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Cameroonians In U.S. Keep International Calls Home Short And Sweet

San Francisco – April 15, 2010 – A new study issued this month shows several remarkable changes in the ways people in the U.S. are communicating with family and friends in the central western African Republic of Cameroon.

The research, provided by the Internet phone company, Rebtel, shows several fascinating facts and findings based on its calling volume in the first three months of 2010.

• Saturdays, Sundays and Tuesdays are the days that most Cameroonians abroad call home.
• The largest number of calls to Cameroon from the U.S. originate in Maryland, Texas, Georgia and California.
• The vast majority of calls go to mobile phones vs. landlines.
• Average call duration to Cameroon from the U.S. is just 5.6 minutes.
• Among the more than 1,000 survey respondents, 85.9% of calls are to family, 12.3% are to friends, and only 1.8% call business associates in Cameroon, where MTM Mobile and Orange Mobile are the hands-down leading mobile phone providers.

Top U.S. Cities Calling Cameroon:

1. West Maryland (Silver Spring, Frederick, Gaithersburg, Camp Springs, Prince George’s County)
2. Houston, Tx.
3. Atlanta, Ga. and suburbs
4. Oklahoma City
5. East Maryland (Baltimore, Annapolis, Chesapeake Bay area, Ocean City)
6. Dallas, Tx.
7. Washington, D.C.
8. St. Paul, Minn.
9. West Los Angeles (Beverly Hills, West Hollywood)
10. Fort Worth, Tx.

“Reliable and clear connections, combined with service ease of use and low rates are driving a significant increase in international calling to Cameroon from the U.S. on Rebtel,” said Andreas Bernström, Rebtel CEO.

Of the Cameroonians participating in the survey, 78.8% said Rebtel call quality was noticeably better than other phone services for calling family in Cameroon; 86% said Rebtel was easier to use.  And just over half – 50.2% – said Rebtel rates consistently beat the competition.

Starting this month Rebtel, which works with any carrier or phone, cut its calling rates to 15.5 cents per minute to landlines in Cameroon and 20 cents per minute to mobile phones, representing a 3% and 15% reduction respectively.

By comparison, Skype charges 32.8 cents per minute to landlines in Cameroon and 31.4 to mobile phones.  AT&T charges 49 cents per minute to landlines in Cameroon and 61 to mobile phones for customers who pay $3.99 a month for an international calling plan.  And calling cards, which promise outlandishly low rates per minute, are tough to figure out actual cost because the small print reveals hidden charges such as 3 minute rounding, per minute surcharges, connection fees, and weekly fees.

Founded in 2006, Stockholm-based Rebtel was established to give people around the world an alternative to mobile operators’ rip-off rates for making international calls. Today, thousands of Cameroonians living in the U.S. use Rebtel every day to call family at home.

Rebtel has been ranked No.1 in international calling by Technology Appraisals and has been featured in USA Today, The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and The International Herald Tribune for its unique calling service.

By: Alex Drewniak, April 15th, 2010 Tags: Calling Behavior, Cameroon, internet telephony, rebtel, VoIP

Free International Mobile Calling Standard Reset By Rebtel

DEMO Spring 2010, Palm Desert, CA – March 23, 2010 – Rebtel, the Internet phone company used by more than 4 million people around the world, today demonstrated a new application for Android phones that automatically makes international calls between 51 countries free of charge – no Wi-Fi required.

Called Rebtel Free Call, the app will be in the Android Market by next week. The iPhone and BlackBerry versions are now being prepared for submission to Apple and RIM.

“International calls from telephones used to grow a steady 15% every year until recently when it dropped to 8%, mainly due to the new behavior of calling from computers. But most people would rather use their phone, not their computer, to make an international call,” said Andreas Bernström, CEO of Stockholm-based Rebtel. “As we take our Android app’s automatic free international calling to iPhone, Blackberry, and eventually regular feature phones, we think we can tear a significant chunk out of the annual 406 billion minutes called internationally, because Rebtel Free Call means you’ll never have to pay for an international minute again.”

Rebtel Free Call is free to download and free to use. Once installed:

1. Select an international phone number from the onboard address book or type in the number.
2. Press the Call button.
3. Rebtel uses the standard cellular network to connect the call over the Internet.

There is no charge for the call if the initiator and receiver have Rebtel Free Call installed on their phones. Rebtel’s standard ultra-low rates will apply if the person abroad receiving the call doesn’t have Rebtel Free Call installed on their phone. However, a manual method for making the call free of charge is available at http://www.rebtel.com/en/Learn/Make-Free-Calls/.

