[CAnet - news] Free VoIP call service announeed for cell phone users

For more information on this item please visit my blog at 
http://billstarnaud.blogspot.com/
-------------------------------------------


[Here is a couple interesting announcements on VoIP services for cell
phones. Finally some competition for those who think they have been paying
too much for their cell phone voice calls. Some excerpts -- BSA]


http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/10/29/Huchison-3-to-release-Skypephone_1
.html?source=NLC-TB&cgd=2007-10-29

Hutchison 3 to release Skypephone in eight countries
Mobile phone operator's new handset makes it easier for users to make Skype
VOIP calls and send IM


Hutchison 3G, branded as "3" in the U.K., is offering free calls between
Skype users through the 3G mobile phone, which goes on sale Friday in the
U.K. The Skypephone will be released by the end of the year in Australia,
Denmark, Hong Kong, Italy, Ireland, Macau, and Sweden.

Some mobile phones already support Skype, but volume-based data usage
charges typically make the service expensive to use. Skype recommends using
its mobile application with unlimited 3G data plans or Wi-Fi.

Hutchison 3 is not charging for the cost of Skype calls on its network,
although it does limit the service to about 4,000 minutes per month.
Hutchison 3 will then suspend outgoing Skype calls but allow incoming ones.


[From Dewayne Hendricks list]

[Note:  This item comes from reader Ken DiPietro.  DLH]

From: ken <[email protected]>
Date: October 23, 2007 10:42:06 AM PDT
To: Dewayne Hendricks <[email protected]>
Subject: Yeigo Launches!

Yeigo Launches!!!

22 October 2007 - A new company launches today in Europe that heralds  
the end of paid-for mobile phone calls. Yeigo is a new mobile phone  
network that uses the Internet to connect users, bypassing operator  
call charges. All Yeigo users need is an Internet connection on their  
phone - 3G or WiFi - to start making free calls. The Yeigo  
application is free to download from www.yeigo.com with no contract  
to sign.

Yeigo has already been christened the 'Skype of mobile phones' by  
mobile bloggers testing the service in its country of origin, South  
Africa, and is likely to pose a significant challenge to traditional  
mobile network operators. The Yeigo application uses a mobile phone's  
Internet connection to hook up to the Yeigo network and make calls to  
other Yeigo users free of charge (other than the costs of being  
connected to the Internet) - no matter what time you call or for how  
long you speak. Exactly the same applies to chatting via IM.

Users who download the Symbian or Windows Mobile version of Yeigo to  
their mobile phones enjoy free calls and IM not just between UK-based  
mobiles, but between mobiles based anywhere in the world. And calls  
made from your mobile to landlines are significantly cheaper than  
what you would be charged by your operator. In addition, you can send  
SMSs from Yeigo to any destination in the world for substantially  
less than you would be charged by your operator.

Yeigo has also introduced a Java version, Yeigo Lite - which allows  
users without a compatible phone for the Symbian or Windows Mobile  
versions - to use Yeigo's innovative ConnectUs, IM and SMS services.

Yeigo users keep their existing mobile number and just dial to make  
calls in the usual way. The only difference is that conversations and  
messages travel across the Internet using Voice over Internet  
Protocol (VoIP) technology, instead of the traditional voice  
networks. Which sounds flash, but isn't really. Millions of local,  
national and international calls from landlines are made for free  
everyday using VoIP. The principle of Yeigo is the same, but from  
mobile phones.

There is no hardware required and your phone won't need to be  
upgraded, but you do need a compatible phone. The sound quality of  
Yeigo calls is excellent and all calls are totally secure, ensuring  
no- one can eavesdrop on your conversation.

Yeigo is also easy to send to your friends and family, or anyone else  
in your phone's contact book. They will receive a version of the  
application that automatically works with their compatible handset.  
And once they're all on board, you can all talk or IM for free.

"Yeigo will fundamentally change the way mobile telephony is  
delivered to and used by consumers," says Yeigo chairman, Ivan  
Ferrer. "No other mobile company using the Internet to deliver free  
services has the same call quality or functionality. And Yeigo can be  
used across most handsets that connect to the Internet. We're not  
just offering Internet voice calls, but also IM and SMS, with a range  
of other features on their way. "

Lungisa Matshoba, co-founder of Yeigo, says: "Consumers have been  
paying too much for mobile phone calls for far too long. Yeigo  
signals an exciting new era in the history of the mobile phone - it  
allows users to chat endlessly with friends and family, either  
locally or around the world, either at absolutely no cost when you  
are in a free WiFi hotspot, or by just paying data costs if connected  
via 3G."



-------------------------------------
To SUBSCRIBE:
send a blank e-mail message to
[email protected]

To UNSUBSCRIBE:
send a blank email message to
[email protected]
-------------------------------------

These news items and comments are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect
those  of the CANARIE board or management.

-----------
[email protected]
[email protected]
web: www.canarie.ca/~bstarn
skype: pocketpro
blog: http://billstarnaud.blogspot.com/


_______________________________________________
news mailing list
[email protected]
http://lists.canarie.ca/mailman/listinfo/news