Symbian in Motion

MOBIVOX - A Different Approach to International Calling

MoIP is good, MoIP is great; but let’s be honest here for a moment. Even with the most premium MoIP services you still have to sacrifice some quality to get those free calls and super-low rates. I find that I rarely use MoIP (Mobile VoIP) these days. When I make international calls the odds are that I’m going to be speaking to someone with an accent much different than mine. As such, I need all the quality I can get to ensure that we have the best possible chance of understanding each other. This holds even more water when it comes to calls from my mobile where audio quality is already decreased compared to most landlines.

Well MOBIVOX is a service that is taking a slightly different approach to international (or even local) calling. There’s no app to install and you’re not restricted to any particular type of device or service. Instead you are given the freedom to use MOBIVOX from any phone (mobile, landline, VoIP, MoIP) and call to any destination either for free or at a very low rate. So how does it work?

The first thing you need to do is sign up for their service. Once you create your account, you can import your contacts from a variety of address books. The last step in the setup process is obtaining a local access number(s). Local access numbers give you the ability to access the service with a local (ie free in many cases) call from any mobile or landline. Numbers are available in many countries so when you travel, simply grab a number from their site that is local to your destination and you’re off and running.

Dial an access number from a line that you have registered with MOBIVOX and you are recognized immediately. Now simply speak the name of the contact you would like to call or dial a number and your call is completed. That’s it! As mentioned above, you can access the service with your account from any phone. This is a nice feature that helps separate MOBIVOX from the pack. Simply call from any line, enter your account number and password and then place your MOBIVOX call. Most VoIP/MoIP services tether you to an app/device/PC so the freedom that MOBIVOX affords you is quite nice. (Shhhh - I even gave my account details to some family members who then used the MOBIVOX service to call me while I was traveling!)

When placing a call using MOBIVOX, if your destination contact is a MOBIVOX user as well and located in one of a fairly wide variety of regions the call is free. Period! If not don’t despair, their global rates are quite competitive. Because you are accessing the service locally, the rates are fixed and do not fluctuate based on call origin. Oh, and you can call your Skype contacts through MOBIVOX as well - for free!

In terms of quality MOBIVOX is fantastic. While I was in London recently I used a variety of different methods to make both local and international calls. MoIP, Skype, landlines, GSM and MOBIVOX. In all honesty I could not differentiate between the MOBIVOX audio quality and GSM quality. It’s that good.

The other thing that I really like about MOBIVOX is that you don’t get a new number to use with the service. I can’t even begin to imagine how many numbers I have as a result of services like MoIP, Grand Central, TalkPlus, etc. With each new number comes a new decision to make (Should I give it out? Is this the service that I’ll actually use?) and a new place to check your voicemail. MOBIVOX gives you the same ability to make cheap international calls but you keep your number. Yes that annoying mass email that you typically need to send out is no longer necessary; your contacts can still reach you at your existing number.

Of course there are some things that I would change but what service is perfect? One example is CID. When I make a call through MOBIVOX I would love for the recipient to see the number I have registered with the account on their caller ID display. As of right now, they get nothing. A test call to my mobile was received as “Call”. Also, unless I missed something I’d also like to see them offer a mobile site with access to all of the important features available on the standard site (such as call history and contact management). This would certainly offer a simply solution to those who travel and potentially could forget to get a local access number for their destination.

Like most competitive services these days MOBIVOX gives you some free minutes when you sign up so that you can get a feel for it before making any kind of commitment. You can also get additional free credit for signing up friends and family. Beyond that it’s a pay to play structure and credit and be added with any major credit card. My advice? Register an account, upload your contacts from Outlook or wherever else you might keep them, take the free minutes to check it out and see what you think. It’s obviously not a service that will appeal to everyone but I think that with the right marketing its ease of use, call quality and cheap rates might just translate into a success story.

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