Dial Around World
| Two choices when
making phone calls from USA: 1) Direct Dial. A customer dials 1-(xxx)-xxxx-xxx for any US number or dials 011-country-code-and-number for international calls. When you Direct Dial a call will be handled by your pre-selected carrier (your default phone company like AT&T, MCI, SBC etc). 2) Dial Around. A customer dials a dial around number first (such as 10-10-xxx) to choose an independent phone company and then 1-(xxx)-xxxx-xxx for any US number or 011-country-code-and-number for international calls. |
How Do Dial-Around Services Work? |
Examples of Dial-Around: |
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Most customers have a primary carrier that handles long distance.
This may be one of tier-1 carriers (MCI, SPRINT, AT&T) or one
of the many other smaller players in industry. When a customer
dials 1+AreaCode+Number, a primary carrier handles the call.
However, there is a way to bypass our primary carrier by telling
a local switchboard to route a call through another long distance
provider. In other words, we can "dial around" our primary long
distance carrier. By dialing a "dialaround" access code before
entering 1+AreaCode+Number, you effectively route that call
through another phone company. The charges may show up as a
separate section on your normal phone bill, may come as a separate
bill. Based on this definition, dial-around service actually applies to programs beyond just the 10-10XXX access numbers. Providers which allow you to access their network through a toll free number are also effectively dial-around services as they circumvent your primary long distance carrier. Calling cards are also another form of dial-around service. Most customers pre-select one of the major long distance carriers like MCI, AT&T or Sprint and use them for all long distance calls. More sophisticated customers pre-select a major carrier but use dial-around for longer international or state-to-state calls. Savings can go anywhere from 30% to 80% depending on destinations. You can use one or more dial around numbers. Its like if you were buying groceries. You can go to one store and buy everything there, or you can go to 2-3 stores and buy selectively based on the best prices. The same with dial around. You may make some calls on your default carrier, some on one dial-around number, some on another dial-around number. |
1) Tel3Advantage
Tel3Advantage provides low cost dial around for
US and international destinations with pin-less dialing (pin-less
dialing is a preferable way to call from your residential or
cellular phone). Tel3advantage
runs a promotion up to 473 free minutes given to new
customers. One of the best sellers in 2009.
Tel3 international rates
2) CalltureCallture is a Canadian dial around, call back and phonecard company that provides services in Canada and USA. Click Callture for current low rates. |