Local internet service provider (ISP) M-Web looks set to unsettle South Africa’s national fixed-line and mobile operators with its new offering, Callsaver, which enables its subscribers to make calls to international destinations at tariffs lower than cellular and landline services, it emerged on Friday.
Callsaver is a system whereby calls are initiated using M-Web’s internet portal but concluded by an overseas operator, and this results in huge savings for South African callers. To access the system, callers can use both standard landline telephones or cellphones.
M-Web, which is an unlisted ISP, also noted that all of its users will be able to make phone calls to the United Kingdom and United States that will cost 99 cents per minute (any time — day or night).
This represents a saving of more than 50% against Telkom’s UK- and US-bound call rates of R1,70 per minute during standard time and R1,50 per minute after hours.
Cell operators’ rates for calls to these countries are currently higher than those charged by the landline monopoly. For 99 cents per minute, Telkom users can make national or long-distance calls (outside a 50km radius).
“We expect that people who are tired of paying hefty rates for overseas calls — particularly those with family overseas — will find this solution very attractive,” M-Web Home general manager Russell Dreisenstock said.
“This is an exciting new service for home users, and will also benefit business travellers needing to call internationally. All that is needed to use Callsaver is a computer, an internet connection and access to the M-Web Message Centre, which is available to M-Web members and MSelect users.”
He added that customers need to buy credits to pay for the calls before they start using the service, and this can be done using debit or credit cards or by adding the cost of the credits to their monthly M-Web accounts.
The implementation of Callsaver is not as a result of the country’s liberalised telecommunications environment but only because “we realised that that’s the type of telephony that makes sense”.
With effect from February 1, M-Web acquired Tiscali’s ISP business — the firm now services more than 330Â 000 subscribers, including 16Â 000 broadband subscribers. M-Web is 100% held by Naspers. — I-Net Bridge