Best practice international GSM setup

[MBK]

Originally Posted by rfranzq

I think this is where many of us differ. We do care about how much it cost other people to get a hold of us.

I think I now understand your problem. Your issue was at first difficult to grasp for me, this is why:

I have been living in parts of the world (including European countries), where mobile phone calls were charged ~$0.70 ten years ago, progressively dropping to ~$0.30 today.

We see it like this: (notwithstanding the fact that we see +372 as expensive, and still prefer our loved ones to be calling us for cheaper)

• when we take our car to go visit someone, we don't expect our host to pay for gas for us
• in the same way, when we take out phone to call someone we don't expect them to pay for the call for us (doing otherwise doesn't really make sense to us - other than being a courtesy, like the car point above)

But for you in the States:

1. Regulations have imposed the same rates for local and mobile calls. So as I understand, the called party is paying for the mobile call.
   
2. Furthermore, most US companies are handing out 0800 toll free numbers (whereas in our parts of the world, even the US companies' subsidiaries are less inclined to handing out 0800 numbers - they tend to be mostly offering 08xx local rate numbers - some even charge customers for high rate 08xx numbers, this makes us angry).

These 2 points seem to be the foundation of your habits of the receiving party paying for the call.

Knowing this, I can understand that people could get frustrated (even more so business contacts), having been used to calling the mobiles at landline rates forever.

So, you need a different option, of course.

Thanks for your feedback!

[rfranzq]

Originally Posted by mbk

regulations have imposed the same rates for local and mobile calls. So as i understand, the called party is paying for the mobile call.

It is so long ago and I was late to the cell phone party so I am not totally sure if it was regulations or the phone companies that wanted to promote cell phone use by keeping the prices the same to call. Both parties pay a cell rate for a mobile to mobile call. [Of course many/most people seem to have unlimited plans.] Landlines never paid more to receive or call a cell phone. For cell phones now there is no 'long distance'. I can call on my cell phone Portland, Oregon or Portland, Maine or my neighbor for the same charge or free if I have unlimited.
There is, I think, a notion of 'fairness' in our own minds, at least. Europeans may differ.