By Jim Headley / Published on June 15th, 2008 / Technology & Science
As of March 2000, the estimated foreign-born population in the United States was a whopping 28 million according to the census bureau. This was a 44 percent increase from the prior census in 1990. The majority of foreign-born nationals (78%) in the United States are from Latin America and Asia.
Many of these people leave friends and family behind in their home country and are looking for ways to keep in touch with them. The proliferation of the Internet has made e-mail communication very common. There is an inherent problem with using the Internet to keep in touch with loved ones in another country. Some of these countries, particularly in Latin America, are also some of the poorest countries in the world. Having Internet access and a computer is not always viable for those who live in these economically impoverished countries. It is, however, critical for the foreign-born nationals in the United States to stay in touch with their loved ones in their country of origin. This often results in extremely expensive international telephone calls to stay in touch.
Imagine being a person who moved from Mexico to the United States to seek better employment and living, only miles from the United States and Mexico border. In order to call a family member, you will have to pay the international telephone rates that quickly add up to big money. This represents a financial hardship for people who are just starting out on a new life in the United States. Crossing the border into Mexico for a visit is often fraught with difficulty as well since you must have a passport and wait in very long lines to get across the border. Making a 5-minute phone call to speak to a loved one should not be so difficult or expensive.
Sending a letter in the mail is an option to stay in touch with loved ones from their home country if they are willing to wait for days to communicate their message. Many times waiting is not an option. Other times waiting this long is simply not desired because the giving of good news cannot wait. In addition to this, there is quite a difference in the written word versus the spoken word. Much can be lost in the reading of e-mail or a letter. The way a person reads the written word can be interpreted in many ways, ways that were not intended. The spoken word includes the tone of voice, the sound of excitement, the importance of the message, etc. When speaking to someone over the telephone it is much easier to know his or her intended message and to ask for clarification if there is a misunderstanding or confusion.
Since e-mail is not available in all countries, the written snail mail letter takes so long to deliver, and international telephone calls are horridly expensive, we must look at other options to stay in touch with countries of origin. One way to do this is to use international telephone calling cards. These calling cards can be used via cell phones or landlines and are often very inexpensive. Calling Mexico can be as cheap as 3.5 cents per minute with an international calling card. Calling Japan can be as cheap as 4.9 cents per minute. This is roughly an 85% savings over the traditional method of making international phone calls. These calling cards are very simple to use since there are no "pin" codes to enter and no hidden charges to be concerned with. You can even try some of the international calling cards for free to get a feel for the process and to see if it is right for you.
The best news of all is that you can keep in touch with people in other countries without paying exorbitant high prices.
About the author:
Jim Headley, (jheadley@telecents.com)
VP of New Business Development, Telecents Communications Inc.
Telecents' SENDGLOBAL brand offers FREE International Calling Call Free to Europe, South America, Asian, Mexico, Middle East, and India. Visit http://www.sendglobal.comenter promo code "J8979" Want to become an agent/affiliate? Go to: http://www.sendglobl.infologin: TCI