The world is getting closer and closer and making a long distance international call is a common occurrence nowadays. This article includes the basic information required to make a call to a foreign country.
There was a time when we hardly knew one person – that too due to some common acquaintance – living in a different country, but these days due to globalization, we all have at least one family member or a close friend living ‘abroad’. It may be that the person has permanently shifted or is on a temporary assignment. But that does not mean that you can’t call up that person and say a few words. It is only natural to miss someone close to you and say the same on the phone. E-mails are fine, but they surely lack the personal touch that your own voice lends.
How to Make a Long Distance International Call?
- Firstly, what you need to make the call, is an ISD enabled calling device. This may be your mobile phone or your home phone. Some network providers may restrict ISD calling facility. In this case, you can use an international calling card. So make sure that the device you are using allows you to make ISD calls
- You have to remember the classifications. You have to first dial the ISD number (011), then the individual ISD code which is available for each country, the STD code of the city you are calling, and finally the local number.
- To make a call to another country, you have to first dial the code 011. This code indicates that you are trying to make an international call. You have to dial this code before you dial the country code.
- After 011, you need to dial the country code. Each country in the world has its own unique ISD code. For example, the code for USA is 1, for UK and Northern Ireland it is 44, for India it is 91, etc. This code helps identify the country to which the call is being made. You can get the country code for any country, by searching for it on the Internet.
- After you have dialed the country ISD code, you have to dial the city code. Each city in a country has its own unique STD code. For example, the code for the city of London is 020. This code helps identify the city to which the call is made. The STD code can also be obtained by searching for it on the Internet
- The last step is to dial the actual phone number. By actual phone number, I mean the local phone number of your friend/relative.
- So, if you have a friend/relative staying in London, while you are somewhere in the United States of America, the number you are dialing should look something like 011 44 020 XXXXXXX.
Long distance calling has become an everyday thing, as you may dial an international number for personal or business reasons. Keeping this need of people in mind, the connectivity has improved, and call rates have also dramatically reduced.