Saving telecommunications cost

The main reason I have a fixed line telephone at home is 'cos sometimes I need to send faxes. PCCW charges me HK$88/month for the fixed line telephone.

PamFax

But now you can use PamFax (free to download) and pay only when you use it. The cost is HK$0.983 per page to send in Hong Kong, Australia, Singapore, etc which are the main places I ever would send a fax to. You simply scan in the document you want to fax first, and then use PamFax to actually have it faxed to a fax number.

Voice Calls

I use Skype for long distance calls with relatives in Australia which is free for Skype to Skype. However, if the Internet were to go down, I would still be contactable via mobile phone. Its free to receive calls on the mobile phone. But to call internationally using a mobile phone would be:

• HK$5.12/minute on Three (3).
• HK$7.15/minute on PCCW IDD 001
• HK$1.99/minute on PCCW 0060
• HK$4.98/minute to an Australian mobile phone on PCCW 0060

Skype

To save money on voice calls, you can use SkypeOut instead which is charged at:

• HK$0.166/minute to an Australian fixed telephone.
• HK$1.609/minute to an Australian mobile phone.
• HK$0.166/minute to a Hong Kong fixed telephone or mobile phone.

The connection fee (flagfall) for each call is: HK$0.39 (to Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore).

You purchase Skype Credit. Minimum purchase amount is HK$100.

which is active for 180 days after the last use. Therefore you need to make a SkypeOut call at least once every 6 months (which isn't very hard to do).

Assuming you make 5 minute telephone calls:

HK$100 credit equates to $100 / ($0.39 + (5 X $0.166)) = 81 telephone calls.

"Unlimited World" plan with Skype

If you make alot of voice telephone calls, then you can use the "Unlimited World" plan offered by Skype which is HK$99.95 per month (landline & mobiles in Hong Kong, landline in Australia and many other countries).

HK$1,019.45 - Unlimited World (with 15% discount for annual plan)

You need to talk more than 4,045 minutes per month to an Australian fixed telephone to make this worthwhile.

"Unlimited Country" plan with Skype

If you don't call many countries and only specific countries, then you can use the "Unlimited Country" plan.

HK$468.65 - Unlimited Country (choose Hong Kong with 15% discount for annual plan)

You need to talk more than 2,823 minutes per month to an Hong Kong telephones to make this worthwhile.

Skype Online Number

For people to call your Skype phone who don't use Skype themselves, you can get a Skype Online Number for HK$150 per 3 months (usual price) or HK$450 per year ($37.50 per month). If you get an "Unlimited Country" or "Unlimited World" subscription plan, then the price for the Skype Online Number is HK$225 per year.

HK$225 - Skype Online Number (so other non-Skype people can call you). This is a 50% discount off the regular price because you bundle it with "Unlimited Country" or "Unlimited World" subscription plan.

The Skype Online Number can be an Australian telephone number and not necessarily a Hong Kong telephone number.

Cost for complete replacement of services from PCCW fixed telephone

For a complete replacement of services from PCCW fixed telephone to Skype you would need:

HK$468.65 - Unlimited Country (choose Hong Kong)

HK$225 - Skype Online Number

HK$693.65 - TOTAL per year ($57.81 per month)

My strategy

Pay for use only. I only pay when I need to send a fax, and only pay when I need to make a voice call since it is highly unlikely I will use more than 2,823 voice minutes per month especially when there are free minutes offered under a mobile phone subscription plan.

Pay per use:

HK$0.983 - per page to send a fax anywhere

HK$0.021 - per minute to Sydney fixed telephone
HK$0.203 - per minute to an Australian mobile phone.
HK$0.166 - per minute to Hong Kong fixed telephone or mobile phone

The only inconvenience would be non-Skype people trying to call you. However, our relatives in Australia all use Skype and have our mobile phone numbers (in case of emergency). Our friends in Hong Kong generally call our mobile phone numbers. Therefore, there seems no need to get a Skype Online Number.

Conclusion

Therefore there is no need to pay the fixed amount of HK$88/month for a fixed line telephone (free local calls only) when you can use a pay per use service for sending faxes anywhere in the world, and you can use Skype and your existing mobile phone plan to make/receive voice telephone calls.

For people who call you often (especially from overseas), its better that you simply buy them a Skype phone assuming they already have broadband Internet.