By: admin, March 23rd, 2010 Tags: Android, DEMOspring10, free international calls, Google Nexus One, rebtel

Overseas Filipinos Cheated by Calling Cards Switch to Internet Calling

STOCKHOLM – March 18, 2010 – The average overseas Filipino has been cheated out of hundreds of dollars by calling cards that don’t deliver the minutes promised, according to new research by Rebtel, the Internet phone company used by more than 4 million people every day for their international calls.

Overseas Filipinos said they were cheated out of $500 on average by fraudulent calling cards, and many said they had been ripped off for up to $3,500 or more, according to Rebtel’s survey of more than 1,000 customers who regularly use Rebtel to call the Philippines.

As of December 2008 there were more than 7.5 million Filipinos working abroad, the most recent figures available from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration. Wikipedia puts the numbers between 8.7 million to 11 million overseas Filipinos worldwide, equivalent to about 11 percent of the total population of the Philippines.

Sick and tired of calling card fraud, overseas Filipinos said they switched to Internet-based calling services like Rebtel, that starting today lets them call home for just 0.109 USD/min to landlines, 0.129 USD/min to mobiles.

Of the Rebtel customers who previously used calling cards to stay in touch with calling family and friends at home, 61 percent said calling cards were not trustworthy and 72 percent said they regularly received fewer minutes than promised.

In contrast, 76 percent of survey respondents said Rebtel consistently offered lower rates than calling cards or other international calling services. And, because there are no special PIN numbers to remember or long international phone numbers to enter when using Rebtel, 83 percent of respondents said Rebtel was easier to use. Finally, 71 percent said call quality is better or much better with Rebtel than any of the cards or services the survey participants had used previously.

“No one makes calling the Philippines from 50 countries around the world easier, cheaper, or with better sound quality than Rebtel,” said Andreas Bernstrom, CEO of Stockholm-based Rebtel. “Call your family and friends at home and use any phone you like – mobile or landline. These are the world’s lowest calling rates to the Philippines, bar none.”

By: admin, March 18th, 2010 Tags: "calling cards", andreas bernstrom, Filipinos, internet telephony, philippines, POEAX, rebtel, VoIP

Rebtel Acquires Talkster Service

STOCKHOLM and TORONTO – January 19, 2010 – Rebtel, the Internet phone company, announced today it has acquired Free World Dialing, an award-winning consumer calling service from Talkster. Talkster’s Free World Dialing customers will now have access to Rebtel’s Free Calls solution, the only VoIP service offering unlimited free international mobile calls between 51 countries.

Launched in October 2007 at the CTIA Wireless Entertainment and I.T. exposition, Talkster’s Free World Dialing service was immediately hailed as a breakthrough new service, winning “Best In Show.” Since then Free World Dialing continued to win widespread recognition along with a number of industry awards, including Mobile Star’s Best Consumer VOIP App and Communications Solutions Product of the Year. Rebtel has acquired the full rights to the Free World Dialing service and its customers for an undisclosed sum. Under the agreement, Rebtel now carries all of Talkster’s international calls.

In addition to Rebtel’s Free Calls solution, former Talkster customers have access to other services from Rebtel, which make it possible to use any phone in 51 countries to call anywhere in the world for free or for just pennies per minute. The acquisition deal also allows Talkster customers to use Rebtel Computer Calls to make free or super-cheap calls from any country to anywhere in the world, as well as Rebtel SMS for low-cost international text messaging.

“We have a large base of loyal international calling customers who are very important to us, and we wanted to make certain they would continue to benefit from a high quality international calling service suited to their needs. Rebtel offers the best migration path for our customers who want to stay in touch with their family and friends abroad and Talkster is confident our customers will be impressed with the cost savings and valuable new calling features the Rebtel service offers.”

Rebtel is growing rapidly and now serves more than 4 million registered customers worldwide, and adds more than 100,000 new users each month. Revenue in 2009 was close to $20 million and grew 75% versus 2008. Rebtel expects to grow at a similar rate in 2010.

The acquisition of Talkster’s Free World Dialing comes just months after Rebtel’s similar acquisition of the Gorilla Mobile service, a U.S.-based VoIP company that provided low-cost calling primarily to Asia.

