How does an international call actually work?
When you call someone in another country, your voice travels through a chain of networks, each owned by different companies, each charging for the privilege of carrying your call.
The journey of an international call
Tracing a call from New York to London:
Step 1: Your carrier. Your phone connects to your mobile carrier (Verizon, AT&T, etc.) or landline provider. They recognize the +44 country code and route the call internationally.
Step 2: International gateway. Your carrier routes the call to an international gateway—a facility designed to hand off calls to other countries. Major carriers have their own gateways; smaller ones lease access.
Step 3: Undersea cables. Your voice (converted to digital data) travels through undersea fiber optic cables. Transatlantic cables between the US and Europe carry millions of calls simultaneously. Fiber handles the vast majority of calls—it's faster than satellite with less delay.
Step 4: UK gateway. The call arrives at a gateway in the UK and is handed to a British carrier or wholesale operator.
Step 5: Final delivery. The UK carrier routes the call to its final destination—the specific phone number you dialed. Mobile numbers go to that person's mobile carrier. Landlines go to the local phone company.
Each handoff involves a fee. Your carrier pays the international carrier. The international carrier pays the UK gateway. The gateway pays the final carrier. These "termination rates" or "interconnect fees" are what make international calls expensive.
Why do some countries cost more to call?
International call rates aren't arbitrary. They reflect real infrastructure and regulatory differences:
Infrastructure investment: Countries with extensive fiber optic networks and modern phone systems are cheaper to call. Countries where infrastructure is limited, damaged, or controlled by a monopoly tend to be more expensive.
Termination rates: Each country's phone regulator sets (or allows carriers to set) the fee for "terminating" a call—delivering it to its final destination. Some countries keep these low to encourage communication. Others set them high as a revenue source.
Mobile vs. landline: Mobile termination rates are almost always higher than landline rates. The mobile carrier has to locate the phone, route to the correct cell tower, and maintain the radio connection. Calling a mobile in another country typically costs 2-10x more than calling a landline there.
Competition: In countries with competitive telecom markets, termination rates tend to be lower. In countries with monopolies or cartels, they're higher.
Geographic factors: Remote islands or landlocked countries without direct cable connections cost more to reach. Their calls must route through multiple intermediate countries.
How are international calls priced?
International calling rates are confusing by design. Understanding the structure helps you avoid overpaying.
How carriers price international calls
Most phone carriers charge international calls using one of these models:
Per-minute rates: The most common model. You pay a fixed rate per minute, varying by destination country. Rates might be $0.05/minute to Canada but $2.00/minute to a mobile in Africa.
Connection fees: Some carriers charge a flat fee just to connect the call—typically $0.50 to $2.00—regardless of call length. This makes short calls proportionally more expensive.
Billing increments: Carriers bill in increments—commonly 1 minute, 6 seconds, or 1 second. A carrier billing in 1-minute increments rounds every call up. A 1-minute-and-10-second call gets billed as 2 minutes. Over many calls, this adds up.
Peak vs. off-peak: Some carriers charge different rates depending on time of day. Calling during business hours costs more than evenings or weekends. This is less common than it used to be.
Included minutes: Some phone plans include a limited number of international minutes per month, after which high per-minute rates apply. Check your plan carefully—the "included" countries may be limited.
Where does the money actually go?
When you pay $1.00/minute for an international call:
Termination fees (20-60%): The destination country's phone company gets paid to deliver the call. This is the base cost no carrier can avoid.
Transit fees (5-15%): If the call routes through intermediate networks (common for smaller carriers), each network takes a cut.
Your carrier's margin (30-60%): Your phone company marks up the wholesale cost. Major carriers with direct connections have lower costs and often higher margins. They could charge less but choose not to.
This is why VoIP services can undercut traditional carriers—they operate on thinner margins and use more efficient routing.
Why are carrier rates so high?
Traditional phone carriers charge far more than their actual costs for international calls:
Low volume, high margin: Most customers rarely make international calls. Carriers charge steep rates because the occasional user doesn't notice or compare prices.
Inertia: International calling was expensive when it required manual operators and limited satellite capacity. Prices came down as technology improved, but not proportionally. Carriers pocket the difference.
Complexity as strategy: Confusing rate tables, obscure billing rules, and different rates for landlines vs. mobiles discourage comparison shopping. Many customers just accept whatever their carrier charges.
Business subsidies: Carriers often offer cheap international rates to business customers who call frequently while charging high rates to consumers who call occasionally.
What are my options for making international calls?
You have several options for calling someone in another country. Each has trade-offs.
1. Your regular phone carrier
The simplest option—dial the international number from your regular phone. No apps, no setup, no learning curve.
Cost: Usually the most expensive option. Rates range from $0.05/minute for cheap destinations to $3.00+/minute for expensive ones.
Quality: Generally excellent. Traditional phone networks prioritize voice quality.
When it makes sense: Rare calls where convenience matters more than cost. Business calls you can expense. Emergencies.
2. International calling plans
Many carriers offer add-on plans—pay $10-15/month for reduced rates or included minutes to specific countries.
Cost: Lower per-minute rates, but you pay the monthly fee whether you use it or not.
