I dialed 011 52 755 **** (* for privacy) and this seems to work better if I use 01 instead of 011?

Question

I use 01 for the international prefix and that got accepted by the operator... I hear another operator say say "Destination is barred" then spanish dialogue... then in english "We're sorry, because of technical difficulties we are unable to route your call, please try your call again" then the recording repeats...

I called the local operator and she says some cell phones are barred from out of country calls... is this true?

Answer 1

You have to use the dialing pattern of the country you are in. This is especially important when you're using a cellphone outside of the country that it typically operates in. "When in Rome..."

Also, blocking of international calls is a billing issue. The cell phone company wants to make sure it can collect on the charges. Depending on the destination, you may have to call customer service to enable direct dial international calling. The way around it is to use calling cards.

Answer 2

First of all you can not replace 011 with 01 - to dial internationally you must dial 011. As for barred calls, it's true that many cell phone carriers provide the option to bar international calls. However, you can call and ask them to allow int. calls. Make sure you are aware of rates charged (they tend to be high for international calls from a cell phone). In fact you might be better off using a calling card and in this case you won't even need to turn international calls on.