Collect Calls
In Brazil, collect calls are automated. The phone number to be called is prefixed with a special code. Then, as the person being called answers the telephone, he/she listens to a short standard recording informing him/her that it is a collect call. Next, the call is established and the caller is supposed to say his/her name and location within the next six seconds. If the person being called hangs up within those six initial seconds, nothing is charged. Otherwise, the remaining time of the call is charged to the recipient's phone line.
This used to cause problems with answering machines and faxes, but the switch to digital voice mailboxes operated by the telephone companies largely eliminated that problem. Also, the widespread use of caller ID combined with the easily recognizable electronic tune played before the collect-call warning makes many people hang up immediately if they hear the tune and the number has not been recognized.
Local collect calls are dialed with the 9090 prefix; so, to call nnnn-nnnn collect, one would dial 9090-nnnn-nnnn.
For long-distance collect calls, 90 is used instead of 0 as the trunk code, and a carrier selection code must still be used. So, to call (aa) nnnn-nnnn collect, one would dial 90-xx-aa-nnnn-nnnn, where xx is to be replaced by the selected long-distance carrier's code.
International collect calls, for countries for which it is available, are not automated and must be placed through Embratel's international operator, dialing 0800-703-2111. You can also call an English AT&T operator directly using 0 800 890 0288
Read more about this topic: Telephone Numbers In Brazil
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