Affordable voice communication in South Africa today received a boost with the launch of iCall, a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service from iBurst.
iCall enables iBurst subscribers to make calls at competitive rates to any cellphone or landline in the world using their modems and VoIP devices which can be purchased from iBurst.
Compared to using a traditional fixed line phone, iCall subscribers will save 17% on calls to South African cellphones, 15% on national calls and in excess of 70% to many international destinations. With iCall, it is cheaper to call a landline number in Australia, China, the UK, USA and most of Europe than it is to call Cape Town from Johannesburg from a traditional landline.
The wireless broadband provider is emerging as a surprise player in the VoIP market. Already, iBurst is the only wireless broadband provider not to penalize subscribers who make VoIP calls across their networks.
“iBurst doesn’t have any traditional voice revenue to cannibalize so we’re quite happy to encourage the adoption of VoIP,” said Thami Mtshali, CEO of iBurst.
The deregulation of the telecommunications industry announced by Communications Minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri in September 2004 means that dozens of ISPs are beginning to take advantage of this cost-saving technology.
“VoIP allows individuals and organisations in particular to direct their savings towards priority areas,” added Mtshali.
Upon iCall signup, subscribers will be allocated an iCall number. The process is password-protected to verify calls being made and ensure accurate billing. The applicable rate for the destination and the duration of the call will determine how the subscriber's voucher is depleted.
Strict security protocols will ensure that calls are only made with the allocated username and password issued during signup. Subscribers are required to pay a subscription fee of R50 per month including VAT after which pre-paid vouchers need to be purchased as an additional top-up option for using the service. These are currently available in R100 and R200 denominations. The subscription allows for unlimited free calls between iCall subscribers which is ideal for inter-branch communication, amongst other uses.
An itemised bill will be mailed to subscribers electronically ensuring that they are aware of their monthly usage. iBurst also offers telephonic and e-mail support to ensure that all queries are dealt with quickly and efficiently.
Interested parties are invited to signup for their iCall service using http://www.iburst.co.za/, where they will also be able to access the applicable rates, terms and conditions along with further information.
iBurst’s wireless broadband service, which will cost as little as 12 cents a megabyte from 1 April, is up to three times faster than 3G and 17 times faster than dial-up. iBurst’s most affordable package from April is “Play Intro” offering 200 megabytes of data at R149 per month.
iBurst continues to lead the way by offering unrestricted VOIP, data-carryover, month-to-month contracts and great customer service.
For further information regarding iBurst products, the company's call centre can be reached 24 hours a day either via telephone (0860 IBURST or 0860 428 778) or email (sales@iburstgroup.co.za).
