Cameroonians in U.S. Keep International Calls Home Short and Sweet

SAN FRANCISCO, April 15 /PRNewswire/ -- A new study issued this month shows several remarkable changes in the ways people in the U.S. are communicating with family and friends in the central western African Republic of Cameroon.

The research, provided by the Internet phone company, Rebtel (http://www.rebtel.com), shows several fascinating facts and findings based on its calling volume in the first three months of 2010.

• Saturdays, Sundays and Tuesdays are the days that most Cameroonians abroad call home.
• The largest number of calls to Cameroon from the U.S. originate in Maryland, Texas, Georgia and California.
• The vast majority of calls go to mobile phones vs. landlines.
• Average call duration to Cameroon from the U.S. is just 5.6 minutes.

Among the more than 1,000 survey respondents, 85.9% of calls are to family, 12.3% are to friends, and only 1.8% call business associates in Cameroon, where MTM Mobile and Orange Mobile are the hands-down leading mobile phone providers.

Top U.S. Cities Calling Cameroon:

1. West Maryland (Silver Spring, Frederick, Gaithersburg, Camp Springs, Prince George's County)
2. Houston, Tx.
3. Atlanta, Ga. and suburbs
4. Oklahoma City
5. East Maryland (Baltimore, Annapolis, Chesapeake Bay area, Ocean City)
6. Dallas, Tx.
7. Washington, D.C.
8. St. Paul, Minn.
9. West Los Angeles (Beverly Hills, West Hollywood)
10. Fort Worth, Tx.

"Reliable and clear connections, combined with service ease of use and low rates are driving a significant increase in international calling to Cameroon from the U.S. on Rebtel," said Andreas Bernstrom, Rebtel CEO.

Of the Cameroonians participating in the survey, 78.8% said Rebtel call quality was noticeably better than other phone services for calling family in Cameroon; 86% said Rebtel was easier to use.  And just over half – 50.2% – said Rebtel rates consistently beat the competition.

Starting this month Rebtel, which works with any carrier or phone, cut its calling rates to 15.5 cents per minute to landlines in Cameroon and 20 cents per minute to mobile phones, representing a 3% and 15% reduction respectively.

By comparison, Skype charges 32.8 cents per minute to landlines in Cameroon and 31.4 to mobile phones.  AT&T charges 49 cents per minute to landlines in Cameroon and 61 to mobile phones for customers who pay $3.99 a month for an international calling plan.  And calling cards, which promise outlandishly low rates per minute, are tough to figure out actual cost because the small print reveals hidden charges such as 3 minute rounding, per minute surcharges, connection fees, and weekly fees.

Founded in 2006, Stockholm-based Rebtel was established to give people around the world an alternative to mobile operators' rip-off rates for making international calls. Today, thousands of Cameroonians living in the U.S. use Rebtel every day to call family at home.

Rebtel has been ranked No. 1 in international calling by Technology Appraisals and has been featured in USA Today, The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and The International Herald Tribune for its unique calling service.

About Rebtel

Rebtel is an Internet phone company that makes it possible to use any phone in 50 countries to call anywhere in the world for just pennies per minute or for free.  Rebtel customers only pay for the minutes they use. There are no monthly fees, no connection fees, or hidden costs.  Free calls are possible between the 50 countries served by Rebtel and only one of the two people on a call must be a Rebtel customer. For more information, or to start using Rebtel, go to http://www.rebtel.com.

SOURCE Rebtel