Quality: Same as your regular carrier—excellent.
When it makes sense: If you call one or two specific countries regularly and the math works out. Calculate your actual usage first.
3. Calling cards
Prepaid calling cards were once the default for cheap international calls. You buy a card with a PIN, dial an access number, enter the PIN, then dial your international number.
Cost: Advertised rates are often misleading. Hidden fees—connection charges, maintenance fees, rounding—can double the effective cost. Some cards are scams.
Quality: Variable. Budget cards often route through low-quality connections with noticeable delay or echo.
When it makes sense: Rarely, in 2026. VoIP services offer better rates with fewer hidden fees. Calling cards survive mainly in communities without credit cards or smartphones.
4. VoIP services
VoIP (Voice over IP) services route calls over the internet. You buy credit, then pay per minute to call real phone numbers anywhere in the world.
Cost: Much cheaper than carriers. Typical rates are $0.01-0.03/minute to major destinations, $0.10-0.30/minute to expensive ones. Some services charge connection fees or have expiring credit.
Quality: Depends on your internet connection. With good internet, quality rivals traditional phones. With poor internet, expect delays or dropouts.
When it makes sense: Most international calling scenarios. The savings over carrier rates are substantial.
Popular services: Viber Out, Rebtel, DialHard, Google Voice (US only, free to US/Canada). In our data, calls through premium routes complete 94% of the time on first attempt to most destinations, compared to 70-80% for budget routes—the extra cents per minute buy reliability.
5. Free messaging apps (WhatsApp, Telegram, etc.)
If both people have the same app installed, voice and video calls are free. The call travels entirely over the internet—no phone network involved.
Cost: Free (only uses internet data).
Quality: Depends on both people's internet connections. Can be excellent or terrible depending on circumstances.
When it makes sense: Whenever the other person has a smartphone and internet access. This should be your first choice when possible.
Limitation: Can't call regular phone numbers. Only works for app-to-app calls.
6. Callback services
A callback service works by having a computer call you, then calling the other person, and connecting the two calls. Both legs are outbound calls from the service's location, often a country with cheap calling rates.
Cost: Can be cheaper for certain routes, especially from countries with expensive outbound rates.
Quality: Variable. The double-connection can introduce delay.
When it makes sense: Calling from countries where even VoIP is blocked or where outbound rates are unusually high. Less relevant for most users in 2026.
How do I dial an international number?
International phone numbers follow a standard format, but the way you dial them varies by country and device.
The components of an international number
A complete international phone number has three parts:
Country code: 1-3 digits identifying the country. Examples: +1 (USA/Canada), +44 (UK), +81 (Japan), +91 (India), +55 (Brazil).
Area/city code: Identifies a region within the country. May be optional for mobiles in some countries. Example: 20 for London in the UK, 212 for New York in the US.
Local number: The rest of the number.
Complete number examples: +44 20 7946 0958 is a London landline. +1 212 555 1234 is a New York number. +81 90 1234 5678 is a Japanese mobile.
The + symbol and exit codes
The + symbol at the start of an international number means "dial your country's exit code first." It's a universal placeholder.
Different countries have different exit codes:
From the US/Canada: 011 is the exit code. To call the UK number above, dial 011 44 20 7946 0958.
From the UK: 00 is the exit code. To call the US number, dial 00 1 212 555 1234.
From Japan: 010 is the exit code.
On mobile phones: Most mobile phones accept the + symbol directly—hold down the 0 key or enter +. The phone automatically converts it to your country's exit code.
On VoIP services: Most accept the + format directly. Some require the country code without any prefix.
Dropping the leading zero
Many countries use a leading 0 in domestic phone numbers that you must drop when calling from abroad.
Example: A London number within the UK is dialed as 020 7946 0958. From abroad, you drop the 0 and dial +44 20 7946 0958.
This applies in the UK, Germany, France, Australia, Japan, and many other countries. The US and Canada don't use a leading 0, so this doesn't apply there.
What affects call quality?
Not all international calls are created equal. Quality depends on several factors.
For traditional phone calls
Route quality: Carriers choose routes based on cost. Premium routes use direct fiber connections with minimal hops. Budget routes might bounce through multiple countries, adding delay.
Codec: Voice is compressed for transmission. Better codecs preserve voice quality. Cheaper routes sometimes use aggressive compression that makes voices sound robotic.
Congestion: During high-traffic periods (holidays, major events), networks can get congested. Calls to some countries become difficult to complete or have degraded quality.
For VoIP calls
Your internet connection: The most important factor. You need stable bandwidth, not just speed. A consistent 1 Mbps connection is better than a variable 50 Mbps connection that keeps dropping packets.
The other person's connection: For app-to-app calls, both ends matter. You might have perfect internet while the person you're calling is on unstable mobile data in a rural area.
Server locations: VoIP services route calls through their servers. Services with servers closer to you and your destination have less delay.
Jitter and packet loss: VoIP is sensitive to "jitter" (variation in packet arrival time) and packet loss. These cause choppy audio, robotic voices, or dropped words. WiFi is generally more prone to these issues than wired connections.
