New Rebtel Survey Projects 58.8 Million Americans Now Calling Abroad and Spending $23.8

Rebtel, the world's largest independent mobile VoIP company, today announced part two of a two-part survey conducted on their behalf by Harris Interactive online in September, which measured consumer sentiment on International calling services and providers.

For adults who make international calls, the majority do so using a landline (51%), either a traditional landline service provider (42%) and/or a VoIP service such as Vonage (12%). Another 44% make international phone calls via their mobile phones, through carrier calling rates (25%), special long distance packages (20%), and/or a VoIP service/application (9%). Another 25% of those who make international phone calls do so using their computer through software based services like Skype, while 20% use calling cards and 4% use something else.

"The international calling industry for calling from the U.S. abroad is now estimated at a $23.8 billion market," said Andreas Bernstrom, CEO of Rebtel. "Over the next few years we believe this will shift in a dramatic way, to low cost calling solutions on mobile phones away from the landline."

Men call Mars. Women call Venus. Of those who make international phone calls men are more likely than women to do so via their computer through software based services like Skype (31% vs. 19% respectively). Men are more likely than women to say that if they were going to change the way they make international phone calls they would switch to use their mobile phone VoIP service/application (10% vs. 2% respectively) or a landline (26% vs. 10% respectively). Men are more likely than women to say they make video calls (16% vs. 11% respectively). Of men and women who do make video calls, men are also more likely than women to say that they would be willing to pay a monthly fee to be able to do so (42% vs. 24% respectively).

Have a smartphone with an application for international calling: Hispanic respondents â€" 14% Black/African American respondents â€" 14% U.S / General population â€" 8%