From: lars@beagle-ears.com   
      
   For a number of years, I have been using CallCentric (front-ended by the   
   SoftPhone app) to call my family in Denmark on week-ends. For some time,   
   I have noticed that the calls were disconnected after some time, but   
   would reconnect immediately with no problem. A few days ago, I was   
   annoyed enough to find out what was happening.   
      
   When I first started using CallCentric, calls to Denmark were 7   
   cents/minute for landlines and I think 26 cents/min for mobile phones,   
   while the regulars AT&T rate from my mobile phone was around 1   
   dollar/minute. This made it affordable to talk to my family for an hour   
   on Saturdays.   
      
   What has happened now, is that the billing rates have flipped. Calls to   
   mobile numbers are now 1.6 cents/minute, while landlines are billed at   
   38.5 cents/minute. This causes the 10-20 dollar reserve I keep in my   
   CallCenric report to get exhausted, and when it hits about 3 dollars,   
   the call drops. The account automatically rechanges and I can call   
   again. Until I hit the maximum number of daily recharges (which I have   
   set to 2).   
      
   I am shocked at this change in rates. I was sure it must be a data entry   
   error in thir rate table, but their customer service says that these are   
   indeed the rates now.   
      
   Do other VoIP providers (SIP telcos) have similar rates? What happened   
   to cause these changes? I would have expected that 7 cents/26 cents might   
   turn into 10 cents/30 cents over a decade or so (although I would have   
   thought it more likely that thay would turn into 4 cents/10 cents, given   
   the general trends in wholesale tececom costs.   
      
   Lars Poulsen   
   Santa Barbara, CA   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)