I see it more as a competition to Rebtel or to Gizmo Call's free local numbers:
Jangl “Call Anyone.” With “Call Anyone” simply enter someone’s email address at Jangl’s homepage to get connected. You’ll be given a phone number – local to you – to call them. During the first call, you’ll leave a voicemail, which Jangl then delivers via email. Once they receive that message, the recipient receives instructions to get a number – local to them – to call you back. This service still keeps your personal number safe, enables text messaging via SMS2 and the easy exchange of voicemails, too. Plus, Jangl works on any phone – even if your phone doesn’t normally allow you to call international numbers.Doesn't this sound like Rebtel to you?
If you use this service right you don't have to make any international phone calls again. You can give free local numbers to all of your friends, whithout paying Rebtel's basic fee or bothering with Gizmo Call's numbers that are every time different and can disappear if you don't use them regularily.
I will directly check if I can get a Peruvian inbound number from Jangl so that my friends from Lima can call me for local prices. That's my favourite test for new inbound VoIP services.
What makes me courious is why GigaOM deleted my last comment on the new Jangle features. A technical error? Or did they get pressured by Jangle's CEO Michael Cerda, who also commented? Didn't they like what I had to say?
So I will just repeat it:
In times of VoIP every phone call can be free or a local call. No need for exaggerated per minute costs. The SIP standard has opened a Pandora's box for the telecommunications industry. People are tweaking given services, like Jangl, for their own purposes and establishing their own free networks. Voice is just another internet service like email and tends to be free. As I said: "Free calls are still the VoIP killer app to me".
UPDATE:
As I see now Jangle does not offer German nor Peruvian numbers. So I cannot use it. Which limited phone number provider do they use? A clear disadvantage, compared to Rebtel or Gizmo Call.
I have no knowledge of your gigaom comment actually so who knows what happened to it. The only need for these per minute pricings you see out there, is obviously PSTN origination and termination. That still costs money.
ReplyDeleteAny case, the difference in your perspective here, vs. Alec and Om's, is they are reading into our vision. You are reading only into the surface of what we're now offering. You're all right, however they're right about our longer term. This is an inherently different mindset from that of the other companies you mention.
We aren't in Germany or Peru yet. In Germany they required us to have a local address, but we're fixing that in another month or so. Peru - just didn't make the list just yet. We're using Global Crossing and Voxbone internationally.
-Michael Cerda, CEO Jangl
Hello Michael,
ReplyDeletethank you for your fast comment. Maybe my comment at GigaOM just got killed unintendedly by their blog software or spam protection.
I am also reading into Jangl's vision. And into my own. Every costumer is different, and my approach to VoIP is cost driven these days. I am not alone with this, as you can see in many internet forums, e. g. Tpad's or Voxalot's.
If you need a local address in Germany we can talk. I live in the capital Berlin. In Peru I also know enough potential clients for your services.
-Markus Göbel, CEO goebel.net
Markus,
ReplyDeletepls note that REBTEL doesent have a "basic fee", you just pay a low fee when you do direct calls. REBcalls are still FREE. so just keep on calling your friends in Peru and have them calling you for just the cost of a loacal call.
- Hjalmar, CEO Rebtel
Hello Hjalmar,
ReplyDeleteI see you changed your pricing. I still had in mind what my welcome email from Rebtel said:
Now you can call the world on your mobile phone as often as you like, for as long as you want, FREE for the next month.
And after your 1 month free trial is over, you can keep making low-cost international calls with Rebtel for just $1 USD a week.
"$1 USD a week" is what I called a "basic fee".