Online Boyfriend Refusing To Call Me!?

I’m new to this site, i’ve only just signed up to this site today as I’ve seen people posting questions on here for advice so I thought that I would do the same considering the fact that I’m feeling really lost and confused.
I’m 19 and my online boyfriend is 24. I’ve been with him for over four months but we’ve been in love with each other for over a year now so we know each other extremely well and have developed a really close relationship. He lives in Ireland which is really far away from where I live so we’re basically in a far distance relationship. I’ve been through a really hard time in my life lately (I don’t really want to go into any details) and he still won’t call me. He’s the nicest guy ever but when I ask him to call me he never does, he says he’s tried but I’ve never received a phone call from him. I really need him more than ever at a time like this. It’s alright talking through a computer screen but after a while you want to talk on the phone and that’s what I want as I feel more comfortable talking on the phone and I’ve told him the way I feel, he knows that I really need a phone call from him and I need his support because I’m going through such a tough time in life and all he ever says is “I’m a rubbish boyfriend, I don’t know why you won’t leave me.” Then he’s made promises that he will call me and it just doesn’t happen. Then he’s made up excuses that he’s too shy to talk to me on the phone, the excuses are completely ENDLESS. I believe that he has tried before but I think there is something dodgy with his phone connection and our phone connections are just not connecting because we’re so far apart. He’s told me that he’ll get a new phone because he thinks that there is something wrong with his phone but he keeps coming up with excuses that he doesn’t have the money, he has to wait until he gets paid and then there is always something that stops him from buying a new phone because a situation will pop up where he will have to use his work payment for something else. I love him with all my heart and I refuse to leave him because I believe that he loves me but it’s so hard for me when we’ve never spoken on the phone before. I’ve told him many times about the way I feel and it’s as if it’s not sinking into his head. I don’t want to make him out to be a bad person because he’s a really sweet, loving, kind-hearted guy. He is a really good boyfriend, in fact he’s an amazing boyfriend but it’s just that he doesn’t seem to understand how important this phone call would be to me, he just doesn’t get it and I’m tired of talking to him because it’s not sinking into his brain. I know that he is the person who he says he is because he’s SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO keen on meeting me and keeps mentioning the fact that we should meet up soon which I’m more than happy to do but I keep putting off the meetings because I want to receive a call from him first, I want him to do something for me. He’s heard my voice because I’ve done recordings on my phone for him and then sent them to his email address so it’s not as if he’s never heard my voice before – I just haven’t heard his. I want to get to know him even more by talking to him on the phone. I’ve tried calling him SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO many times but it says that the call won’t connect; it’s just all so confusing. I don’t know what to do, I’ve really had enough and I’m starting to become depressed! I need serious help, someone pleeeeeaaase help me and give me some good advice because I’m so upset, confused and I’m on the verge of breaking down.
WHAT ON EARTH SHOULD I DO WHEN I LOVE HIM SO MUCH?!