This is complete bollocks. Skype charges are here.
Calling a UK mobile, for example, costs HK$1.999/min.
If you use a real phone service then it is likely to be less.
And you need to prepay with Skype, but with real phone services you pay some days after you receive your bill.
Last edited by KnowItAll; 29-10-2008 at 02:31 PM.
In terms of the international call (IDD) charge you are indeed correct. The reason is that any IDD operator who originates calls off a fixed line has to pay a regulated Local Access Charge (LAC) to the fixed line operator because that operator is otherwise getting no money for the call. With a mobile phone you are in principle paying airtime in addition to the IDD charge so you are paying for the local part of the call yourself. In practice most people have packages or airtime so that the incremental cost of airtime is zero, but that doesn't mean it is free.
Last edited by KnowItAll; 29-10-2008 at 02:35 PM. Reason: cleaning up some bits
Yes, and real phone services are in the range HK$0.15-0.18 to call the US, with varying degrees of rounding. At HK$0.15 you'll likely be rounded to the minute and then to then next 10 cents (as 0060 does). At HK$0.18 it should be "clean" (per second, rounded to the cent, as per IDT1529).
For international calls HK is full of providers who have very cheap packages. Prices and promotions change all the time but you'll find that even Skype is expensive compared with some of the packages available and the advantage is you don't have to be at home tied to a computer or land line.
My current package costs $20 a month which includes 300 minutes to countries I call regularly - UK, China and Australia and after that call's are 0.09 a minute. I know the promotion will end on this one soon so I'll find another. It's just so easy to do here.
$110/month is rack rate. Yes, there are deals out there with bundled minutes of IDD and so on, although I must admit I didn't think getting it down to $40 was do-able. How did you manage that?
I use Skype to fax when the very rare time comes along. Faxed no probs to Vietnam. Little add-on called PamFax.