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Rebtel Wins Mobile VoIP Shootout

Stockholm, Sweden – June 26, 2008 – Rebtel, the people’s global communications company, was consistently the low-price leader among 15 companies compared side by side in a new report just released by Technology Appraisals Limited, an independent market research and publishing company based in London.

On the world’s most heavily trafficked calling corridors Rebtel’s per minute rates beat Jajah, EQO, Mig33, Mobivox, and Truphone, to name just few of the better known companies the study compared.  Rebtel’s standard rates quoted in the study, entitled Low Cost & Mobile VoIP, also beat market leaders not included, such as Skype, Reliance and Stana Card.

“Low rates combined with the most reliable and clear connections are what bring customers to Rebtel, but the reason people use our services day in and day out is to stay connected with their loved ones,” said Hjalmar Winbladh, Rebtel co-founder and CEO.  “That’s what Rebtel is really all about – and why 97 percent of our customers recommend Rebtel.”

According to the Technology Appraisals’ research at least 30 new companies, and possibly as many as 50, have appeared in recent years offering low cost mobile calling.
“We believe the new (mobile) sector is here to stay,” the report states.  “The big question is how much market share will the established operators allow new players, or be forced to concede by regulators and user demand.”

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.

“We started Rebtel because none of the mobile operators were on the side of the customer,” said Winbladh. “Now, many of the companies in Technology Appraisals’ research, as well as others, have started copying Rebtel’s method for making low-cost mobile calls, but they still can’t beat us when it comes to reliable quality and reliably low rates.”

A Rebtel account can be set up in just a minute or two at www.rebtel.com.
The Rebtel service works with any mobile phone just the way it is, and works with all mobile operators. There is no charge to set up a Rebtel account.  And all new comers get a free 10 minute call to test the service.

After an account is set up subscribers only pay for the minutes they use.  Smart Calls between the 47 countries served by Rebtel are always free and only one of the two people on a call must be a Rebtel subscriber.

By: Ola Sundqvist, June 27th, 2008 Tags: eqo, hjalmar winbladh, jajah, mig33, mobivox, reliance, stana card, Technology Appraisals Limited, truphone

Still Free: Rebtel Maintains Free Calling Service Between 47 Countries

Stockholm, Sweden – June 11, 2008 – MOBIVOX is out. So is Truphone. But Rebtel, the first mobile VoIP company, is staying true to itself, its roots, and its customers.
Free calling between 47 countries is alive and well at Rebtel. No strings attached. No restrictions. And, no compromise on quality.

“It true that most of our customers choose our paid service,” said Hjalmar Winbladh, Rebtel co-founder and CEO. “And we don’t deny that our free calling service requires people to jump through a hoop or two. But if free is what matters to you, then give us a try. It’s really not hard to do – in fact, we think it’s kind of fun.”

Founded in early 2006, Rebtel was created to give consumers worldwide an alternative to mobile operators’ outrageous charges for making international calls.

“We started Rebtel because none of the mobile operators were on the side of the customer,” said Winbladh. “All that the operators cared about was locking people into rip-off contracts and then squeezing them to maximize revenue and profit. But it doesn’t have to be that way. On a fraction of what the mobile operators charge, Rebtel is now tripling in size every three months in terms of new customers, revenue and minutes carried. Join us!”

By: Ola Sundqvist, June 11th, 2008 Tags: hjalmar winbladh, rebtel

Beijing and Hong Kong Get Super-Cheap International Phone Service

Stockholm, Sweden – April 23, 2008 – First Shanghai.  Now Beijing and Hong Kong.  In just three months, Rebtel, the people’s global communications company, has delivered on its promise to expand low-cost and free international calling to more Chinese cities.

Starting today, Beijing and Hong Kong residents can use their mobile phones to call any phone, anywhere in the world for just pennies per minute, and make free calls to friends, family, and work colleagues in more than 40 countries.

Using Rebtel Direct, calls from Beijing and Hong Kong to the U.S. and Canada, for example, cost less than 2¢ per minute whether you’re calling a landline or mobile phone.  By comparison, the same calls on China Mobile will cost $1.16 per minute.

“But if you think Rebtel Direct rates are still too expensive you can use our Smart Call system and make that same call for free,” said Hjalmar Winbladh, Rebtel’s co-founder and CEO. “With Rebtel you can now call friends and family in more than 40 countries around the world from Beijing or Hong Kong for nothing more than the cost of calling around the corner.”

A Rebtel account can be set up in just a minute or two.  The service works with any mobile phone just the way it is, and is registered and authorized to work with all Beijing and Hong Kong mobile operators.
There is no charge to set up a Rebtel account.  All newcomers get a free 10 minute call to test the service.

