OT: Cheap VOIP to cell?

[Ori Berger]

Hetz Ben Hamo wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I was just shocked by the huge cellphone bill I got, I decided to look 
> for some alternatives..
>
> Skype has unlimited call in Israel, but it's only for landlines. 
>  Their mobile prices are pretty high compared to what cell phone 
> companies offer. 
>
> So, does anyone had/have this issue and found good solution? (not 
> calling cell numbers is not a solution).
Apparently, betamax (<http://backsla.sh/betamax> ; see for more info 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betamax_(VoIP_company)> ) can get you 4 
eurocents (6 usd cents = ~24 ag). I have no experience with them; The 
only guy I know who uses them has good experience, but the wikipedia 
article doesn't seem as cheerful.

Personally, I'm happy with grnvoip/ezcall (<http://admin.grnvoip.com>). 
Rates change periodically, but at this moment: 
<http://70.42.72.9/rates-show-all.html?replicaid=8&hasLimit=false&searchString=israel> 
mobile phones are 8.2 usd cents, landlines are less than 1 usd cent. Not 
affiliated with them in any way except as a customer. Service is decent, 
tech support is competent and always available, although I had to switch 
to the "premium" routes to get decent USA calls (but if you only plan to 
call Israel, you can do just as well with the "standard" routes)

You may be interested in this thread I started early this year:
<http://www.mail-archive.com/linux-il@cs.huji.ac.il/msg53910.html>; the 
latest relevant summary I posted is in 
<http://www.mail-archive.com/linux-il@cs.huji.ac.il/msg54412.html>

But, all in all -- it doesn't seem like you can really get cheap mobile 
calls in Israel.