“Rebtel has successfully proven its business model by providing excellent quality of service, with transparent and low pricing, where innovation such as computer calling, applications and SMS is driven by customer demands. In 2010 we expect to see similar growth and will continue to develop our service to fit the needs of our users.” said Andreas Bernström, Rebtel chief executive officer. “Talkster is a clear fit offering excellent synergies with our free international mobile calling service.”

By: admin, January 19th, 2010 Tags: rebtel, talkster, VoIP

First-ever Report On International Communications Habits of Kenyans In US

STOCKHOLM, Sweden – December 22, 2009 - A new study issued this month shows several remarkable changes in the ways Kenyans in the U.S. are communicating with loved ones and family in Kenya. The research provided by Rebtel, based on its calling volume from January 1, 2009 to November 1, 2009, shows several key findings. Findings Conclude More People Are Calling Kenya More Often; Service Ease of Use and Call Quality More Important than Lower Costs to Kenya Callers

Perhaps expectedly, Sunday is the most popular day that Kenyans in the U.S. call their homeland. Texas followed by Minnesota, Georgia, Maryland and California make up the most active states calling Kenya. But surprisingly, Wichita, Kansas is the No.1 city on the list where calls to Kenya originate. Nairobi and Mombasa are the top two destination cities, of course.  But the vast majority of calls are now going to mobile phones in Kenya rather than landlines.

As of November 1, 2009, of those surveyed:
Kenyans in the U.S. spend just over 100 minutes per month – a little more than an hour-and-a-half – on their monthly calls to Kenya.
Calls are going to friends and families more often on their cell phones with service provided by Safaricom Mobile and Kencel Mobile vs. landlines.

Top Kenyan Phone Lines Receiving Calls from the U.S.:

1. Nairobi
2. Other destinations in Kenya
3. Mombasa

Top U.S. Cities Calling Kenya:

1. Wichita, Kansas
2. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
3. Dallas, Texas
4. Minneapolis, Minnesota
5. Fort Worth, Texas
6. Raleigh, North Carolina
7. Atlanta, Georgia
8. Rochester, Minnesota
9. Kansas City, Missouri
10. Houston, Texas

“Low rates combined with the most reliable and clear connections are driving the increase in international calling to Kenya,” said Rebtel CEO Andreas Bernström.
Of callers participating in the survey, 58.4% said Rebtel is easier to use than other international calling services and 48.2% said Rebtel’s call quality is much better than other services.
Nearly 78% of all calls to Kenya with Rebtel go to family members, respondents said.
Founded in 2006, Stockholm-based Rebtel was established to give people around the world an alternative to mobile operators’ rip-off rates for making international calls. Today, thousands of people living in the U.S. use Rebtel to call Kenya for $0.083 per minute to landlines or $0.109 per minute to mobile phones.
Rebtel has been ranked No.1 in international calling by Technology Appraisals and has been featured in USA Today, The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and The International Herald Tribune for its unique calling service.

By: Alex Drewniak, December 22nd, 2009 Tags: call, internet telephony, Kenya, lower rates, Mombasa, Nairobi, rebtel, tele communication, US, VoIP

Rebtel Introduces Free Calling Between Pakistan And 50 Countries

STOCKHOLM, Sweden – October 27, 2009 – Pakistanis living in 50 countries around the world can now call friends and family in Karachi or Lahore free of charge using any phone – landline or mobile – with the introduction of Rebtel service in Pakistan.

The same goes for Karachi and Lahore residents who can now use their landline or mobile phones to call friends and family in 50 other countries free of charge, or make ultra-cheap calls to anywhere else in the world using Rebtel, the Internet phone company.

There is no charge to set up a Rebtel account. No contract.  No monthly fees.  And no changes whatsoever are required to the users calling plan with their landline or mobile phone provider.

“Keeping in touch with family and friends is a basic need, and something that should be provided at the best available rate,” said Andreas Bernström, CEO of Rebtel, which pioneered mobile VoIP calling in 2006. “That’s exactly why we started Rebtel and why millions of people around the world use our service every day.”

How Rebtel Works

Rebtel gives people local phone numbers in the country where they live that connect them directly with their friends and family abroad.

That means, for example, Rebtel gives someone living in Lahore a local Lahore phone number that connects him directly to a friend or family member living in New York.  At the same time Rebtel gives the friend or family member in New York a local New York phone number that connects them directly to their friend or family member in Lahore.

There’s no access number to dial, no PIN to remember, or long international phone number to enter. The user only dials a local phone number where they live and Rebtel connects the call over the Internet to their loved one abroad.

