Calling All Countries

Traveling overseas is an increasingly common requirement for entrepreneurs. But staying in touch with your office and customers at home is arduous when visiting clients in multiple countries. If you need more access than hotel phones allow, you could find yourself dealing with differing cell phone standards or spending precious time finding a cell phone rental provider.

Thankfully, smaller cellular service providers with an international perspective are catching on to the need for one-stop cellular service. One company, International Mobile Communications Inc. (IMC) of Bethesda, Maryland, provides a service called WorldCell. "We provide international calling and roaming capabilities in more than 90 countries from Austria to Thailand," says Blake Swensrud, the firm's founder. Phone rental fees are $75 for the first week and $50 per week thereafter, with discounts available for lengthy rentals. Calling charges vary by country, of course, but WorldCell says their calls cost substantially less than the outrageous rates charged by hotels.