How to call Bangladesh with affordable international rates.

Every year, there are more reasons to call Bangladesh from the U.S. In 2000, there were about 50,000 people in the U.S. of Bangladeshi origin, but that figure had increased to more than 180,000 by 2015. For Bangladesh, staying connected to the U.S. is also vital because more than 15% of Bangladesh exports go to the United States. Whether you are managing trade deals, planning a trip or staying in touch with friends and family, affordable calls to Bangladesh matter. 

Affordable phone rates for calling Bangladesh.

When you call Bangladesh from the U.S. or vice versa, you have a few options. You could simply pick up your cell phone and make the call. However, your current phone plan might not include affordable calling rates. That means you could end up with an uncomfortably high bill.

The better option is to use Ooma’s phone plans. For occasional phone calls to Bangladesh, consider using Ooma Basic. With this service, you get calls to landline Bangladesh phone numbers for $0.036 per minute. The same per-minute price applies if you have the Ooma Premier plan. If you call friends and family for an hour per week, your monthly expense would be about $11 per month. 

What if you need to make even more phone calls to Bangladesh? The World Plus Plan might be a better choice. This plan, which costs only $25.99 per month, includes unlimited calling to phone numbers in Bangladesh. 

By signing up for the World Plus Plan, you get more than unlimited calling to Bangladesh. This wallet-friendly plan gives you unlimited calling to more than 50 countries in the world. For example, let’s say you know people in other parts of South Asia and need a way to stay in touch with them. You also get unlimited calling to cell phones and landlines in India, while calls to Myanmar are available for a low per-minute fee.

Wi-Fi calling app without surprise bills.

If you take your smartphone to Bangladesh and start making calls, you may be forced to pay high roaming charges. When you travel with your phone, these charges can add up fast and exceed your typical phone bill. Fortunately, you have other options to make calls when you travel to Bangladesh.

You simply need to download the Ooma app to your smartphone. Once you have your app in place, you can use your Ooma plan just like you’re at home. That means you can call the U.S. or other places without paying extra charges. All you need is an internet connection like a Wi-Fi network. For example, if your Bangladeshi hotel has free Wi-Fi you can use, you can avoid high charges from using the hotel’s phones.

Using the Ooma app when you travel also makes life simple. You don’t have to worry about monitoring multiple cell phones and keeping track of multiple charging devices when you travel. Instead, you can use one phone for all of your calling.

If you plan to rely on free Wi-Fi networks for calling in Bangladesh, do your research in advance. According to wifimap.io, a listing of free Wi-Fi networks, there are thousands of free Wi-Fi networks available in Dhaka. Dhaka is the capital city of Bangladesh and if you plan to spend most of your time in Bangladesh in the city, then finding Wi-Fi may be easy. If you travel to small towns or the countryside, locating free Wi-Fi networks may become more challenging. At the very least, finding free Wi-Fi in Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, the capital’s main airport, shouldn’t be too difficult.

Tip: Using the Ooma Mobile app when you travel also makes life easier for your friends and family. You don’t have to make a list of phone numbers for each place you’re staying. Instead, your phone number travels with you. Just remember to remind people about time zones: Bangladesh is 11 hours ahead of Eastern time.

Phone etiquette tips for calling Bangladesh. 

Some Bangladeshi social customs are different from the United States. If you are new to calling people in Bangladesh, keep these tips to mind during your phone calls to Bangladesh.  

• Formal, Hierarchical Communication Style. In contrast to the west, Bangladesh has a more formal, hierarchical communication style. Therefore, if you are on a business conference call with multiple people, it may be seen as polite to wait for the most senior people to speak first as a sign of respect.
• Direct or Implicit Communication. Further, you may find that Bangladeshi people have a relatively indirect or implicit communication style where saying no directly to a request. Therefore, you may need to make extra efforts to clarify requests and determine the person you are speaking with agrees with you. 
• Muslim Greetings. It is helpful to keep in mind that the majority of people in Bangladesh are Muslim. Therefore, you may be greeted with the phrase “Salaam alaikum,” which means “Peace be unto you.” In response, you may want to say, “Wa alaikum salaam,” which means “And unto you peace.”
• Muslim Traditions and Holidays. Muslim holidays may come up in conversation and it is helpful to understand these traditions. First, there is Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting, and then there’s Eid al-Adha, the festival of sacrifice, which falls in the last month of the Islamic calendar. If you are scheduling business calls or personal calls with people in Bangladesh, do some research in advance to find out if there is a local holiday first. Otherwise, you might become frustrated when you call somebody and find out that they are celebrating or visiting with somebody else. 
• Doing Business During Ramadan. The way you do business may need to change during Ramadan since it is a major holiday. The BBC points out that “people become less efficient and that they might even become bad tempered [and] decisions and meetings will be postponed until the period of Ramadan is over.” Therefore, it would be wise to avoid planning on starting a major business deal at this time of year. Since this observance is a Lunar holiday, the start and end of the holiday changes each year and lasts for approximately thirty days. Before scheduling meetings, consider double checking an online calendar website like almanac.com to confirm Ramadan’s dates this year.

Whether you are a regular visitor to Bangladesh or only stay in touch remotely by phone call, having an affordable way to call Bangladesh makes a difference. For unlimited calling to Bangladesh, check out the World Plus Plan. It gives you unlimited calling to phone numbers in Bangladesh so you can stay in touch without worrying about the shock of a large phone bill.