Unlimited International Calling - Thailand To Us

[Escondido]

I will be coming over to Thailand later this year for 1-2 months for a bit of R&R, as well as deciding what city I want to live in. I will primarily be visiting, Phuket, Bangkok, Pattaya and Chiang Mai with a few other places in between. At this juncture I'm strongly leaning towards moving to Chiang Mai.

One of the most important things I require is access to a reliable phone service that will allow me to make international calls back to the US at a reasonable rate. I'm on the phone 9-11 hours a day, so it's important that call quality is excellent and that I can display any number I want and/or a local number based in a specific state. I heard read that internet speeds are not very reliable in Thailand, so that is a concern of mine. Does anybody have any recommendations? Thanks

[maprao]

Buy a "MajicJack" internet phone and bring it with you. If you pay for the service you can retain a stateside number.

Internet connections are not brilliant.

[gosompoi]

Magicjack now has a software only solution, go to there website download it and install it for free.

[sscsamui]

Try Vonage... That way you can make unlimited call to the US and Everybody in the US can call you at No charge.... You will need a internet connection. I works better than the Magic Jack

[lomatopo]

Obviously for any of the suggested solutions you will need a dedicated, reliable internet conenction. Here in Thailand this means a DSL line. Sharing a WiFi connection, 3G and 2G will not meet the OP's requirements. Assuming the OP can arrange a DSL line then one of the hardware-assisted VoIP solutions would be be perfect. Magicjack, on the low-end, works reasonably well here and does offer a local (U.S.) number. I am not sure if you can port-in an existing number to MJ? Some of the other HW/SW solutions: Ooma, Vonage are OK. Or you could bring, or buy locally, a Linksys PAP2 and then choose any one of a dozen VoIP providers. All of those would allow for a single, local number. You can usually get a modem/router with the ADSL service, and hand-sets are obviously available. Although for 9 - 11 hours per day I suspect you'll want cordless/head-set options?

On the mobile side, the cheapest option is a calling card or True InterSIM at 1 baht/min for calls to the U.S. In-bound calls are an issue obviously as the calling party would have to pay int'l rates, in the case of the True InterSIM.

[Langsuan Man]

majic Jack for $19.99 is your best option to check things out

I am not sure if you can port-in an existing number to MJ?

No, you cannot, the best you can do it try and get the same Area Code as your home (US ) phone number

My only problem with MJ is that I can only give the number to people who I can trust to understand the time difference and not call me at 2 AM Thai time

I also don't think that if the OP requires to be on the phone " 9-11 hours a day " he is ever going to find an Internet connection in Thailand that is that reliable

[Canada]

I use (and have for years) a service from Digital Voice in Vancouver BC Canada. Same as Vonage. Brought my "box" with me, and I have a local Vancouver area code number. Works very good, reliable as the internet (not perfect), and is inexpensive. Plugs into your router/modem. Costs me about $21 CAD per month.

[lomatopo]

majic Jack for $19.99 is your best option to check things out

I am not sure if you can port-in an existing number to MJ?

No, you cannot, the best you can do it try and get the same Area Code as your home (US ) phone number

My only problem with MJ is that I can only give the number to people who I can trust to understand the time difference and not call me at 2 AM Thai time

I also don't think that if the OP requires to be on the phone " 9-11 hours a day " he is ever going to find an Internet connection in Thailand that is that reliable

OK, wasn't sure about porting, I didn't need to; I was able to get an area code/local exchange in my home town.

With MJ I just forward to voicemail, then receive that as an audio-attachment in an email. On an Android phone I had to install "Remote Wave Free", in the Market, in order to play the .WAV voicemail files. (With Google Voice they do speech to text on vicemail, which is pretty cool. I also got a Google Voice number in my home town.)

Edited March 26, 2011 by lomatopo

[Langsuan Man]

majic Jack for $19.99 is your best option to check things out

I am not sure if you can port-in an existing number to MJ?

No, you cannot, the best you can do it try and get the same Area Code as your home (US ) phone number

My only problem with MJ is that I can only give the number to people who I can trust to understand the time difference and not call me at 2 AM Thai time

I also don't think that if the OP requires to be on the phone " 9-11 hours a day " he is ever going to find an Internet connection in Thailand that is that reliable

OK, wasn't sure about porting, I didn't need to; I was able to get an area code/local exchange in my home town.

