OK, I just saw this on two different websites. I first ran across the link on Digg.com: where
Make Magazine details how to make the free calls. (Ignore the misleading pic of the Pay Phone on the Make Magazine website.) I am not sure how the company offering the free calls is doing it, but I assume it must be through voice over IP (VOIP).
Then a couple of days later I ran across another article detailing the same plan on
The Consumerist website. I guess the company offering this is
FuturePhone and you can find more info on their website.
The gist of it is, you call a number (1-712-858-8883) in Iowa, and then redial your international number to get redirected. This whole process is free as long as you have a way of calling Iowa without incurring toll charges. I guess most of us have cell phones with unlimited minutes or a Vonage VOIP account or even Skype account where we can use to initiate the free call to Iowa.
If you do initiate the call from your cell phone, FuturePhone warns that you shouldn't press the "send" button on your cell phone after being directed to enter the international number because it could disconnect you from Future and then you might be really calling international from your cell phone. So make sure you read their
FAQ's page before you try this!
Enjoy free international calling for the next 3 years.
UPDATE: OK, this morning I tried the FuturePhone service. I used my Vonage VOIP, which is hooked up to my broadband here in Australia, to call the Iowa number and then redialed to an Australian number. I called the number, an automated female operator states press "1 for English" and I think "8 for Spanish". After hitting 1, it promted me to enter 011, the country number, and then the phone number. Connecting was fast and the call rang through. The line was clear but I could still detect a few seconds lag, which made the conversation awkward because I had to wait a second after speaking, listening, and speaking again. You don't get the natural speaking/listening like on a landline or cell phone. In all, this is service is acceptable for a being free, but it's not as good as my Vonage connection where I experience no lag time at all. I suppose you can't complain for a free service that you could try on your cell phone to make international calls.