Free Call: Tricky But Worth It

Rebtel’s standard rates to and from Pakistan are incredibly low – almost always better than calling card rates.

All calls – to landlines or mobile phones in Pakistan – from any of the 50 other countries where Rebtel is available are just 7.4 cents (U.S.) per minute.

And calls from Pakistan are equally cheap.  For example, a call from Pakistan to:

• Saudi Arabia is 8.23 PKR per minute on a landline, 16.30 PKR on a mobile phone
• U.K. is 1.58 PKR per minute on a landline, 14.97 PKR on a mobile phone
• UAE is 16.55 PKR per minute on a landline, 17.55 PKR on a mobile phone
• U.S. is 1.24 PKR per minute on either a landline or mobile phone

Here’s how to make a Free Call: When a person in Lahore calls a friend in London, for example, they ask their friend – while they stay on the line in Lahore – to hang up in London and call right back using the local London phone number they’ve been given by Rebtel to reach their friend in Lahore.

When that happens:
•  The person in Lahore is making a local call
• Their friend in London is making a local call
• Rebtel connects the two local calls over the Internet, and the international minutes are free.

Free Calls (when the person who receives the call hangs up and calls back while the original caller stays on the line) today can be made between 51 countries around the world.

By: Alex Drewniak, October 27th, 2009

Apple Gives Green Light To Mobile VoIP iPhone App From Rebtel

STOCKHOLM, Sweden – October 21, 2009 – It took nine months but Rebtel’s iPhone application for making ultra-cheap or free international calls around the world is finally out of AT&T jail.

“We’ve been waiting on this one a long time – but as they say, the best things in life are worth waiting for,” said Andreas Bernström, CEO of Rebtel, which pioneered mobile VoIP calling in 2006. “We were thrilled when we got the email from the iTunes Store with the subject: Your Application is Ready for Sale. Our app is free, of course, but we couldn’t be happier.”

On October 6, AT&T reversed course and said that it will allow Internet phone software applications on the iPhone. AT&T had previously prevented iPhone Internet phone apps from using its wireless network.

Rebtel’s app allows iPhone owners to make calls to anywhere in the world for just pennies per minute without having to search for a WiFi hot spot.  And free calls are possible between any of the 50 countries where Rebtel is available.

Using the new Rebtel iPhone app is super easy and fast. Just open the app, select the phone number of an international friend from the onboard address book or type in their number, tap the Call with Rebtel button, and Rebtel takes over from there to connect the call straight away.

“The lowest calling rates in the world, no cards, PINs or hassles, you only pay for the time you talk, and great sound quality – it doesn’t get any better than Rebtel for international calling,” said Bernström. “Try it. You’ll like it.  Everybody gets a free test call to get started.”

By: Alex Drewniak, October 21st, 2009

Calling Card Fraud Attacked by Swedish Internet Phone Company

STOCKHOLM, Sweden – September 29, 2009 Relentless fraud by the billion-dollar prepaid calling card industry – on- and offline – has prompted the Internet phone company, Rebtel to slash in half its rates to Mexico so Mexicans living in the U.S. can call friends and family at home for just 1.5 cents per minute.

“I switched to Rebtel because I was sick of being ripped-off by calling cards,” said Marcos González, a Monterrey, Mexico native who now lives and works in Houston, Texas. González answered a Rebtel survey this month that showed 79 percent of participants believe they had consistently received fewer minutes than promised by calling card providers.

The Federal Trade Commission, as part of a national crackdown, has sued and received multi-million judgments this year against some of the worst offenders, such as Diamond Phone Card, Inc., that claimed to deliver 400 minutes to Mexico but only provided 106 minutes of calling time after fees and service charges.

“If the calling card functions at all, it may only work for a fraction of the promised time,” the consumer advocacy group Consumer Action recently told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Characterizing fraud and abuse “epidemic” in the prepaid phone industry, the San Francisco, CA-based group cited a U.S. Senate report that found the average card delivered only 50 percent of the promised minutes, largely because of undisclosed or poorly disclosed terms and fees, such as a 99-cent hang-up fee, or the practice of billing in 3- or 4-minute increments even when calls only last a few seconds.

The Hispanic Institute, a nonprofit advocacy group, estimates that calling cards are cheating consumers out of $1 million a day.

In contrast, there is no charge to set up a Rebtel account. No monthly fees. No connection fees. No hidden costs.