Understanding latency (delay)
Latency is the delay between speaking and the other person hearing you. Measured in milliseconds:
Under 150ms: Feels like a normal conversation. You won't notice the delay.
150-300ms: Slightly noticeable. Conversations work but feel slightly off. You might accidentally interrupt each other.
Over 300ms: Clearly noticeable. The conversation becomes awkward. Common with poorly-routed calls or satellite connections.
Transatlantic calls via fiber have about 70-90ms of baseline latency (the time for light to travel through the cable). VoIP adds another 20-50ms for encoding/decoding. Poorly-routed calls can add hundreds more.
What about business international calls?
Business international calling has additional considerations beyond cost.
Professional appearance
Caller ID: When you call a business contact, what number appears on their phone? Unknown numbers get ignored. Some VoIP services let you set a recognizable caller ID; others show random numbers or "Unknown."
Local presence: Having a local phone number in your clients' countries increases answer rates dramatically. Many business VoIP services offer virtual numbers in multiple countries.
Reliability: Dropped calls or poor audio quality hurt your professional image. Business-grade services typically offer better reliability than consumer options.
Compliance and recording
Call recording: Many industries require recording business calls. Not all VoIP services offer this, and recording laws vary by country (some require consent from all parties).
Data privacy: Calls to EU customers may be subject to GDPR. Calls involving financial information may need specific security measures. Business VoIP services usually address these requirements; consumer apps often don't.
Volume and cost management
Reporting: Businesses need to track calling costs by department, project, or client. Look for services with detailed reporting and export capabilities.
Volume discounts: If you're making hundreds of hours of international calls monthly, negotiate. Published rates are starting points.
Carrier agreements: Large enterprises often negotiate direct agreements with carriers for specific routes they call frequently.
Why won't my call connect?
Common problems and solutions:
"The call connects but the other person can't hear me"
Cause: Usually a one-way audio problem caused by NAT (network address translation) issues with VoIP, or a microphone permission problem.
Solution: Check microphone permissions in your app settings. Try switching from WiFi to mobile data or vice versa. Restart the app.
"Calls drop after exactly 30 or 60 seconds"
Cause: You've run out of credit, or your carrier has a time limit you didn't know about.
Solution: Check your balance or plan details.
"The audio is choppy or robotic"
Cause: Network congestion, packet loss, or poor internet connection (either end).
Solution: Switch to WiFi if on mobile data (or vice versa). Close other apps using bandwidth. If calling app-to-app, have the other person check their connection too.
"I hear an echo of my own voice"
Cause: The other person's speaker is feeding back into their microphone. Common with speakerphone or bad headsets.
Solution: Ask the other person to lower their volume or use headphones.
"The call won't connect at all"
Cause: Could be an invalid number, a network block, or a service outage.
Solution: Verify the number format (correct country code, dropped leading zero if necessary). Try a different service. Check if the destination country is blocking VoIP (some countries do).
Which countries block or restrict VoIP?
Some countries block or restrict VoIP services to protect state telecom monopolies or for surveillance purposes. As of 2026:
Heavy restrictions: China (WhatsApp, Telegram blocked; WeChat calls work), UAE and Gulf states (most VoIP blocked; some licensed services work), Turkmenistan, North Korea.
Partial restrictions: Some countries block specific services or throttle VoIP traffic without fully blocking it.
Note: Restrictions change frequently. VPN services can sometimes bypass blocks but may violate local laws.
How is international calling changing?
Several trends are shaping how international calls will work in coming years:
App-based calling dominance: For personal calls, app-to-app calling (WhatsApp, etc.) has already replaced traditional international calls for most people with smartphones. This trend will continue.
Persistent landline need: Despite app growth, landlines and traditional phone numbers aren't disappearing. Businesses, government offices, elderly populations, and areas with poor internet will continue needing PSTN connectivity.
Termination rate declines: Regulatory pressure is slowly reducing termination rates in expensive countries. This will make calling certain destinations cheaper over time.
WebRTC expansion: Browser-based calling (no app installation required) is improving. Making a VoIP call is becoming as simple as clicking a link in any browser.
AI integration: Real-time translation during calls is becoming feasible. Within a few years, language barriers may matter less for international calls.
Quick summary
First choice: free apps. If the person you're calling has WhatsApp, Telegram, or similar, use that. Free and usually works well.
Second choice: VoIP services. When you need to call actual phone numbers, use a VoIP service. Rates are typically 5-20x cheaper than carrier rates.
Check for hidden costs. Watch for connection fees, billing increments, and expiring credit. A service advertising $0.01/minute might cost much more in practice.
Avoid carrier rates when possible. Your phone company's international rates are almost always the most expensive option. Use them only when convenience outweighs cost.
Know your destinations. Rates vary dramatically by country. A service that's cheap for one destination might be expensive for another. Check rates before committing.
Quality needs good internet. VoIP quality depends on your connection. Use WiFi when possible, and understand that poor internet on either end will affect the call.
International calling in 2026 is far cheaper and easier than it was even a decade ago. The infrastructure is more efficient, alternatives to expensive carriers are abundant, and for billions of smartphone users, calling across oceans is as simple as opening an app.