Truphone launches low cost mobile calls over the internet - even when you’re not connected to the internet

Truphone has enhanced its
service to enable customers make mobile calls across the internet even
when they’re on the move and thus not connected to the internet. The
announcement of Truphone Anywhere is a boost to mobile phone users
desperate to circumvent the high cost of calling abroad when they’re
out and about. Truphone Anywhere benefits customers while they are in
ordinary mobile reception by automatically sending the long-distance
part of their call over the internet, significantly reducing the total
cost of the call.

Truphone Anywhere involves no calling card, no access number, and no funny business - customers just dial and save. Truphone Anywhere calls simply take a fraction longer to set up than usual and it works as follows:

• when an international number is dialled, the Truphone software detects what is happening and takes over automatically
• instead
  of allowing the international call to be made over the handset’s usual
  GSM network, Truphone Anywhere makes a domestic call to your local
  Truphone server and sends to the server the international number being
  called
• the Truphone server then makes an internet call to that number and connects that long-distance internet call with the domestic call
• the
  customer pays only for the call to the local Truphone server (this is
  likely to be free if the customer has ‘bundled minutes’ with his/her
  GSM operator) plus Truphone charges for the internet portion of the
  call, which are as little as £0.03/minute [US$0.06/min] to call any
  regular landline in more than 40 countries
• throughout
  this process the customer does not need to do anything differently
  except acknowledge, once, that Truphone Anywhere will route this
  particular call; in every other respect everything happens
  automatically, invisibly and almost instantly
• technically, this technique is known as call-through
• in
  some instances, such as when using Truphone Anywhere abroad, the
  handset sends an initial SMS to the Truphone server instead of calling
  it. The Truphone server then calls back to the handset and
  simultaneously makes an internet call to the called party, connecting
  the calls together at Truphone’s server; however this all remains
  transparent to the mobile user. This variation on the technique is
  known as call-back.

Truphone
Anywhere is typically of most benefit to customers making calls from
their home country to international numbers, and this is the default
setting for Truphone Anywhere. Advanced users may choose to make
Truphone Anywhere the default calling mechanism for other call
scenarios - for example, depending on the customer’s tariff with their
usual operator, Truphone Anywhere may also save money on international
calls made when roaming abroad.

Truphone Anywhere can significantly reduce call costs compared to standard international tariffs:

• UK example: to make a 10 minute call from the UK to an Australian landline:
  - price with Orange Pay Monthly: £0.50/min x 10 = £5.00
  - price with Truphone Anywhere: £0.03/min x 10 = £0.30
  - how: an in-bundle call to Truphone’s UK server, plus a £0.03/min Truphone call to an Australian landline.
• USA example: to make a 10 minute call from the USA to a Chinese landline:
  - price with AT&T International Dial Standard rates: $3.49/min x 10 = $34.90
  - price with AT&T World Connect (additional $3.99 per month): $0.15/min x 10 = $1.50
  - price with Truphone Anywhere: $0.06/min x 10 = $0.60
  - how: an in-bundle call to Truphone’s USA server, plus a $0.06/min Truphone call to a Chinese landline.

Truphone’s ‘Tru Zone’ pricing means call charges are always predictable and low, without any additional calling plan or change to a contract.

James Tagg,
Truphone’s chief executive officer, said: “The days of having to pay
through the nose to make international calls are no longer just
numbered, they are gone; international calls from mobile phones are
easier and more affordable than ever. People can now make a Truphone
call globally and the cost will be close to that of a local call, even
if they’re not in Wi-Fi. Of course, if they are in Wi-Fi and they make
a Truphone call, it can cost even less.”

“One
of the best things about Truphone is that it doesn’t force anyone to
use their phone in a different way, or to remember to have to do
something differently. It’s simple: people just dial, and save,” he
added.