Skype too allows you to take your account and pay something like $40 per year and you get a USA phone number....with that USA number you get unlimited calls IN (only)....

So in Colombia, you can get Skype, pay the $40 and get unlimited in for your family / house there.... then you get a Skype digital to analog box...like another $40 from www.JR.com this is a little box that accepts the USB from your computer and on the other end your regular phone (or cordless phone) plugs into the box....so in Colombia just leave the computer on and your phone (which is connected to the Skype box) will ring and you can answer and talk like normal... Now to take this one step further...i purchased a super long range phone directly from china....(not available in the usa for some reason)....they supposedly will work for 40 Km....I don't know yet...we're shipping it down now....BUT...the handset is no bigger than a cell phone of 3-4 years ago...(bit bigger than the super new ones)...........so what we're doing is....put an the antenna on top of the building....for max signal...then if this really has this long range...I should be able to take US calls over SKYPE through that $40 little box...connected to the super long range cordless phone.....up to 40Km....in the city....in effect taking a call from the USA for free when out and about.....we'll see if this really works..