Best way to call India from the US during Diwali.
 | October 16, 2020 | 4 min read |
Being far from family isn’t easy, especially during holidays like Diwali. However, even when people you care about are in India, the right phone service can help you to celebrate together.
Let’s look at the basics of making calls to India from the U.S. and what you can do to stay connected during Diwali and any day.
What should you look for when choosing an international phone service?
Choosing the best phone service for making calls to India involves looking at four important criteria:
- Connect from anywhere: The best international phone service gives you access to the plan when you’re home, on the go in your neighborhood, and even when you’re traveling abroad.
- Calling rates: Low international rates can help you avoid large phone bills, and unlimited calling plans let you call India as much as you want.
- Ease of use: It’s much easier to directly dial an Indian phone number than to deal with the complicated access numbers of international calling cards.
- Service quality: Your international phone plan should have technology that helps you avoid the frustration of garbled or stuttered audio.
How to call India from the US.
With the Ooma Telo phone service, it’s easy and affordable to make international calls. International calling rates are just pennies per minute. The voice quality of Ooma phone calls has been acclaimed for audio that’s crisp and clear. And users can access the phone service via a home phone or by using the free calling app.
When using Ooma to phone India, it costs only 2.9 cents per minute to reach any of the country’s landlines and cell phone numbers. These affordable rates are available with both your Ooma home phone service or through the Ooma calling app.
With the Ooma app, calling India from the U.S. is easy and convenient. When you have the freedom to access your international plan from anywhere, you’ll be better able to stay connected between a busy schedule or manage time zone differences. Calls are transmitted over your internet connection, which could be your home’s Wi-Fi or your data plan. When calling India from the U.S., dial 011, the exit code for the U.S. phone system. Then dial 91, which is the country code for India. Next enter the area code and dial the local phone number for your contact in India.
Unlimited international calling to India.
For making frequent international calls to India, Ooma users can benefit from unlimited international calling plans that include unlimited talk to locations around the globe.
Ooma’s international calling plans start at only $9.99 per month for the first year. Included is unlimited minutes to India’s landlines and mobile phones as well as unlimited access to landlines in over 60 countries and to mobile phones in over 10 countries.
For globetrotters, the Ooma World Plus plan provides expanded international access with unlimited calling to landlines in over 70 countries and to mobile phones in over 40 countries for only $25.99 per month.
The importance of staying connected with family during Diwali.
Diwali, the festival of lights, is a celebration that’s tied to the importance of family. However, the reality is that your family may be celebrating far away in different cities, states or countries.
Many of the regional customs of Diwali are focused on food, family, socializing and community. The Chicago Tribune said that the one thing all regions tend to agree on is that food is a big part of Diwali celebrations. The Guardian agreed, saying, “Diwali is a vibrant, colourful, joyous celebration expressed through the medium of food.”
Even though you may not be able to share holiday treats or sweet confectioneries with those abroad, a phone call to those you care about connects you to the celebration.
wong yu liang – stock.adobe.com
Using Ooma when traveling to India.
If you’re traveling to India to celebrate Diwali, you can bring your Ooma phone service with you by using the free calling app.
Your overseas trip won’t require that you swap your phone’s SIM card or use other methods of accessing phone service while traveling. With Ooma, all you’ll need is an internet connection and you’ll be able to make calls as you ordinarily would in the United States, using your same phone number. Keep in mind that when traveling abroad, relying on a Wi-Fi connection can help you avoid international data charges through your phone carrier.
All calls to the U.S. are free, no matter where you’re located, and calls to India’s phone numbers and area codes will be charged the same rates as when you were in the U.S.
Additionally, Ooma Premier customers have the advantage of being able to both make and receive calls with the mobile app. Therefore, not only can you use the Ooma app to place calls confirming your travel itinerary, but you can also receive calls from friends who may not be aware you’re traveling.
Learn more about how Ooma’s international calling plans can make it affordable for you to call India from the U.S.
Image source: Hemant – stock.adobe.com Dennis is the vice president of product management and technical advisory board member of Ooma and is responsible for creating an intuitive, compelling user experience.
Prior to joining Ooma, Dennis worked at Cisco Systems for 11 years where he began his career as a customer support engineer. He later joined the Escalation Team where he focused on fixing the most technically challenging problems, as well as supporting the design, rollout and operations of the largest remote access and broadband aggregation networks worldwide. He was honored with the title of Distinguished Support Engineer because of his expertise in networking protocols, isolating and fixing highly complex issues, and leadership among his peers.
Dennis holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University.
