Update: As of February 17, 2007 the company is no longer offering free international calls. Read this post for more details.
An Iowa startup called AllFreeCalls is offering free international calls to a long list of countries. The instructions on how to use it sound like a no brainer:
- call this number in Iowa: 712-858-8094
- dial the usual 011 + country code + destination number
According to Mike Arrington at TechCrunch this is why it works:
Iowa is apparently the only state taking advantage of an FCC kickback scheme that gives telco’s a portion of the fees generated from every inbound call to an Iowa number. So when you call the AllFreeCalls phone number, a portion of any long distance fees you are paying go to the company. The kickback is apparently authorized via the Universal Service Fund. These kickbacks are enough on average to more than cover the international outbound calling fees.
The company is a nice addition to the list of free telephony services I reviewed previously.
Source: Complicated Laws = Free Calls at TechCrunch
Thank you for the link to allfreecalls
Pat CEO
Like Futurephone this is taking advantage of an FCC kickback supported by the US Universal Service Fund (USF). This is exploiting a fund the FCC set up to assist states in the US where telecom systems are considered weak, in this case Iowa. Futurephone and Allfrecalls are making money out of the USF/FCC and you for every generated call, you are paying at least 6 cents a minute when long distance calling is not included in your plan. I’m more than sure that this isn’t allowed to continue for long — that’s really not what the USF is for!
I have heard of at least a few similar services launched recently. CallChinaForFree is one I can recall right now. The scheme is clearly getting popular. I wonder how long it will take for the lawmakers to fix the loophole.
I have been using Free Call Planet for months now, and it has worked great to Canada and the UK. I just wish I could call India for free too.
The cash generative principle behind this service is nothing new (we, and many other operators, have been doing this in the UK for some years now - see http://www.dialabroad.co.uk/mobileplus) and provided the call volume through Iowa does not get too great, this service should continue for the foreseeable future, which is great for consumers.
I’ve noticed www.freecalls2theworld.com is doing the same thing. Impressive list of countries and good quality of service. I’ve been calling the UK and Israel on it.
I have just been on Pat’s blog and all the mentioned services seem to be done by now. It started with http://futurephone.com (nice banner) and now allfreecalls.net is off as well. I think AT&T wasn’t too happy about these services, they kinda had to pay the bill.
I have been using future phone for sometime now. Its a great service i have told many friends and family. i call family members in Canada for free. What i want is for this service is to call the middle east mainly YEMEN i have family and lots of friends for are at the American University. i know if they would offer their services to middle east everything would use it.
Alex, you seem to be out of loop. The site has been down for some time now. Read my coverage here:
http://probargainhunter.com/20.....n-service/
hey i tried calling 712-858-8094 but i recieve a message that the number doesnot exist. so help me in this issue
Does anyone know another number for the fre calls or if this service will be back up