Calls From Beijing and Hong Kong
(cost per minute in U.S. dollars)

After an account is set up subscribers only pay for the minutes they use.  Smart Calls between the countries served by Rebtel are always free and only one of the two people on a call must be a Rebtel subscriber.

“This is a great time to be expanding our service in China,” said Winbladh.  “Hong Kong and Beijing have been important international business centers throughout history, and now athletes and media from more than 200 countries around the world will soon converge on China for the Summer Olympics.”

By: Ola Sundqvist, April 23rd, 2008 Tags: beijing, hjalmar winbladh, hong kong, rebtel

Croatia Gets Free International Calling To More Than 40 Countries

Stockholm, Sweden – April 11, 2008 – Croatians can now use their mobile phones to call any phone, anywhere in the world for just a few lipas per minute, and make free international calls to friends, family, and work colleagues in more than 40 countries. Rebtel, the people’s global communications company, today introduced low cost and free international calling to and from Croatia.

Rebtel services can be used with any mobile phone without modification or software downloads, and does not require any change to customers’ existing plans with their mobile operators. There is no charge to set up a Rebtel account.  And, all new comers get a free 10 minute call to test the service. Thereafter, customers only pay for the minutes they use.

“We started Rebtel because we wanted to do something good for the consumer – connect the Internet and standard mobile phones so people wouldn’t have to pay the operators’ rip-off rates for international calls,” said Hjalmar Winbladh, co-founder and president of Rebtel.

With T-Mobile Croatia, for example, calls to Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Italy, or Slovenia can cost 4,27 HRK ($0.90 USD) per minute.  To most of Europe, the U.K. or the U.S., T-Mobile charges 5,49 HRK ($1.16 USD) per minute. But with Rebtel Direct those same calls now cost just a few lipas.

“And if our low-cost rates are still to expensive for you, you can make it a free calls to 45 other countries with our Smart Call system,” said Winbladh. “It’s super simple to use, and after you’ve done it once you’ll never go back to paying for international calls again.”

Rebtel Rates for Calls from Croatia
(Cost per minute in HRK)

By: Ola Sundqvist, April 11th, 2008 Tags: croatia, hjalmar winbladh, rebtel, VoIP

Celebrate Chinese New Year with Rebtel

Stockholm, Sweden – January 30, 2008 – Gong xi fa cai – Happy Chinese New Year! Chinese tradition says that the first words heard on the first day of the year can affect your fortunes for the entire year. In order to help spread good fortune, Rebtel are running a Million Minute Giveaway. During the Chinese New Year festivities, anyone can call friends in China to wish them luck and prosperity for the New Year – completely free!

Starting February 7, 2008, the first day of the Chinese New Year, anyone living in the 39 countries served by Rebtel can use their mobile phone to call any phone, anywhere in China for free. Each person can make up to five hours of free calls to China. The offer will run during the Chinese New Year festivities between the 7th and 21st of February.

“The Chinese New Year is a celebration of change,” said Hjalmar Winbladh, Rebtel co-founder and CEO. “So out with the old way of calling China, and in with the new – the Rebtel way. Give it a try. Saving money on long-distance calls is one way to ensure that you prosper financially for the rest of the year!’
For further information please see www.rebtel.com/china

Rebtel Direct calls to China cost less than 2¢ per minute from any of the other 39 countries that Rebtel serves. By comparison, AT&T charges $3.50 per minute to call a mobile phone in China from a mobile phone in the U.S. That same call from the U.K. using Vodafone costs $3.33 per minute. From Canada, the cost per minute for calls to China on TELUS Mobility can be as low as 8¢ per minute – but only with an $8.00 or $12.00 per month special service plan.

With Rebtel, there is no charge to set up an account. No monthly fees, no connection fees, no hidden costs, and it works with all mobile carriers. No change to your current mobile service is required.

By: Ola Sundqvist, January 30th, 2008 Tags: chinese new year, hjalmar winbladh, rebtel, VoIP, year of the rat

Rebtel Opens Mobile VoIP Services In China

Stockholm, Sweden – December 20, 2007 – Rebtel, the people’s global communications company, today announced low cost and free international calling to and from China.
Starting Friday, December 21, residents of Shanghai can use their mobile phones to call any phone, anywhere in the world for just pennies per minute, and make free calls to friends, family, and work colleagues in 39 countries.

