Phone call quality to/from Philippines?

Question

Used to be that I could make and receive phone calls from the Philippines and the quality was Very good. Now it's as though I am using a cheap prepaid calling card. My long distance carrier is AT&T, and they say it's not them.
The calls are to/from mobile carriers Globe and Smart. Sometimes I get a good connection, mainly in the early moning Phil time. For example, when I call a number, I can tell if it's going to be a good connection by the ring. If it's a "solid" ring, the connection is good, but more often it's a weak ring. And sometimes, the ring itself is a "beep" rather than what used to be the normal ring. .. When they call me, especially through Globe, sometimes they say they get an operator speaking Chinese or something. ....
I've contacted Globe, as they have, and after "fighting" with Globe for about two months, they admitted to having "routing problems", and were supposedly fixing the problem (this was over six months ago).
My number used to appear all the time on their phones when I was calling. Now it appears as "Private" or all Zeros. I'm beginning to wonder if both Smart and Globe are suffering from bandwidth problems. I can call landlines and the connection is always good. The area I call most is Cavite. .. Anyone else noticing similar problems? The problems we are having started about a year ago, but have grown steadily worse over time.

Answer 1

i use magicjack. i could call any number in the u.s. and canada for just the cost of the unit and an internet connection. superb voice quality and virtually minimal cost. the only thing about it is that you need to have a dsl connection. it think it cost 40 dollars for the first year and 20 dollars for succeeding years.

Answer 2

I have also noticed a steady decline in the level of quality over the past 5 years among Globe and Smart. Not only with the voice calls but text messaging as well. It's also a problem within Philippines. If cell service providers don't address their shortfalls, the cell phone might go the way of CB radios.

Answer 3

Try using a calling card and see if that change anything.



I am using Onesuite.com for calling the Philippines (not Cavite though) and most of my calls are clear. It's pay as you go so you don't have to worry about any plans or anything. You can sign up for as low as $10 and make your call right away.



If that doesn't work then I guess you should try VoIP as it will save you more in the process. Onesuite also has a voip feature and you or them in Cavite can get a US number and if you choose an area code near to your place in the US then you can call them for free using your AT&T landline.



HTH

Answer 4

i usually call landline to landline so no connection problem except during bad weather in manila.

Answer 5

Use a phone card.