With MJ I just forward to voicemail, then receive that as an audio-attachment in an email. On an Android phone I had to install "Remote Wave Free", in the Market, in order to play the .WAV voicemail files. (With Google Voice they do speech to text on vicemail, which is pretty cool. I also got a Google Voice number in my home town.)

Just remember. If your majic Jack is plugged in to your computer and you don't answer you will see the calling number on the MJ screen even if the person calling does not wait and leave you a message on MJ voice mail

If your MJ is not plugged in or your computer Internet connection is down you will not know if you missed a call unless the caller leaves a voice mail message. The message does not have to be long, just enough for MJ to note the calling number

The automatic email generating notification is one of the coolest parts of the whole MJ experience IMHO especially with the time difference here in Thailand

[ericthai]

Obviously for any of the suggested solutions you will need a dedicated, reliable internet conenction. Here in Thailand this means a DSL line. Sharing a WiFi connection, 3G and 2G will not meet the OP's requirements. Assuming the OP can arrange a DSL line then one of the hardware-assisted VoIP solutions would be be perfect. Magicjack, on the low-end, works reasonably well here and does offer a local (U.S.) number. I am not sure if you can port-in an existing number to MJ? Some of the other HW/SW solutions: Ooma, Vonage are OK. Or you could bring, or buy locally, a Linksys PAP2 and then choose any one of a dozen VoIP providers. All of those would allow for a single, local number. You can usually get a modem/router with the ADSL service, and hand-sets are obviously available. Although for 9 - 11 hours per day I suspect you'll want cordless/head-set options?

On the mobile side, the cheapest option is a calling card or True InterSIM at 1 baht/min for calls to the U.S. In-bound calls are an issue obviously as the calling party would have to pay int'l rates, in the case of the True InterSIM.

I have to disagree with your that a G3 connection will not work, that is not correct. I have a magicjack for he last 2 years and only have CAT CDMA and works fine. My bother says the quality is same as if I was back in the US he cant see a difference.

For the OP I think best deal is the magicjack as stated only $19.95 per year, but you have to buy the jack too which i cant recall what I paid but I believe it was something like $39.xx and this includes the 1st year service. After it expires you can renew for 1 year or 3 or 5 year service and save more. You get a US number, wit call waiting, voice mail and 3 way call Like stated I have a CAT CDMA and use this all the time, sometimes i get a bad connection, I hang up and call back and this works fine. If I still have an issue then I hang up, disconnect the CDMA and reconnect and call back and this fixes the issue (the issue usually being a little delay, however this very seldom happens) Check out all you options vonage, MJ, Skype etc.

Good Luck and hope you enjoy your trip.

Edited March 26, 2011 by ericthai

[AZBill]

I use skype. It works great! Need an internet connection. Free to those you call if they also have it.

[lomatopo]

I have to disagree with your that a G3 connection will not work, that is not correct. I have a magicjack for he last 2 years and only have CAT CDMA and works fine. My bother says the quality is same as if I was back in the US he cant see a difference.

Most VoIP providers specifically avoid saying they support 3G, but I agree that it often can work. I would check with magicjack to see what they say re: 3G support. I think they might have offered a lower bit rate algorithm in past, in order to support mobile apps (notebook, 3G aircard and MJ), but maybe have pulled back on that?

I honestly forgot about CAT CDMA, and was thinking more about GSM 3G. Anyway upstream bandwidth tends to be the issue, and while your calls almost always work out fine I'd be curious to hear about performance over 10 - 12 hours per day, and the associated costs (of the CAT CDMA service). It does look like CAT CDMA has great coverage in Chiang Mai. What kind of packages are available which would suit the OP's requirements?

[WilliaminBKK]

I am a Skype convert, tried vonage and MJ----found the call plans cheaper with skype--you can get unlimited calling to Canada/US for 3.99 a month, you can also buy Skype In and get a local USA/UK etc number. I only ran over the 10K minute limit once in 5 years.

