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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

Rebtel Partners With DigiLinea on Mobile VoIP

Doral, FL, Milwaukee, WI, and Stockholm, Sweden, May 21, 2007 – DigiLinea, the leading Voice over IP (VoIP) infrastructure and service provider to the US Hispanic and Latin American markets, announced today a partnership with Rebtel, a leading provider of VoIP telephony to provide expanded mobile VoIP services for consumers in the United States and throughout Latin America.

Rebtel will leverage the DigiLinea platform to offer local Latin American telephone numbers, unlimited calling plans, and direct termination. Rebtel will leverage the DigiLinea platform to quickly and efficiently create customized internet-calling services that lower their customers‘cost of communications to and from Latin America while increasing service-provider revenue and profit per line.

“We are delighted to be working with Rebtel one of the leaders in Mobile VoIP. “said DigiLinea CEO and Chairman Gregory Keough. “Not all Latinos have a broadband internet connection but many have cell phones.  Rebtel’s service is especially pertinent and useful to them so they can save money. With Latinos spending more per month on telecom services than other demographic groups, mobile VoIP is a natural fit.”

Souheil Badran, Rebtel’s President and General Manager of Americas stated, “Expanding Rebtel’s unique VoIP service to over 100 cities in the Mexican, Central and Latin American markets is an important milestone in Rebtel’s journey.  DigiLinea’s leadership coupled with Rebtel’s service will continue to allow mobile phone users to talk to one another for free, liberated from exorbitant charges.”  Badran added, “DigiLinea’s large DID network footprint, and local licenses and infrastructure across the region, made them an obvious choice to expand our mobile VoIP offering to the Hispanic community.”

The DigiLinea platform allows service providers to offer local Latin American telephone numbers, unlimited calling plans, and direct termination. This provides a turnkey suite for serving the US Hispanic and Latin American communities whose needs are very different from the average US or European consumer.  DigiLinea allows service providers to quickly and efficiently launch customized internet-calling services that lower their customers‘ cost of communications to and from Latin America while increasing service-provider revenue and profit per line.

By: Ola Sundqvist, May 21st, 2007 Tags: digilinea, gregory keough, Rebtel Partners, Souheil Badran

Rebtel Provides Free Calls To and From Mexico

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN & MILWAUKEE, WIS., May 1, 2007 – Rebtel Inc. a leading provider of VoIP telephony, today announced the introduction of free phone calls between the US and Mexico for the first two weeks of May 2007.
Beginning May 3 and running through May 19, customers in the United States and Mexico will have the ability to call loved ones without paying Rebtel anything for a total of 60 minutes (regular Rebtel rates are 2 cents, $.02, per minute) and without having to sign a contract, download any software, enter special PIN codes, or use different devices.

Customers can make as many calls as they like (10 minutes maximum per call) until they reach a one hour in total.  To make more calls for free, they simply need to follow the instructions from the Rebtel operator at the start of each call, which are easy to follow in Spanish and English.

“Our mission at Rebtel is to provide consumers with a powerful and reliable telephony service that saves them money,” said Souheil Badran, president and general manager for Rebtel, Americas.  “As part of a long term partnership, it is our pleasure to offer the Mexican community with a way to further enhance their existing cell phone investment to reach family and friends.”

How It Works
New customers to the free Rebtel service register their mobile phone number with Rebtel by accessing www.rebtel.com .  Existing Rebtel customers will also enjoy free 60 minute calls to and from Mexico automatically,

Once a mobile phone number is registered, consumers enter the international destination number in the US or Mexico. 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.

For example, Javier lives in Puebla, Mexico and wants to call Maria in San Jose, California.  Once registered with Rebtel, all he needs to do is enter Maria’s phone number (mobile or landline) and Rebtel will generate a specific local number for him to call to reach Maria.  In this way, Javier will not incur any inernational charges.  For Maria, she will be sent a local number in the U.S. for her to reach Javier!  These local phone numbers will remain specific to Javier and Maria and will always be the numbers each uses to reach the other.

