The Localphone Blog

Recently a few Localphone users have asked for our thoughts regarding the packages offered by some competing services, where customers pay a monthly fee and receive “unlimited” or a fixed number of minutes per month.

In our opinion these rarely offer good value for all but a relatively small number of the most heavy callers.

For example, here in the UK Vonage offers “V-Plan 4i”, advertising unlimited calls to India and others for £18.99 per month. We’ve found that a typical user calling India does so for about 400 minutes per month, giving an effective rate of 4.75p per minute (versus our current GBP rate to India from as little as 1.3p per minute).

To match our rate with Vonage you’d have to be calling for more than three times the average—almost 1,500 minutes per month!

Another common feature of these plans is a “fair usage policy” which can really sting those users that do make significantly higher numbers of calls. In Vonage’s case their fair usage policy limits their “unlimited” package to 2,000 minutes per month.

For those few users who do fall in this 1,500 to 2,000 minutes per month range we feel Localphone’s advanced features add enough value to be worth the small rate increase.

With Vonage you’re tied to using their hardware (with up to £39.99 set-up costs), while Localphone lets you call from your existing landline or mobile, or from your broadband or mobile Internet connection with Localphone VoIP. You can also send cheap international SMS messages, or even get an Incoming Number in your destination countries so friends and family can call you back.

As I’m sure our customers will agree, Localphone’s per minute billing offers significantly higher flexibility and value for money than competing package offers.

(information sourced from Vonage’s website on 23rd November, 2009)

To celebrate the upcoming Diwali festivities we’re announcing our new low rates to India…

These fantastic new rates are effective immediately, and there are no expiry dates, no minimum top-ups, and no other terms or conditions required to participate. It’s also not just a temporary promotion - these are our new rates to India going forward!

This latest round of reductions reaffirms Localphone’s position as the best value for money international call provider in the market. Our direct digital connections to India’s largest carriers give us crystal clear call quality that is second to none. Our ongoing commitment to negotiating better rates and passing the savings on to you means the big brands simply can’t compete.

I’d like to thank you for your ongoing support and loyalty that has made great rates like these possible. Let’s continue to work together to drive down the cost of calling India and the world.

Best wishes,
Paul Cusack, CEO.

Pakistan and India are celebrating their Independence Days on 14th August and 15th August respectively, and to help commemorate the occasions Localphone are offering half price calls each day!

To mark 62 years of Pakistani independence you’ll be able to call any landline or mobile in Pakistan for just 2.85p / 3.95¢ / 3.25c per minute from 18:00 GMT on Thursday 13th until 18:00 GMT on Friday 14th August (midnight to midnight in Pakistan).

Likewise, India’s 62 years of independence sees our rate dropping to just 0.9p / 1.25¢ / 1.05c per minute for calls to any landline or mobile in India between 18:30 GMT on Friday 14th and 18:30 GMT on Saturday 15th August (midnight to midnight in India).

Customers don’t have to do anything to participate in this promotion - the rate will be adjusted automatically and will return to our standard low rates after the day ends (see our Call Pakistan and Call India pages for details).

Don’t forget to let your friends and relatives know about this promotion using our recommend-a-friend system, and you can call for free!

Hot on the heels of our recent price reduction (Jan 26th – “New Recession Busting Rates to Call India“) I am pleased to announce yet another drop in the cost of calling India. Effective immediately our new rate to India landlines and mobiles is a market-leading 1.9p GBP / 2.9¢ USD / 2.3c EUR per minute.

This is not just a short-term gimmick or promotion, and there are no terms, hidden fees, or minimum top-ups; just low rates and a great quality, direct route to India.

Thanks to the enthusiastic response to our most recent round of price drops we have already been able to return to our suppliers and negotiate a better rate; savings we are passing straight on to you.

Don’t forget; the longer you call, and the more friends you recommend, the stronger our position to negotiate even better rates on your behalf. I’d like to thank you once again on behalf of everybody at Localphone for your continued loyalty and support.

Best wishes,
Paul Cusack, CEO.

Update: 2009-02-13 - We’ve lowered our India rate even further!

I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you that the world economy has taken a hit lately, and people are looking to cut costs wherever they can. The good news is that thanks to your continued support Localphone is in a stronger position to negotiate with our suppliers, and we’ve managed to obtain a reduced rate for our calls to India; savings we are passing on to you.

Effective immediately our new rate to both landlines and mobiles in India will be 1.95p, 3.3¢, and 2.5c per minute for GBP, USD and EUR customers respectively.

Our Long-Term Commitment to Value

We have seen some companies offer a promotional rate over the past month at a price we feel they cannot sustain in the future. I believe our customers will not fall for short-term gimmicks and appreciate our consistently low rates and dependable, quality routes.

This is our new rate going forward and we hope to only reduce it further as our service grows.

No Compromise on Quality

It is also important to note that this reduction is the result of renegotiating with our existing partners in India who we will continue to work with. Localphone has a direct digital connection to the telephone network in India and you can expect to experience the same high quality calls you’re used to receiving from Localphone.

As always we’d love to hear your suggestions so please don’t hesitate to let us know if you have any thoughts about this reduction or any other aspect of the Localphone service.