IDD Face-off

Since my parents went to Japan, I’ve been looking for the perfect (i.e. cheap) solution for our means of telecommunication. Suddenly, IDD has become a daily staple for me and my sister – who’s currently pursuing her degree in Indonesian law in Surabaya.

I have done a small research to compare the prices of several IDD providers. The research method is shoddy at best as I only used the providers’ websites as my main source of information, but I think it’s solid enough to be used as a base for your next IDD call. Below is the table, ordered from the cheapest first.

Provider	Call Number	Tariff Per Call Unit	Call Unit Duration (Seconds)	Net Rate Per Minute
Telkom 01017 (via PSTN/Flexi Post-paid)	01017+Destination	99	6	1,089
Telkom 01017 (via Flexi Prepaid)	01017+Destination	544	30	1,196.8
Fren SLI	01068+Destination	1,000	30	2,200
Esia SLI	01010+Destination	2,500	60	2,750
Indosat 016	016+Destination	290	6	3,190
Telkom 017	017+Destination	5,640	60	6,204
Telkom 007	007+Destination	7,520	60	8,272
Indosat Globalsave (Prepaid Card)	17001	4,400	30	9,680

Disclaimer: The table above was summarized with several assumptions:

• The tariffs are based for calls made to Japan.
• Net rates per minute are inclusive of 10% VAT.
• Several providers are currently offering discount programs, so the actual price may vary from time to time.

As you can see, Telkom 01017 is the cheapest of them all, but in reality I used Fren SLI more. It is more reliable with no delays and interference. That’s what I’m recommending – if you have a Fren CDMA, of course.