Making phone calls from China is very easy. If you want to call overseas, an IP card is best for convenience and low price.They can be used from the area where they are purchased (prepaid) or attached to registered fixed or mobile phones. Prepaid calling cards can be bought on the street or at post offices across the country with a 50% to 75% discount. China Telecom, China Unicom, China Netcom and China Jitong issue IP cards. Rates for international calls are different with different issuers.

IP Cards Comparison

Company Name	Discount/Face Price	Price(RMB)Service Quality/Access Region	Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan	America and Canada	Other major countries	Service Quality	Access Region
China Telecom	77/100	1.50/min	2.40/min	3.60*/min	4.60/min	high	Most regions
China Unicom	52/100	1.50/min2.40/min	3.60/min	3.60/min	4.60/min	medium	Detail
China Netcom	50/100	1.50/min	2.40/min	3.20/min	4.20/min	medium	detail

0.24(7am-9pm), 0.20(9pm-7am)/6 sec

China Jitong

47/100

0.12(7am-9pm), 0.10(9pm-7am)/6 sec

0.30(7am-9pm), 0.26(9pm-7am)/6 sec**

0.35(7am-9pm), 0.30(9pm-7am)/6 sec

medium

*Britain, France, Italy, Germany, New Zealand, Korea, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines** Britain, France, Germany, New Zealand, Japan, Australia, Singapore

If you need better performance and reliability, China Telecom is highly recommended. What's more, it can help you access more countries and cities than other brands of IP cards. However it always sells at a higher price

If you only need to reach some big cities and plan to be more economical, products of China Unicom and China Netcom may be a good choice. You could buy them at a 50% discount rather than the 25% discount of China Telecom. To make a call, simply follow the instructions in English on the back of the card. The information below may help.

Steps to call:

China Telecom IP Card	Dial 17900/17908	1. Mandarin 2. English	Card number.#	PIN.#	IDD#
China Unicom IP Card	Dial 17910	1. Mandarin 2. English	Card number.#	PIN .#	IDD#
China Netcom IP Card	Dial 17930	1. Mandarin 2. English 3. Cantonese	Card number.#	PIN.#	IDD# 1# Balance Query 2# Password Change 3# Balance Transfer
China Jitong IP Card	Dial 17920	1. Mandarin 2. English	Card number.#	PIN.#	IDD# 1# Password Change

However, if you are tired of pressing too many numbers but you have your registered fixed or mobile phone, you can apply for IP Direct Dial, so that you could access the IP long distance service without dialling the IP card number.

There are two ways to apply for this service -- purchase a prepaid card and add balance to your fixed phone or cell phone. or contact your local China Telecom, Unicom or Netcom office, provide your phone number and sign the contract with them. The cost will be included in your fixed phone bill.

China Telecom: http://www.chinatelecom.com.cn/english/index04.html Hotline: 1000 (Only in China)

China Unicom Hotline: 1001 (Only In China)

China Netcom:

http://www.cnc.net.cn/english/about/contact.html

China Jitong Hotline: 1002 (Only in China)

For yitong card cell phone users, you already have your Direct Dial IP service, just dial 17951 before the IDD number.

As for someone who has a personal PC or laptop, they may use some online communication tools like Yahoo Messenger, MSN or NetMeeting to voice chat, but dialling to another phone requires extra software and charge.