Rebtel review

We review Rebtel, an iPhone app that grants access to a VoIP service that works from any mobile or landline phone

This is a bit of a strange one. The actual app that we’re reviewing here would only take a paragraph to explain, but the service it connects to - which doesn’t really need an iPhone app at all - is somewhat trickier to bend your mind around. It’s worth pointing that although the iPhone app isn’t a necessity, it does make the Rebtel system considerably easier to manage.

At its core Rebtel is a voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) system, which allows for worldwide calls that are connected online rather than through typical telephone exchanges. However, this is one of the few, if not the only, VoIP systems that operates in tandem with mobile and landline networks and can be used from any phone, regardless of its Internet connectivity.

Rebtel offers international calls between any two phones at significantly reduced rates by providing you with a unique telephone number that’s recognised as a local line in both countries. The international leg of the call is then routed through Rebtel’s VoIP network, meaning you only pay local charges.

There’s an initially complicated procedure required to circumvent some of the charges, which involves you calling the international recipient who sees a Rebtel number on their caller ID. You ask them to hang up and call back the number they received your call from, while you stay on the line. The call is instantly reconnected, and as you’re both then talking through the Rebtel network all international charges disappear - all that’s left to pay is a local rate per minute as charged by your operator.

The iPhone app comes into play as a kind of matchmaker between you and Rebtel. You enter the details of the person you want to call, or select them from your contacts app, and the Rebtel app generates the unique global phone number you can then use to phone your friend directly. This number is automatically added to the contact in your iPhone’s address book, and you can use this Rebtel number from any phone - not just the iPhone.

It sounds like a bit of a convoluted way to make a standard phone call, and it is, but once you kick, punch and bend your brain around the unique way in which Rebtel works, it does make solid financial sense. International calls are a part of everyday life for a lot of us, but the easy connection between countries we enjoy these days isn’t reflected in the price of the calls.

Using the Rebtel app reduces a significant part of Rebtel’s tricky understanding, and is definitely worth a few minutes of head scratching for anyone who regularly phones abroad (or two - sorry, couldn’t resist).

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