Openweb launches free calls

ld13 said:
Come now, you know what he means or is trying to convey. This is not the oldschool 'been there done that' PC to PC everyone is used to by now.
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What's your argument? Skype already supports PC to Phone calling and his comments seems to imply that it doesn't.
 
Garyvdh said:
Yes, but for free? This product is free to subscribers. Skype can't beat that.
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Free to subscribers, so in one way or another you are still paying for it indirectly, however that is not my point. His statement seems to indicate Skype can only do PC to PC calls.
 
DarkStreet said:
What's your argument? Skype already supports PC to Phone calling and his comments seems to imply that it doesn't.
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He was using the example of Skype to refer to the concept of PC to PC phoning and not directly saying that Skype can not eg do PC to Phone. He could have replaced the name with any other company he liked that also does PCtoPC, but none would driven his point home like using a well known household name as Skype. Sure it could seem like he is implying that Skype does not provide this service, but I do not think that is the case here when I read it in context.

Edit: For the layman Skype is the perfect example for PC 2 PC, while VOIP.Company.X would have been a stupid choice imo. I do not know how to make myself clearer ... lol
 
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ld13 said:
He was using the example of Skype to refer to the concept of PC to PC phoning and not directly saying that Skype can not eg do PC to Phone. He could have replaced the name with any other company he liked that also does PCtoPC, but none would driven his point home like using a well known household name as Skype. Sure it could seem like he is implying that Skype does not provide this service, but I do not think that is the case here when I read it in context.
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Sure does

“This is not PC to PC calling like Skype. This is much better! This is PC to Phone calling,” explains Openweb founder Keoma Wright.
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;)
 
DarkStreet said:
Free to subscribers, so in one way or another you are still paying for it indirectly, however that is not my point. His statement seems to indicate Skype can only do PC to PC calls.
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You can also do Nokia to Nokia
or to PC's.

I don't see any info on the Openweb
site.

I wonder if AXXESS will offer this too.
 
OK mine has been activated... this is what the accounts page says...

-------------------------
OpenWeb Free Calls, Exclusive to OpenWeb ADSL clients!

Please note, this is a beta service. It has not commercially launched yet.
Free calling may be changed or altered in the future.

Login Details: User-> XXXXXXX : Pass-> XXXXXXX

Launch Sip Phone


Welcome to OpenWeb Free Calls. This service allows you to make FREE PC to Phone calls to South Africa and 66 international destinations.
Important information before you start:

1. You must have international cap, or an uncapped account with OpenWeb to use this service
2. You will require a headset or speakers with a microphone.
3. The Dialpad only works on Internet Explorer currently. Firefox, Chrome etc is currently not supported. Please re-open your Control Panel in Internet Explorer if you have not done so already.
4. This service only allows land line calls to South Africa. If you try and call a cellphone, a voice will say: "Your card balance is too low".
5. You must close any downloads etc that you have open. The service works best if you have nothing else running or using your ADSL line in the background.
7. Enjoy!

How to start:
Step 1: A message bar will popup in Internet Explorer. It will say that your Content has been blocked. Please click on the bar and click: 'Install ActiveX'.
Step 2: Login with your Username and Password as displayed under OpenWeb Free Calls Login Details.
Step 3: If you are dialing a South African number, dial it normally. Eg: 0315640956
Step 4: If you are dialing an international number, you must dial it as follows: 00(CountryCode)NUMBER
Eg: If you are calling the UK: 00401254965369
Enjoy!
-------------------------
 
DarkStreet said:
Free to subscribers, so in one way or another you are still paying for it indirectly, however that is not my point. His statement seems to indicate Skype can only do PC to PC calls.
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No, I took it to mean that it is much better than Skype because it allows FREE PC to landline calling whereas Skype only allows FREE PC to PC calling.

Either way... it has now been clarified for you... so you can decide now whether to make use of the service or not.
 
Outstanding isp innovation. Well done openweb, lets hope it works.

This could usher in a new era if other isps follow this route. Imagine a situation where competition essentially kills the pay to talk concept. Think long term here people.

For me the future for isps is in these value adds. Well the old dogs may bark at the concept, the only cure to long term piracy is to take a cut in the only thing which matters, namely, the connection. Everything from books, movies, software, and even voice is becoming nothing but bits and bytes. People are refusing to pay for this stuff because they perceive the stuff has having less inherent value. Everything is getting watered down to the value of an icon on a computer screen.

Imagine a situation where your isp differentiates itself by offering each of its customers unlimited access to the zune or nokia music stores. This will happen at some point. Nokia is doing that with its phones, and i suspect isps are going to do similar. Bandwidth is quickly becoming valueless in itself.
 
Garyvdh said:
OK mine has been activated... this is what the accounts page says...

-------------------------
<snip>
1. You must have international cap, or an uncapped account with OpenWeb to use this service
2. You will require a headset or speakers with a microphone.
3. The Dialpad only works on Internet Explorer currently. Firefox, Chrome etc is currently not supported. Please re-open your Control Panel in Internet Explorer if you have not done so already.
4. This service only allows land line calls to South Africa. If you try and call a cellphone, a voice will say: "Your card balance is too low".
5. You must close any downloads etc that you have open. The service works best if you have nothing else running or using your ADSL line in the background.
7. Enjoy!
<snip>
-------------------------
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Interesting line... No cellphones.
 
Any ideas how they get around the Telkom interconnect fees?
 
WOW :O

That's basically all I can say. To get this kind of service from a company in SA is unbelievable. :D
 
I'm impressed. I'm very impressed. Pity I can't get ADSL at my new place, and I'm moving this coming weekend :-/
 
Please, this will be a South African "Free" like a South African "Unlimited" you will pay, maybe not during beta testing but you will eventually pay.
 
There's a scam here somewhere. Something that looks too good to be true almost certainly is. Even if Openweb itself thinks it's come up with a legal way to do this, it's quite likely that they are breaching one or other law or agreement to do so. There is simply no way that calls can be routed onto the Telkom network legally at no cost (or even a small cost that they can simply absorb). Has anyone tried calling a Neotel number from this service, to see if the scam works on Telkom only?
 
uchoose said:
Please, this will be a South African "Free" like a South African "Unlimited" you will pay, maybe not during beta testing but you will eventually pay.
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Such a bleak outlook on (SA) life...

ads said:
There's a scam here somewhere. Something that looks too good to be true almost certainly is. Even if Openweb itself thinks it's come up with a legal way to do this, it's quite likely that they are breaching one or other law or agreement to do so. There is simply no way that calls can be routed onto the Telkom network legally at no cost (or even a small cost that they can simply absorb). Has anyone tried calling a Neotel number from this service, to see if the scam works on Telkom only?
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Keoma aint stoopid.
 
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