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WirelessDevNet.com Press Release
Pingo Delivers EZ Dial Smartphone App for Discount International Calling from iPhone and Blackberry
Burlington, MA - November 9, 2009 Pingo, the prepaid international calling service from iBasis (NASDAQ: IBAS), today introduced Pingo EZ Dial, a new smartphone application that delivers automatic access to discount international calling rates for users of popular mobile devices including the iPhone, Blackberry, Treo and phones using operating systems such as Nokia Symbian, Windows Mobile and Google Android.
Though largely unknown to consumers, iBasis is one of the largest carriers of international phone calls in the world. Pingo is iBasis only direct-to-consumer offering, a prepaid calling service that can be purchased via a Web site (http://www.pingo.com). Pingo EZ Dial now makes it extremely easy for users of the iPhone, Blackberry, and other smartphones to access the Pingo service and get the same reliable quality, global coverage and cost savings that iBasis has provided for many of the worlds largest retail telecom carriers for years.
I can get on my Blackberry no matter where I am, and without dialing any access numbers, immediately call people throughout the world for pennies, said Fred Rooney, a longtime Pingo customer who resides in Pennsylvania and New York. As Director of the Community Legal Resource Network for City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law, Rooney relies on the service for personal and business calling to India, Europe and Latin America. The rates are phenomenal, beating any other services Ive tried, and the voice quality is consistently superior. Add in EZ Dial and theres just no better or easier way to save on international calling.
iPhone and Blackberry users can easily download EZ Dial from the Apple iTunes AppStore or via text message to their mobile device. Then, whenever an international phone number is dialed or selected from the address book or contacts list, EZ Dial sends the call to the Pingo service for immediate savings. EZ Dial users dont dial access numbers, PIN codes or change their calling behavior in any way. The application complements existing voice plans and does not require users to connect to Wi-Fi.
Consumers can purchase international calling minutes on the Pingo.com site at very competitive rates and without hidden fees or any further contractual obligations. Pingo users save as much as 90 percent on international calling rates compared to traditional mobile calling plans. Plus, Pingo customers that download the application receive $5 in free Pingo EZ Dial calls*.
"iBasis is the second largest carrier of international voice traffic in the world, and for the first time, consumers and businesses now have a smartphone application that provides easy access to our low wholesale calling rates, said Jayesh Patel, vice president of business development and strategy for iBasis. The quality and reliability is the same as we provide for carriers worldwide. And, with no further contractual obligation, Pingo customers can make inexpensive international calls and escape the financial stranglehold of operators international plans.
Companies can also gain access to the same low wholesale international rates through Pingo Business, which offers small and medium-sized businesses similar service for up to 999 employees, accompanied by easy-to-use online management tools. IT managers and administrators can also automatically push the EZ Dial application out to staff mobile devices. This ensures employees use the Pingo Business service, providing an organization with dramatic savings on international calling without requiring any change in individual calling behavior.
Pingo offers easy online account management. Minutes can be purchased via credit and debit cards. Subscribers can pay in four currencies; compare rates to any destination in the world; and interact with automated phone voice prompts in a variety of languages, including Chinese, English, French, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish and Russian. Pingo customers can access the service by phone in 35 countries, including the U.S., Australia, Canada, China, the U.K., France, Germany, Israel, Japan, Russia and Thailand. Consumers can sign up for Pingo at http://www.pingo.com. For Pingo Business, please visit http://www.pingobusiness.com.
About iBasis
Founded in 1996, iBasis (NASDAQ: IBAS) is a leading wholesale carrier of international long distance telephone calls and a provider of retail prepaid calling services and enhanced services for mobile operators. iBasis customers include KPN, KPN Mobile, E-Plus, BASE, TDC and many other large telecommunications carriers such as Verizon, Vodafone, China Mobile, China Unicom, IDT, Qwest, Skype, Telecom Italia, and Telefonica. The Company carried approximately 24 billion minutes of international voice traffic in 2008, placing the Company among the largest carriers of international voice traffic in the world (1). The Company can be reached at its worldwide headquarters in Burlington, Mass., USA at +1 781-505-7500 or on the Internet at www.ibasis.com.
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