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, May 1st, 2007 Tags: mexico, rebtel, Souheil Badran

Rebtel Announces New Pricing Structure

MILWAUKEE and STOCKHOLM, Sweden, April 24, 2007 – Rebtel Inc. a leading provider of VoIP telephony, today announced a new pricing program that will provide millions of mobile phone users with the ability to make free or low-priced international calls to more than 36 countries around the world, reaching over 1.3 Billion people. By using Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) to connect pre-assigned local numbers, Rebtel allows its customers to make international calls on the go, regardless of the model of their phone, and, without the use of any special hardware or downloads. In addition, there is no fee to sign up to use the service.

The way Rebtel works is simple:

1. Sign up for free at: www.rebtel.com/
2. Create a local Rebtel number for the all of the international contact the Rebtel member dials frequently;
3. Whenever user wants to speak to their friends, they would dial the pre-assigned number at a low per minute fee;
4. For completely free calls, the Rebtel member should ask the answering party to hang up and call back the local number displayed on their caller ID, if caller ID is not available, Rebtel could send an SMS to their phone;
5. Originator of the call stays on the line and a couple of seconds later, they other party will join the call;
6. Now both are making local calls, and if they use their mobile plan’s inclusive minutes, the international call is free;
7. Talk for as long as the mobile battery holds out.

Available in more than 36 countries, Rebtel members are entitled to ten free international calls every month free of charge. Any additional calls will be charged at a low per minute free ranging on average from 2 – 20 cents a minute depending on the country being dialed. For example, while a local carrier will charge between 9 cents and 26 cents per minute, a Rebtel call from the United States to Mexico would cost 2 cents per minute without the call back option; calls to the United Kingdom from the U.S. would cost 2 cents per minute to land lines and 23 cents per minute to mobiles. Unlike other leading peer-to-peer online telephone services, Rebtel users do not need to sit anywhere near a PC or use a WiFi connection to make low cost or free international calls call.

“We wanted to build a service that would allow mobile phone users around the world to talk to one another for free, liberated from exorbitant charges and from being chained to your PC. We make VOIP calling as simple as dialling a number on your mobile,” said Souheil Badran, Rebtel’s President and General Manager of Americas.

By: Ola Sundqvist, April 23rd, 2007 Tags: rebtel, Souheil Badran, VoIP

Rebtel appoints Souheil Badran to President and General Manager

MILWAUKEE and STOCKHOLM, Sweden, March 19, 2007 – Rebtel Inc. a leading provider of VoIP telephony, today announced the appointment of Souheil Badran as president and general manager for Americas and Asia Pacific.
“Increasingly more consumers are relying on Rebtel’s telephony services, but as these consumers proliferate, Rebtel’s scalability and affordability are making them more dependant on our services,” said Hjalmar Winbladh, chief executive officer and founder, Rebtel. “Souheil’s experience at a leading global company coupled with his in-depth understanding of the market will provide unlimited vision to Rebtel’s strategic development agenda and assist Rebtel in building the framework for the future of international calling.”

Souheil Badran brings a strong background and a global perspective to his position as president at Rebtel. Badran joined Rebtel from VeriSign, where he spent the last six years, and was most recently responsible for international operations including strategic development, product management, sales and marketing, and general business operations. In addition, Badran held responsibility for VeriSign’s global channel and partner teams. During his last two years at VeriSign, he was based in Geneva, Switzerland, VeriSign’s European headquarters.
Before joining VeriSign, Badran was with Digital Insight, an Internet banking provider that was recently acquired by Intuit. While there, he launched the Internet’s first cash management solution running in a service bureau environment. In this capacity, Badran was an integral part of the management team that positioned and drove Digital Insight through its successful initial public offering in October 1999. Prior to that, he also held various senior positions at Metavante Corporation in Milwaukee, Wis.
“Breaking down the cost barrier set by the larger carriers while leveraging the Internet is the cornerstone of the Rebtel vision,” said Badran. “I am extremely pleased to bring my experience to Rebtel as we continue to build the critical infrastructure for consumers globally.”

By: Ola Sundqvist, March 19th, 2007 Tags: hjalmar winbladh, rebtel, Souheil Badran