Software And Tools - Web Tools

Techcrunch links me to Rebtel.

Wow, what an idea. Brilliant! I remember some company doing something similar for voicemail some years ago and I even gave it a try.

Rebtel is a company that allows you to make international calls for the price of peanuts or even cheaper then that! Now you can be in constant touch with you friends, relative, business associates, employers etc. for a price of a local call and $1 USD/week.

If you make a lot of international calls at a specific number, then here are the steps:-

1) Sign up for Rebtel
2) Charge your account for as low as $5
3) Create local numbers. What this means is for a given international phone no. that you want to call you will be given a local phone number which you use to make a call. This seems like a phone no. mapping system
4) Now to start making international calls, just dial out the local phone number and you will be connected within seconds. This is when their two separate products called "REBout" and "REBin" comes into play. Check Rebtel's manual for more details. If you friend lives in a country where Rebtel services are available, then your phone calls becomes really cheap but if it is not in a country where Rebtel offers its services yet, then it is a normal international call but much more cheaper then the standard international rates and in some cases even cheaper then what Skype and Yahoo has to offer.

In the countries where Rebtel is offered, this service might just change the way people make international phone calls. As for the quality of service, I tried making calls to India (where Rebtel services are not offered) and it wasn't bad. I tried calling using my mobile.

Rebtel guys, you got to get services running in India!! I can tel you there is a huge market there .

As mentioned on Rebtel website, the service might sound a bit confusing initially,but it is not once you get started using the service. You don't have the have access to Rebtel website all the time, you can create local numbers for international phone numbers as you go through your mobile as well.

I have few concerns which I will investigate as I trial out more of this service, but hopefully somebody will have the same concerns as might blog about it before I do .

So if you are spending a lot of money on international phone calls like I do, give it a try, highly recommended.

On the side note, it might have been a good idea to get people to register on the Rebtel website and let them have a single international phone number where they could try out this service for may be one or two days for free! But none the less, users can always register and if they are not happy with the service within first 30 days, they will get a refund back upto $10 USD.


If for any reason you simply wish to terminate your Rebtel account, just enter your passcode below. We will refund your initial charge up to $10 USD if you cancel within 30 days from your registration for the service.

EDIT:- ah, in rush I missed the calculations. The international call rates for India and other countries are not cheaper than what Skype is offering (This matters if you are using REBout). In fact it is expensive and then you got to factor the charge for the local call as well.