presence is one of the most widely available of these tools. This feature notifies your friends, family, and business associates of your availability with a presence indicator and allows unlimited text messaging for free.

Another popular tool is multi-user voice conferencing that enables up to five people to communicate simultaneously. This is particularly useful for both personal and business applications.

Like with international prepaid phone calls, it’s important to do your homework before choosing a VoIP service provider. They do not all offer the same services or level of quality. When doing a comparison, you will want to look at the following:

Calling Options – You will want to choose a VoIP provider that offers flexibility in who you can call. Look for one that gives you the ability to call landlines and mobile phones, as well as PCs.

Pricing – Most providers offer free calling to certain countries but charge for other global destinations. Several of the industry leaders such as MediaRing Talk actually provide unlimited free PC-to-PC calling to anywhere in the world as long as both parties are using their service.

Features – Not all providers offer additional value-added services. If you want to take advantage of tools like instant messaging with presence and voice conferencing, you’ll need to look for a full-service provider.

Reputation – In general, the VoIP providers that are the most established and have been around the longest provide the most comprehensive, high quality service. They’ve invested in developing the robustness of their technology and have the most extensive distribution network. They will also deliver the highest sound quality.

Looking to the Future

There is no doubt that VoIP is changing the landscape of the overall communications industry. Businesses and consumers alike are reaping the benefits of the cost savings and innovative features that the technology offers. The newest frontier for VoIP applications will undoubtedly be in the wireless world. Dual mode cellular/voice over WiFi enabled handsets are becoming increasingly available, and VoIP service providers are positioning themselves to add wireless service to their existing offerings. These advances will ultimately benefit consumers who will soon be able to affordably and efficiently manage their communications from a single handheld device.

With promising new advances in communication technology, calling internationally will increasingly become something that is widely available and free to anyone. While there will continue to be a need for calling cards for some individuals, VoIP is becoming the preferred choice for a growing number of international callers.

photo by ScubaBeer (via Flickr)

Cutting Back Doesn’t Have to Mean Compromise

The global economy is in a tailspin. Companies are downsizing, individuals are cutting back on expenses and money just isn’t as readily available as it once had been. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to compromise when it comes to communications. In fact, today there are options for communications that are as good—if not better—than what you may be using right now. And surprisingly, many of these are free.

The World is Flat

The collapse of the U.S. housing market, liberal regulatory structures and lack of capital flow have all contributed to the perfect economic storm—a crisis of global proportions. And one can point to subprime mortgages as being the primary culprit responsible for this global stagnation of world economic growth.

In this day and age, we’re realizing more than ever before that a local change can have international ramifications. Just as the U.S. housing market touched the world, however, there are some changes that have positive ripples.

For example, due in part to major advances worldwide in communications technology and the Web, you can now conduct both personal and business communications—with all the dependability and features of traditional service—at a fraction of what you would have paid just five years ago.

It doesn’t matter if you’re in Singapore or St. Louis; today you can make free phone calls, chat online and use other cloud-based technologies to conduct important business—or to simply keep in touch with loved ones.

From China to Silicon Valley

Li Hong moved from the People’s Republic of China to the U.S. to pursue a dream he shared with his family: To be the first in his family to attend and graduate from college. He had always wanted to be an engineer; Li’s family helped him raise the money he needed to come to California and pay for room, board and tuition at Santa Clara University where he had been accepted into their esteemed School of Engineering. But he left more than just his country behind; he had also left his family.

“I knew inside that the move, it was required. I had goals that only could happen in United States and waiting at home wasn’t part of my plan,” said Li. Once in the U.S., however, keeping in touch with family and maintaining those important connections proved not only difficult, but expensive as well. “Initially, I called home only when I could, to stay in touch with my parents and my little sister. But I felt that I was losing touch with them.”

Li began looking for other means of keeping in touch. He soon found that VoIP (or Voice over Internet Protocol) calling was the answer to his dilemma. “It was great! I found a firm that I could trust—they’re the leading VoIP service provider in Asia—and they let me make free, unlimited calls home!”

What Li discovered is what many others are discovering every day: That VoIP calling is just as easy, convenient and reliable as traditional phone service, and gives anyone who has access to a computer and the Internet the ability to call anyone, on any phone, in select global destinations for free.

The way VoIP works can be explained as such: The VoIP software serves as your ‘phone’. Instead of a traditional landline handset and receiver, you can use a headset attached to your PC, your computer’s microphone and speakers, a USB phone or even an existing analog telephone with an adaptor.

To make a call, simply start the program and on a familiar dial-pad (but now digital and on your computer), enter the number you wish to call. The call is placed to the landline or mobile device of your choice and you can talk for free with crystal-clear digital quality.

Today’s VoIP Service

Millions of people are adopting VoIP to reduce calling expenses. In the computing cloud today exists tools such as VoIP phone systems that give you flexibility you never imagined as well as save you quite a bit of money.

Quality VoIP providers offer services of high-value, and often free of charge. You should look for these features when evaluating VoIP service providers:

• Instant messaging with presence lets your contacts—whether they’re family, friends or business associates—know of your availability with a presence indicator. Typically, a provider will allow you to send and receive unlimited text messages for free.
• Multi-user voice conferencing allows you conference call with up to five participants at a time. Because no prior reservations required, this is perfect for an impromptu collaborative get together with the old gang. (Within these types of conference calls, you are typically allowed a mix of your online contacts and one contact who can be reached only on their fixed or mobile phone numbers.)
• Multi-user text collaboration for inviting up to five contacts into one chat session.

When selecting a VoIP provider, I recommend you do a bit of homework like Li did: look for a company with a long history in VoIP communications and features of interest, including free PC-to-landline and –mobile device to select international destinations.

Li Hong Chose MediaRing Talk for his VoIP service. One of the first companies to offer free PC-to-PC calls and instant messaging, they have built a complete VoIP service portfolio. Founded in 1993, they have an established reputation for quality products, service and support and are now the leading VoIP service provider in Asia.

Through strong technological capabilities, global network and extensive distribution network, MediaRing has brought high-quality voice communication services to carriers, enterprises, service providers, and now to the consumer.

Li speaks as often as he wants (though his parents wish it were more!) to family back in China, and because he uses MediaRing Talk, these calls are unlimited and free to both landline and mobile phones anywhere in China as well as the U.S., Canada, Singapore and Hong Kong. Additionally, they allow calling to landline phones in the U.K., Taiwan and Australia. (For all other global destinations, they have very competitive rates.)

Summary

Because the economy may not recover for some time, it’s important that you keep all your costs down. But you don’t have to compromise when it comes to communications. Search around, trust the best and you’ll be surprised at how much you can do with so little.

Sign up now and start making free calls today!