Viber, Jajah, Fring and Other Israeli Voip Apps You should know

in Reviews by David Miron — January 20, 2011 at 5:01 pm | 1 comment

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The global telecommunications and IT markets have shown a remarkable resilience in spite of the economic crises. The VOIP segment of this market has been no exception in this respect. Israeli technology is a significant force in this specific market, and the impetus for this article is the recent release of two new VOIP iPhone apps from Jajah, and Viber, two of the market’s players.

Voice Over IP services come in many flavors, essentially using the internet as a conduit for telephone services. With internet connections readily available VOIP generally offers telephony services at a fraction of the cost. Most of the companies offering VOIP services make money through the sale of other carriers airtime at a reduced rate. Most also offer their services for free when conducted on their own network. Assuming the quality of the service is good, this type of offering makes sense as long as you are not paying for internet connectivity by the minute.

A leader in the VOIP market, Jajah is an IP centered communications platform. Jajah’s technology transports most of the communication involved in a telephone call over the internet, but ultimately connecting the  users through a regular land-line. This means that Jajah can be used from an ordinary phone, and that the charges for calls are local. Jajah’s architecture is not Dependant on existence of a broadband connection since calls can be initiated from a regular phone. Over time Jajah has seen considerable growth, and has widened the scope of it services but it’s primary service remains, Jajah Web. Jajah maintains its development center in Israel and was aquired by European carrier O2, for $207 million in December of 2009. A recently launched iPhone app is a break from Jajah Web, as the services it offers can remain entirely on the web, depending on the caller and the call target.

A relative newcomer, Viber also offers VOIP services for free. Viber’s technology is entirely web-centric, and requires that all participants of any communication be part of the Viber network. Users are recognized by their phone number so no registration is required. Calls made to other Viber users are free, and the application highlights Viber users in your contact list. Viber launched their first product  last month in the form of an iPhone app. Currently only conversations are supported, however texting services are promised soon, as well as, versions for other operating systems, and other features.

a Mobile only VOIP service Fring differs from others by not offering their own Networks but rather using others such as Skype, and GoogleTalk to mention a few. Fring enables its users to conduct free mobile video calling, voice calling, and chatting. Fring requires an active internet connection and works entirely on the user’s data plan, thus those with the most to gain from Fring are those with unlimited internet connections (a dying breed). Fring users can also make calls using a non-phone WiFi device. However, the bulk of Fring’s business is dependent on non-network calls, that are competitively priced.

bridging the gap between traditional voice networks and VOIP, iSkoot offers an array of mobile VOIP solutions the most familiar of which is a skype extension. iSkoot offers social mobile solutions, and has partnered with large provides on both sides of the Atlantic. iSkoot has also partnered with Skype to produce the first Skype-enabled Mobile phone. The company offers technology that enables VOIP communications on regular cell phones as well, thus it isn’t Dependant on a available internet connection. iSkoot offers its mobile software to carriers in several countries around the world, which in retunr offer the service to their customers. Three months ago iSkoot was acquired by mobile technology leader, Qualcomm for an undisclosed amount.

Last on our list is Spikko, a VOIP service providers that offers users additional phone numbers in different localities. Users of Spikko receive an free additional number in their chosen locality.

When used, the additional number re-routes conversations to the users original number thereby circumventing expensive long distance charges. when the spikko issued number is dialed from anywhere in the world the user’s phone will ring if an internet connection is present.An email messaging system notifies users of missed calls when no internet connection is available. The service comes complete with voice mail – free, almost. When spikko users sign up they receive free minutes to use, once they have used their small quota the must collect more minutes. It’s no surprise that Spikko has been coined a “calling club”. More minutes are earned when other people call the Spikko user on their Spikko number at a ration of 1-to-1, talk one minute, get one minute. Spikko also offers a daily quota of free SMS messages regardless of how many minutes are available for the member’s use. 

Tags: featured Fring iSkoot Jajah Spikko Viber Voip