With the advent of the internet, the possibilities to make and receive calls have expanded. The situation has improved even more because of the availability of high-end smartphones and tablets in the market. Earlier, only regular calls were available, which were carried out by the network service providers. But now we can also make and receive calls using the internet through the use of a service called VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) calls. VoIP calls use internet data, so that can either be used through your internet data bundle or Wi-Fi connection.
Today, users use both internet calls and cellular calls. The most important factors to determine which type of calling service you should use depends on network strength and cost. We shall discuss this in detail in the following segments.
How SIM Card Calls Work?
The basic structure of a cell phone includes a speaker and microphone. When you speak on a call, your voice’s sound waves are converted into electric signals, and these signals are sent out by your cell phone over radio waves. When these radio waves are received onto the receiver’s cellphone, they get converted back to sound waves from radio waves so that the person can hear you.
Regular calls are carried on by your service provider. They are mostly charged from the main balance of your SIM subscription or come with limited free minutes along with some short-term or long-term validity.
How Internet Calls Work?
VoIP calls use an internet connection to transmit and receive phone calls. These calls don’t deduce calling balance from your SIM connection. When you make calls using VoIP service apps like WhatsApp, Skype, Telegram, etc. you are hardly paying for anything because they are free. You just pay for the internet data packs to use them. Only a few MB of data is consumed when you call through VoIP services, even for long hours. They are totally free if you are using a free public Wi-Fi connection.
VoIP calls convert your voice’s sound waves into digital signals. These digital signals are then transmitted through the internet connection to the other person you are talking to.
To have a better understanding of which of the two is a better option for calling, let’s look into the advantages of both.
Advantages of Cellular Calls over Internet Calls.
- No need for the internet: Cellular calls can work in the absence of the internet. This is a very important factor considering the fact that over 4 billion people across the world don’t have access to the internet.
- No need to have a smartphone: There is no need to have a smartphone to make cellular calls. Even dirt cheap old version cell phones and feature phones are enough to make and receive regular calls.
- More reliable technology: Cellular calls are considered a lot more reliable than the internet calls because this technology is almost three decades old. So it is assumed that cellular call technology is more mature than the internet calls.
Advantages of Internet Calls Over Cellular Calls
- Cheaper than cellular calls: Internet calls are almost free to use. They only consume your internet data, but that too in a very limited amount. As per the report of The Indian Express, a single minute of WhatsApp call consumes 0.15 MB to 0.20 MB of 3G data. The call quality is not that good on 2G data, but is fairly decent while using 3G or 4G connectivity. The internet data charges may vary depending upon your service provider, but there is no denial that internet calls are much cheaper than the regular calls on cellular networks.
- No roaming charges: Whether you access the internet in your home country or in a foreign location, WhatsApp and other VoIP platforms have nothing to do with this. All it needs is an internet connection, whether paid or free. Hence, you can make calls to anybody around the world without paying for any roaming charges. Internet calling saves you a lot of money abroad by using a local internet connection.
- No expensive rates on international calls: As long as the person you are calling has an internet connection and uses some VoIP calls app like Telegram, WhatsApp, Skype, etc. you can call him without worrying about the costly international calling rates. The data consumption during VoIP calls remains the same across the planet, hence geographic location becomes irrelevant here.
- Can make video calls: Internet calls provide not only the voice calling facility but video calling feature too. This feature allows you to feel closer to your loved ones as you can see them on your device’s screen along with talking.
- HD calls facility: Whatsapp uses the internet and not your local carrier’s infrastructure. So, it doesn’t matter whether your service provider facilitates HD calls or not, you can still use HD calls on WhatsApp.
- End-to-End Encryption: This feature of WhatsApp keeps your communication and data highly secure. Because of this, nobody can eavesdrop on your private calls, not even your country’s communication authority.
Conclusion
Both VoIP calls and cellular calls have their advantages and disadvantages. It is better to use both of them together because when one doesn’t work the other saves the day. Nowadays, in India, both cellular and internet calls have become very cheap. Telecom companies now provide combo packs that come with unlimited calling minutes and huge data bundles, so the Indian subscribers need not think much about choosing between internet calling and cellular calling.
Unlike cellular calls, VoIP calls are cheaper, but they depend on an internet connection. On the other hand, cellular calls can function without smart devices like tablets and smartphones.
In many countries, there are paid VoIP services, especially to make international calls. These services are mostly prepaid and come with only calling minutes. Once the calling balance is over, you need to recharge it. This kind of service doesn’t exist in India.