[kamalabob2]

I've had Magic Jack a few years and works real well if you follow the instructions and have decent internet service here. Customer support from Magic jack via some chat box actually worked fine and they figured out I had an extra cord in the set up. Magic jack had numbers in the area code I wanted and the voice mail feature works great. You might consider bringing over a decent "land line" hand set to use with magic jack as most hand sets (other than some more expensive Panasonic hand sets) sold in Thailand are poor quality and not as good of a value as you may already own or can buy and bring from America. I do not use magicjack with a headset so I can't comment on if that works or if good quality headsets are sold here.

[2008bangkok]

Skype

Skype

Skype

[tropo]

I also don't think that if the OP requires to be on the phone " 9-11 hours a day " he is ever going to find an Internet connection in Thailand that is that reliable

If you must stay on the phone 9 - 11 hours a day you won't be having much of a vacation especially when you've factored in the stress of trying to stay connected.

[tropo]

I also don't think that if the OP requires to be on the phone " 9-11 hours a day " he is ever going to find an Internet connection in Thailand that is that reliable

If you must stay on the phone 9 - 11 hours a day you won't be having much of a vacation especially when you've factored in the stress of trying to stay connected.

[Escondido]

I appreciate the time everybody has taken to make recommendations. I have been using magicjack for a numbers of years and can vouch that it's a pretty good deal for the price. I have yet to test out Skype, however, that is on my to do list.

I'm currently using Ringcentral and my internet connection is about 20MB download/ 10MB Upload. A bit overkill for most phone services, but it does help with other things I do. Due to the timezone difference I will be using the phone primarily from 8pm-8am. Obviuosly, internet services will probably be at their peak during the early evening hours, however, I don't see much of a problem after midnight unless I'm missing something. From my research is appears that True (sp??) offers the most reliable/faster internet connection. Does anybody have other recommendations? Paying $100-$300 a month is fine. Thanks again.

[lomatopo]

OK, so you already have a VoIP service provider, and presumably an ATA/IP phone, I guess it would have helped if we had known that up front? So what you are really asking is, “How can I get DSL service for my stay?”

Maybe ask yourself if a foreign tourist could go to your home town, get a phone line installed, turn up voice service, add broadband all without any credit check, socsec, bank account, previous address, employer, etc.? My guess, the answer would be “No”.

Without local assistance you may find it challenging to get DSL service. Typically the name on the telephone line and DSL account needs to match the name associated with the residence. Obviously landlords may be reluctant to have a tenant with a phone running up calling charges, without some sort of controls (deposit).

Anyway, you may want to look for a sub-let where the owner already has installed, reliable DSL . At a minimum, you’ll want a place with an installed fixed telephone line, to which the landlord is willing to add DSL.

I don't see much of a problem after midnight unless I'm missing something.

Only all the 'boiler-rooms' here in Thailand using VoIP to call other countries and BT torrent traffic and FTP traffic and ....

[NanLaew]

If you must stay on the phone 9 - 11 hours a day you won't be having much of a vacation especially when you've factored in the stress of trying to stay connected.

9 - 11 hours a day on the phone?

Obviously working.

WP?

Anyone tried DeeDial VoIP service? Their website quotes 70c/min to the US

[Thaigreg]

I use skype. It works great! Need an internet connection. Free to those you call if they also have it.

Toll free numbers (800, 866, etc) are FREE using Skype. Also if you use a proxy server or VPN from USA, all calls with Google Talk to USA and Canada are FREE.

Greg

[BB1950]

If you must stay on the phone 9 - 11 hours a day you won't be having much of a vacation especially when you've factored in the stress of trying to stay connected.

9 - 11 hours a day on the phone?

Obviously working.

WP?

Anyone tried DeeDial VoIP service? Their website quotes 70c/min to the US

Pretty expensive. Skype out calls to the US are about 2c/min. You can also use ring2skype to get a US incoming phone number for free.

[tropo]

Without local assistance you may find it challenging to get DSL service. Typically the name on the telephone line and DSL account needs to match the name associated with the residence. Obviously landlords may be reluctant to have a tenant with a phone running up calling charges, without some sort of controls (deposit).

Wrong.

