iCall

ADSL South Africa (Broadband South Africa), 2 April 2007

iBurst has announced the launch of its own Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service, called iCall.
 
What’s a VoIP service?
 
Be sure to visit our VoIP page for an answer to this one.
 
What benefits will iCall bring to the table?
 
Cheap calls.
 
‘…iCall will enable 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’ (iBurst launches voice service, MyADSL, 2 April 2007).
 
In other words, with iCall iBurst is aiming to offer a one stop cheap calling service to any cellphone or landline in the world.
 
What will the savings be 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’ (iBurst launches voice service, MyADSL, 2 April 2007). ‘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’ (iBurst launches voice service, MyADSL, 2 April 2007).
 
In other words, while local cost savings will not be that great when utilizing the iCall service, great cost savings are possible when making international calls.
 
Any drawbacks?
 
R50 monthly subscription fee.
 
‘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’ (iBurst launches voice service, MyADSL, 2 April 2007).
 
In other words, the minimum cost of this service will be R50 a month without making a single call.
 
Will subscribers get itemised bills?
 
Yes.
 
Will there be any support?
 
Yes. iBurst will offer ‘…telephonic and e-mail support to ensure that all queries are dealt with quickly and efficiently’ (iBurst launches voice service, MyADSL, 2 April 2007).
 
What about free calls?
 
‘The subscription allows for unlimited free calls between iCall subscribers which is ideal for inter-branch communication, amongst other uses’ (iBurst launches voice service, MyADSL, 2 April 2007).
 
In other words, iCall subscribers will enjoy unlimited free calls between them.
 
ADSL South Africa (Broadband South Africa) welcomes iBurst’s move to help bring down the cost of making a phone call in South Africa.