Cellphone rates under threat?

[Bobb]

There are too many factors stacked up against VOIP over cellular data. Plus the latency is too high. Have you ever tried making a VOIP call over Edge, 3G or HSDPA? The latency is terrrible!

I use Fring every day or two to chat to my brother in London (just takes an sms to tell him to log in), and with 3G its perfectly clear, GPRS varies from kinda usable to terrible and of course Wi-Fi over ADSL is crystal clear.

 

[smokey]

so if they went the virgin way and offered cellphones and contracts etc - only with a phone thats setup for you to use voip like a normal phone (ie: grannies just dial - not install, get into app, dial, fiddle, dial again, disconnect, throw phone away in disgust rinse, repeat and get conversation going) *ahem* then it might be better and actually feasible. otherwise i cant see it happening.

@JK8 - the brbidge to terabithia or over the river kwai, coz with our telco situation the mythical bridge is looking like a favorite...

 

[ConsiderThis]

So you pay their R25 PLUS your data rate as per your service provider?

My cellphone bill is through the roof so I would definitely try this if it works, but seems there are hidden costs?

 

[freematrix]

As soon as I see exactmoble I get worred and feel it is a product with strings attached.

 

[alt21]

So you pay their R25 PLUS your data rate as per your service provider?

My cellphone bill is through the roof so I would definitely try this if it works, but seems there are hidden costs?

Well how I understand it you have to first pay ur service provider for ur contract then them R25 a month then ur service provider for the data u use to talk and then them again per min @ a reduced rate for VOIP. So all they doing is taking some of the money u would have spent on ur service provider and sticking it in their pockets. Guess everyone has to make money some ppl just have to work a bit harder than others to do so.

 

[Gomario]

Fring over Vodacom 3g (3.5g) works perfect for me.I chat to my wife at her work in SA and my brother (germany) for next to nothing. I am using paygo 189rand (approx 15euro) a month.Yes sometimes there is a lag and brake ups, but looking at the price, they are not a issue. I bought 3nokia s60 cellphones with this in mind. Fring/skype all the way and let the dumb ones pay.

 

[Lord-Nikon]

People tend to have a general resistance to change... All I can see is another major FAIL as with all the other companies that have tried this...

R25 hardly seems FREE and covering your data cost with your current SP just adds on to the mythical FREE statement!

Good Luck Trying Though!

 

[justinlawrence]

long live the incumbents!

i guess that, with our couldn't-care-less-for-being-ripped-off attitudes, we'll just continue to be ripped off.