Making a collect call from a telephone in Brazil isn't hard, even though you will only get recorded instructions for local and long distance calls.
Difficulty: Average
Time Required: 5 minutes
Here's How:
- Before you call, check the number - all telephone numbers in Brazil have eight digits. To place a long distance call, you will need a two-digit area code and an operadora (telephone company) two-digit code. Some popular operadoras are Embratel (code 21) and Telefonica (code 15).
- Pick up the receiver and make sure you get a long, continuous dial tone.
- To make a local call, dial:
9090 + eight-digit telephone number - To make a long distance call, dial:
90 +operadora code + two-digit city code + eight-digit telephone number
For example, to call Angra dos Reis (area code 24) collect via Telefonica (code 15), you would dial 90 - 15 - 24 + the eight-digit number in Angra. - After you dial a local or long distance collect call, you will hear an eight-note tune, twice. That means someone has answered the phone. A female voice will say, "Chamada a Cobrar: Após o sinal, diga seu nome e a cidade de onde está chamando", which means "Collect Call: After the tone, say your name and the city you're calling from." You hear a shrill tone and you're on. Meanwhile, the person on the other end heard the eight-note tune and the message "Chamada a cobrar - para aceitá-la, continue na linha após a identificação", meaning "Collect call - to accept it, stay on the line after identification".
- To make an international collect call, your best bet is to get help from Embratel at 0800 703 21 21. You can also get information about time zones and fees, as well as search for a phone number abroad through their Info Line: 0800 703 21 00
Tips:
- To find out what the area code is for a city in Brazil, click on the right state on the Telefonica Area Code Map; then, in the Localidade drop-down box, find the city you need; click on it for the area code.
- To add a personal touch to the local and long distance collect call message, take a look at this article in Brazilian trivia magazine Mundo Estranho, which revealed that the recorded female voice you hear belongs to Patricia Godoy, an actress with a radio and TV commercial background (see her photo in article).
- Get familiar with the collect call tune by checking out Ligação a Cobrar - o Tema, a jazzy piece that Sandro Teixeira, a musician and songwriter from Minas Gerais, wrote based on the collect call eight-note sequence.