A TOT landline in your name will take less than a week if it available in the area. Access to International calling requires only a copy of your passport.

You could have all or any of the internet services hooked up within a week provided they service the area where you live.

[tropo]

I'm currently using Ringcentral and my internet connection is about 20MB download/ 10MB Upload.

According to CAT upload speeds are never higher than 800 kbps to international sites no matter what service you are paying for. Except on bit torrents, I've never seen higher than 800 kbps and a 1Mb upload service. They state this on their promotional pamphlet, probably in case people who are interested in the 2Mb/2Mb sdsl service get the wrong idea.

[NanLaew]

Anyone tried DeeDial VoIP service? Their website quotes 70c/min to the US

Pretty expensive. Skype out calls to the US are about 2c/min. You can also use ring2skype to get a US incoming phone number for free.

Agreed, but as a backup for the times when your Skype caller sounds like a chicken being drowned, it is cheaper than direct dialing.

Edited March 29, 2011 by NanLaew

[Escondido]

OK, so you already have a VoIP service provider, and presumably an ATA/IP phone, I guess it would have helped if we had known that up front? So what you are really asking is, "How can I get DSL service for my stay?"

Maybe ask yourself if a foreign tourist could go to your home town, get a phone line installed, turn up voice service, add broadband all without any credit check, socsec, bank account, previous address, employer, etc.? My guess, the answer would be "No".

Without local assistance you may find it challenging to get DSL service. Typically the name on the telephone line and DSL account needs to match the name associated with the residence. Obviously landlords may be reluctant to have a tenant with a phone running up calling charges, without some sort of controls (deposit).

Anyway, you may want to look for a sub-let where the owner already has installed, reliable DSL . At a minimum, you'll want a place with an installed fixed telephone line, to which the landlord is willing to add DSL.

I don't see much of a problem after midnight unless I'm missing something.

Only all the 'boiler-rooms' here in Thailand using VoIP to call other countries and BT torrent traffic and FTP traffic and ....

I don't use Magicjack for business calls because the call quality is horrible compared to other companies I use in the states. I was primarily interested to see what services people use over in Thailand for extended periods of time. Foreigners can easily set up phone/internet service in states. Sometimes, they even get some nice tax perks and free cells phones, , but that's another story. I appreciate the info

[BB1950]

Anyone tried DeeDial VoIP service? Their website quotes 70c/min to the US

Pretty expensive. Skype out calls to the US are about 2c/min. You can also use ring2skype to get a US incoming phone number for free.

Agreed, but as a backup for the times when your Skype caller sounds like a chicken being drowned, it is cheaper than direct dialing.

Cheaper than direct dialing? When I prefix my call with 009 (CAT) it's 5 baht/min or roughly 16c/min.

BTW all my Skype calls to the US have always been crystal clear. It's the direct dial calls that sound like crap.

[lomatopo]

Anyone tried DeeDial VoIP service? Their website quotes 70c/min to the US

Pretty expensive. Skype out calls to the US are about 2c/min. You can also use ring2skype to get a US incoming phone number for free.

Agreed, but as a backup for the times when your Skype caller sounds like a chicken being drowned, it is cheaper than direct dialing.

Cheaper than direct dialing? When I prefix my call with 009 (CAT) it's 5 baht/min or roughly 16c/min.

BTW all my Skype calls to the US have always been crystal clear. It's the direct dial calls that sound like crap.

I could be wrong, I often am but I think NanLaew is referring to using DeeDial, which is a calling card and can be used from either a fixed line or a mobile phone here to originate a call to the U.S. for 70 Satang/min. (Not 70c.) (to both fixed and mobiles in the U.S.) I think that is ~ 2.25 U.S. Cents so equal to or less than Skype (2.6 U.S. cents/min. plus origination fee). Further originating a call from a mobile, or fixed line, clearly has advantages over using Skype which requires having your PC and broadband connection. (Yes, I know you can run Skype on a mobile.)

In any event, the OP already has a full service VoIP provider and hardware. Other than amortizing the broadband connection costs, and the monthly VoIP fee which I assume is sunk via a contract, his calls in-bound and outbound are free. Plus he already has a U.S. number.

Edited March 30, 2011 by lomatopo