Many mobile phone service providers around the world are offering free talking plans for a modest monthly pay for family members, but that generally doesn't apply for international calls. Couples living different continents may want to communicate using cell phones as cheap as in the same country. It could be a good solution if the data transfer speeds were high and costs were low, so one could simply use Skype directly from one's phone, but that's not always the case.

So, the idea is for both distant family members to order the family talking plans in their respective countries, then for each to leave a smart phone at home connected to computer. Write the software for the components to interact, so that when you call to the phone left at home, it would start calling a particular contact on Skype, and when the other computer received Skype call from you, it would use the phone connected to it to call to your family member abroad.
-- Inyuki, Jan 02 2010

SIM box http://www.gsmsave....OIP-GSM-Gateway.htm
Illegal in some countries [DenholmRicshaw, Jan 02 2010]

I don't understand. They already have mobile skype phones.
-- piratemeggy, Jan 02 2010


See

// if the data transfer speeds were high and costs were low, so one could simply use Skype directly from one's phone, but that's not always the case. //
-- Inyuki, Jan 02 2010


See link for something that might do what you want.
-- DenholmRicshaw, Jan 02 2010


This is a wondeful idea. I could have used this last year when I was traveling a lot.

The problem is that not all countries have cheap or fast data plans. They do have "for 20 dollars a month, you can talk as much as you want between these two numbers" plans which do NOT include international.

If you could combine Skype's cheap US (or international ) calling rate with this, and relay it, it would be incredibly useful for some people.
-- cowtamer, Jan 03 2010



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