Calling to/from UAE
 

Hi all,

I'll be moving to the UAE for about a year. Any idea on what's the cheapest way to keep my US phone number and transfer the calls to a UAE number?

What is the cheapest way to make phone calls from the UAE to the US?

Any other suggestions on how to make calls from UAE to US (Skype is an option but the wifi connection might not be great).

Thanks!

Skype is officially banned, but as long as you've got it installed before you come out here it will work. Don't know where you're living, but the UAE has high levels of fiber penetration and in the main cities you can easily get 32 Mbps connection if you want it.

Don't know about your other questions, sorry. But there are only two telecoms companies (Du and Etisalat) so your options are limited, unless you can find some sort of international calling card that gives cheaper rates.

Personally, for simplicity's sake I'd leave a message on your US line answerphone advising people to call you on your new UAE number....

Also get a VPN installed on your laptop, iPad. There are certain vpn that are impossible for the authorities to block... Guarantees that Skype will work.

Awesome. Thanks guys. I'll try Skype.

I'll be in abu dhabi, but I'm trying to get everything in my computer before I leave the US.

When I am traveling I use Google Voice so that my missed calls and voice mail messages are emailed to me. I then call people back via Skype.

This is what I do, and it worked beautifully in Abu Dhabi.