“Entering the Chinese market was not easy, but we’re finally in – just in time for ex-pats to call home for the holidays – and we plan to open service in more Chinese cities in the New Year,” said Hjalmar Winbladh, Rebtel’s co-founder and CEO.

More than 18 million people live in Shanghai.  And that doesn’t include the city’s 6 million migrant workers, making Shanghai one of the most populous cities in the world.
Rebtel’s low-cost calls from Shanghai to the United States, for example, will cost just $0.018 per minute; $0.019 per minute from the U.S. to Shanghai.  By comparison, AT&T charges $3.50 per minute to call a mobile phone in China from a mobile phone in the U.S.
Rebtel calls from Shanghai will cost $0.019 to U.K. landlines, and $0.18 to U.K. mobile phones. Using Rebtel to call Shanghai from London will be the same as from the U.S.: $0.019 per minute. In contrast, Vodafone charges $3.33 per minute to call Shanghai from the U.K.
“There are more than 10 million mobile phone subscribers in Shanghai alone, so serving just a small percentage of that market should be a good test for rolling out service to the rest of the country,” said Winbladh.

Rebtel services can be used with any mobile phone without modification or software downloads.  There is no charge to set up a Rebtel account.  All new comers get a free 10 minute call to test the service.   Thereafter, subscribers only pay for the minutes they use.  Smart Calls between the 40 counties served by Rebtel are always free and only one of the two people on a call must be a Rebtel subscriber.
About Rebtel

Rebtel is a global voice services company for individuals, small business professionals and cord-cutters inside large companies, who regularly call international suppliers, customers, partners, their workforce, or friends and family abroad. Unlike the large mobile telecom carriers that charge exorbitant rates to recoup their high costs, Rebtel offers consumers ultra-low rates for global calling by making all calls local and leveraging VoIP technologies. For more information, or to start using Rebtel services, go to www.rebtel.com.

By: Ola Sundqvist, December 20th, 2007 Tags: china, hjalmar winbladh, rebtel, VoIP

Rebtel Matches New Customers`Spend 2:1 In Holiday Gift

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN – December 17, 2007 – Rebtel, the people’s global communications company, today announced it would give new customers up to $20 through the end of the year. Customers can choose to give the money to a friend for making international calls with Rebtel, donate it to charity, or use it themselves to make low-cost calls to anywhere in the world.

“We’re giving new Rebtel users $2.00 for every $1.00 they put into their account when they register and it’s their call where the money goes,” said Hjalmar Winbladh, Rebtel’s co-founder and CEO.
The campaign begins today and runs until January 1st, 2008. Only first payments of up to $10.00 qualify for the program.

Non-paying Rebtel users – people who have previously registered and have been using Rebtel’s Smart Call service for making free global calls, or who joined Rebtel only to get a free 10 minute international call, but have never made a payment to Rebtel – can also participate.

Rebtel is a mobile phone service that allows users to call any phone, anywhere in the world, for just pennies per minute. Rebtel services can be used with any mobile phone without modification or software downloads. There is no charge to set up a Rebtel account. All newcomers get a free 10 minute call to test the service. Thereafter, subscribers only pay for the minutes they use. Smart Calls between the 40 countries served by Rebtel are always free and only one of the two people on a call must have a Rebtel account.

By: Ola Sundqvist, December 17th, 2007 Tags: hjalmar winbladh, rebtel, VoIP

Low-Priced International Calling Method to Launch on Facebook

LONDON, UK- STOCKHOLM, Sweden, 14th of August 2007 – Facebook, the social networking site with an estimated 33 million users is to become home to a revolutionary new international calling method. With its unique mix of globally-connected socially-mobile students and young professionals Facebook would seem the perfect location for the innovative new communications tool.

Rebtel, which is the brainchild of Swedish entrepreneur and former Microsoft employee Hjalmar Winbladh, uses the latest in VoIP technology to sidestep expensive international charges – allowing users to make calls to anywhere in the world for the price of a local call direct from their mobile phone. Based on a deceptively simple system, Rebtel works by creating local landline numbers in both the country of origin and destination and then rerouting the international part of the call over the web.

Now thanks to the planned collaboration Facebook users are to get in on the action. The new application to be named ‘Reb Me’ will allow Facebook users to create local numbers for global friends across their Facebook network direct from the Facebook site. The application allows users to add a ‘Reb Me’ box onto their profile so friends can instantly create a local number for them.

Soon Facebook users or ‘Facebookers’ as they’ve come to be dubbed can expect to save on average 88p a minute on the cost of overseas calls. Added up over the course of a year spent talking with friends on a gap year, friends studying abroad or work friends newly relocated and such savings soon become irresistible. If the average Facebooker was to spend just 30 minutes a month calling overseas they can expect to make yearly savings of over £300.

