According to responses, a strong majority (56%) of U.S. adults who make intertional phone calls would switch the way they make them. The study also found that more than 2 in 5 of these adults (43%) say they would switch to using their mobile phone to make those calls. “The message seems clear, consumers want to change their existing provider and change to calling from a mobile hand-set,” said Andreas Bernstrom, CEO of Rebtel.

According to responses, a strong majority (56%) of U.S. adults who make intertional phone calls are would switch the way they make them.

Of the adults who said they would switch to their mobile phone, 19% said they would switch to using special long distance packages, while 16% said they would switch to using their mobile phone using regular carrier calling rates. A surprising 11% said they would use a VoIP service/application.

“This signals a major opportunity for calling companies and services to capture a majority of the U.S. consumer market. Our findings demonstrate that international calling is a wide open market for innovative and inexpensive calling services, and will allow services like Google Voice to pose a real threat to operators.”

In terms of video calls, 14% of Americans said they currently make them, with a staggering 34% of respondents saying they would be willing to pay a monthly fee. “This opens up a new, non-ad based revenue model for providers like Skype who are looking to monetize on their video services”, said Bernstrom. Of those that replied ‘yes’ to paying for these calls, 15% said they would be willing to pay under $5, with 7% stating they would be willing to spend between $5 and $10 a month. 6% said they would spend more than $10, and another 6% said they would be willing to pay no matter what the cost.

In terms of video calls, 14% of Americans said they currently make them, with a staggering 34% of respondents saying they would be willing to pay a monthly fee.

Of those that replied ‘yes’ to paying for these calls, 44% said they would be willing to pay under $5, with 21% stating they would be willing to spend between $5 and $10 a month. 18% said they would spend more than $10, and 17% said they would be willing to pay no matter what the cost.

This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Rebtel from September 1 – 3, 2010 among 2,258 adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact Eric Gonzalez at eric@vscconsulting.com.

- Saturday and Sunday are the most popular days for calls to Mexico.

- The largest number of calls are coming from Los Angeles, CA, Houston, TX, Orange, CA, Miami, FL, San Diego, CA,

- Cuauhtémoc, Guadalajara, Ciudad Monterrey, Neruda, Juarez and Culiacan Rosales are the most popular calling destinations, in that order.

As of November 1, 2008, of those surveyed:

On average Rebtel users spend 175 minutes per month – 2 hours and 55 minutes – on their monthly calls to Mexico.

And for the most part, they are calling friends and families more often on their landlines in Mexico rather than mobile phones.

Top Mexican Cities Receiving Calls from the U.S.:

1. Cuauhtémoc
2. Guadalajara
3. Ciudad Monterrey
4. Neruda
5. Juarez
6. Culiacan Rosales

Top U.S. Cities Calling Mexico:

1. Los Angeles, CA
2. Houston, TX
3. Orange, CA
4. Miami, FL
5. San Diego, CA

“Low rates combined with the most reliable and clear connections are what have been driving our increase in international calling to Mexico,” said Rebtel CEO Hjalmar Winbladh.

Founded in 2006, Stockholm-based Rebtel was established to give people around the world an alternative to calling cards and mobile operators’ rip-off rates for making international calls. Now thousands of Americans use Rebtel to call Mexico for 2 cents per minute to landlines or mobile phones. The company recently was ranked #1 in international calling by Technology Appraisals and has been featured in USA Today, The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and The International Herald Tribune for its unique calling service.

•    Saturday and Sunday are the most popular days for calls to China.
•    The largest number of calls are coming from Los Angeles, Washington D.C., New York, Sacramento – and of all places, Montgomery, Al.
•    Shanghai, Beijing, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Dalian and Shenyang, are the most popular calling destinations, in that order.

As of October 1, 2008, of those surveyed:

On average Rebtel users call three people every week and spend 145 minutes per month – 2 hours and 25 minutes – on their monthly calls to China.

And for the most part, they are calling friends and families more often on their landlines in China rather than mobile phones.

Top Chinese Receiving Calls from the U.S.:

1. Shanghai
2. Beijing
3. Fuzhou
4. Guangzhou
5. Dalian
6. Shenyang

Top U.S. Cities Calling China:

1. Los Angeles
2. Alexandria, VA
3. New York City
4. Sacramento/Stockton, California
5. Montgomery, Alabama

“Low rates combined with the most reliable and clear connections are what have been driving our increase in international calling to China,” said Rebtel CEO Hjalmar Winbladh.

Founded in 2006, Stockholm-based Rebtel was established to give people around the world an alternative to calling cards and mobile operators’ rip-off rates for making international calls. Now thousands of Americans use Rebtel to call China for less than 2 cents per minute to landlines or mobile phones. The company recently was ranked #1 in international calling by Technology Appraisals and has been featured in USA Today, The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and The International Herald Tribune for its unique calling service.