“Fraud is fraud – whether it’s done with a paper card or on the Internet,” said Rebtel CEO Andreas Bernstrom. “With Rebtel, what you pay is exactly what you get when calling Mexico – 1.5 cents per minute to landlines and 8.9 cents per minute to mobiles phones. Absolutely nothing else.”

Rebtel works with any phone – even the most simple, cheap mobile phone – without modification, software downloads or changes to the user’s calling plan with their cell phone provider.

“Rebtel is much easier to use than calling cards,” said González. “With Rebtel there’s no access number to dial, no PIN to remember. It’s a much better system.”

Pre-Paid Phone Cards Don’t Deliver

Calling cards rates often sound too good to be true – and usually are. Here are common complaints registered with the FTC:

- Cards don’t deliver the number of minutes they advertise

- Cards debit minutes or units even when the call is not connected to the number being dialed

- Hidden connection charges, taxes, and surcharges increase the rate-per-minute

- Bad connections

- Access numbers or PINs often don’t work

- Customer service numbers are often busy or simply don’t work

- Toll-free access numbers are constantly busy, preventing use of cards

- Issuers who go out of business and leave card-holders with a useless card

By: Alex Drewniak, September 29th, 2009

Rebtel Recruits New CEO to Spearhead Expansion

STOCKHOLM, Sweden – September 3, 2009 – Rebtel, the global communications company, today announced that Andreas Bernstrom, former chief operating  officer (COO) of TradeDoubler and mobile search leader Taptu is joining Rebtel as its new  chief executive (CEO).

Rebtel is used by more than 3 million people in more than 50 countries to call any anywhere in the world for free or just pennies per minute.

Bernstrom, 35, will replace Rebtel co-founder Hjalmar Winbladh who will continue as the company’s working chairman. With Bernstrom on board Winbladh will focus on Rebtel’s next wave of innovation and aggressive expansion in U.S. calling corridors to Asia, Africa and Latin America

“Andreas is a strong, charismatic leader, with a proven track record for growing companies,” said Winbladh.  “Now with a cash flow positive operation after years of explosive growth, Andreas joins us at a exciting time in our short history as we pursue new customers, and add new countries, innovative products and services around the world.”

After spending his formative years as a senior analyst for Goldman Sachs, Bernstrom joined internet marketing company TradeDoubler as its sixth employee. During the subsequent five years Bernstrom grew TradeDoubler’s U.K. operations, establishing a dominant market position before taking over as TradeDoubler’s COO, leading the business of 600 staff and more than $450 million in revenue.

“I’m a true believer in Rebtel,” said Bernstrom. “I’ve been using Rebtel for my international calling since the company was started in 2006.  It came as no surprise that Rebtel has been doubling in size every quarter for over a year.  That’s impressive for such a young company and a great base to build on.”

Bernstrom comes to Rebtel from Taptu – the leading alternative search machine now serving more than 1 million daily mobile searches – where he was brought in to drive revenue, traffic and brand awareness.

“Rebtel has established itself as a leader of the Internet phone category and captured significant market share of some of the most important calling corridors out of the U.S.,” said Ben Holmes, Index Ventures partner and Rebtel board member. “Andreas is exactly the right man to lead the aggressive charge as we introduce some of the world’s lowest rates to Mexico, the Philippines, Thailand and a host of African nations.”

Added Johan Brenner, Balderton Capital’s representative on the Rebtel’s board of directors: “Andreas’ international business track record with his expertise in mobile and digital marketing makes him a great fit for Rebtel. He’s the perfect leader for our ambitious plans going forward.”

By: Alex Drewniak, September 3rd, 2009

Iranians Abroad Get 250,000 Free Minutes To Call Home On Rebtel

STOCKHOLM, Sweden – June 22 , 2009 – Rebtel, the people’s global communications company, today announced it is offering Iranians around the world a quarter of a million minutes of free calling home in support of the non-violent protesters that have taken to the streets over the disputed presidential elections 10 days ago.

“No strings attached – just call home on Rebtel and make sure your family and friends in Iran are okay,” said Hjalmar Winbladh, Rebtel’s chief executive officer.

To receive 20 minutes of free calling to Iran go to http://www.rebtel.com
1. Click ‘Try Now’ and register
2. Enter the voucher code iranelection
3. Click ‘Redeem now’

“Millions of people around the world use Rebtel every day to stay in touch with their friends and family members abroad,” said Winbladh.  “Our offer today to Iranians around the world is just part of staying true to who we are.”

By: Alex Drewniak, June 22nd, 2009