With most Facebook users having an internationally diverse collection of friends Reb Me provides an affordable simple and convenient method for keeping in touch. Rebtel founder Hjalmar Winbladh explains, “Facebook is the world’s fastest growing online community, its home to a new generation of globalised young people whose friends and social networks are spread across the planet. There is no reason in the world why these people should be loosing this amount of money to mobile operators. Like Facebook we just want to make communicating as easy, cheap and as freely available as possible. Our message is very simple: why pay 100 times over the odds when you don’t need to?

By: Ola Sundqvist, August 14th, 2007 Tags: facebook, hjalmar winbladh, rebtel

Rebtel Rolls Out Facebook Application

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN – August 14, 2007 – Rebtel Inc. a leading provider of VoIP telephony, today launched an application for Facebook users to make calls anywhere in the world for the price of a local call directly from their mobile phone.

Reb Me allows Facebook users to create local numbers for global friends across their Facebook network direct from the Facebook site. The application allows users to add a ‘Reb me!’ box onto their profile so friends can instantly create a local number for them. New users receive 10 minutes of credit with which to try the Rebtel service, and another five minutes each time a friend they’ve invited adds the application and makes a call.
“Facebook is the world’s fastest growing online community, home to a new generation of globalized young people with friends and social networks spread across the planet.  There is no reason in the world why they should be wasting their money on exorbitant rates for international calling,”  said Hjalmar Winbladh, founder and CEO.  “Reb Me was designed specifically for Facebook and is lean and clean.  Like Facebook, Rebtel’s mission is to make communicating simple, affordable, and convenient as possible.”

How Reb Me and Rebtel Works
Access Reb Me at the following URL:  http://apps.facebook.com/myrebtel/
Once their mobile phone number is registered, Facebookers enter the international destination number to any country in the world.  This number can also be a landline. Rebtel will convert the international number to a local number that the user can store on their phone.  When calling countries within the 37-member Rebtel community—such as Australia and the United States—the call is free when at least one user is registered with Rebtel and asks the other to call back.   This is a simple step and is voice-guided.

“Many consumers in the U.S. never use all their monthly minutes and most cell phones need to be ‘unlocked’ in order to call internationally.  Rebtel makes every call a local call,” added Winbladh. “If the average Facebooker in the U.S. was to spend just 30 minutes a month calling overseas using Rebtel, they can expect to make annual savings of more than $750.”

The easy to use Rebtel service works on every mobile device, including iPhone, Blackberry, and every cellular network, therefore, consumers can make the most of their existing local calling plans from carriers such Telmex in Mexico or any of the major US carriers such as AT&T/Cingular, T-Mobile, MetroPCS, Sprint, or Verizon.

By: Ola Sundqvist, August 14th, 2007 Tags: facebook, hjalmar winbladh, lets talk, reb me, rebtel

Rebtel Offers Mobile Signup Platform

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN & MILWAUKEE, WIS., May 23, 2007 – Rebtel Inc. a leading provider of global calling using VoIP telephony, today announced a new mobile website http://m.rebtel.com The mobile site is aimed to provide consumers the ability to sign up and use the Rebtel service on the go from their mobile phone without the immediate need for access to a personal computer.
Whenever and wherever they are, consumers can make calls to international friends and family in more than 37 countries and reap the amazing cost savings benefits of mobile Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).  The Rebtel service does not require the consumer to download any special software or use specific devices.

“We are providing a truly mobile service so anyone with a data connection from any type of mobile device—PDA, smartphone, regular mobile phone—on any network can stay in touch with family and friends while on-the-go,” said Hjalmar Winbladh, CEO of Rebtel.  “We are excited to offer consumers with a quick and reliable way to save money without needing to be in front of a PC.”

How It Works

Once consumers access http://m.rebtel.com, they can immediately make an international call for free or at drastically reduced rates (reduced rates start at .02cents/minute to more than 37 countries). The mobile website walks consumers through the simple process, answers questions, and clearly outlines any costs all visible from their mobile phone screen. Consumers can manage their contacts, dial directly from their mobile address book, and add friends and family at will and at any time.

“Our customers look for ways to add more convenience to their mobile lifestyle,“ said Souheil Badran, president and general manager, Americas & APAC for Rebtel.  “We have now simplified the process even more to make it practical for them to join and add others to their favorite international contact list.”

By: Ola Sundqvist, May 23rd, 2007 Tags: hjalmar winbladh, mobile web, rebtel, Souheil Badran