Both Barrels Communications Ltd

Here is a selection of real-life ways [case studies] in which people have told us they use Palringo’s instant messaging service:

• “I use Palringo both to send myself reminders at home (I have an account for my cellphone as well as for my home connection) and to stay in touch with friends all over the world. One of our favourite things to do is have ‘movie showings’ where two or three of us all watch the same movie or tv show and use Palringo to send comments back and forth… it’s almost like having a friend there in person to share the show with you.” – RP

• “Palringo is the only way I can use Google Talk on my phone. I have a lot of friends that sit on their computers and don’t answer their phones and, if I wanted to talk to them, I had to go home and log on Google Talk – or go to their houses. Palringo has saved me a lot of gas money!” – XW
• “I was recently on a snowboarding trip to Vail, Colorado. With the nice weather on the mountain I was able to chat it up with a few online friends. I could send them instant, high-quality pictures of the snowboarding and scenery. I enabled the GPS function and my wife could get a good idea where I was on my trip! I’ve also used Palringo to send instant pictures of IT-related issues I am troubleshooting at work. I have recorded small conversations and sent them to co-workers in real time.” – MS
• “Ever since I’ve had my iPhone 3G I’ve used Palringo with my MSN account when I’m on the road for my job. Because Palringo is very stable I can always be in touch with my colleagues, no matter were I am.” – BV
• “Besides my full time desk job, I also have a part-time, ‘home health’ job. Palringo is very handy as the patients I see contact me via whichever service they use.” – KN
• “I’m a long haul truck driver from North Carolina. My wife and I use Palringo to stay in instant contact and it allows me to send her pictures from the road. Your service allows me to be 2000 miles from home but be able to say ‘hello’ in milliseconds.” – WB
• “Palringo keeps me in touch with my husband who lives in another country. With Palringo, we can manage the 4-5 hour time difference; I’m on my iphone at work while he is at home. It’s a relationship-saver.” – D
• “My daughter got married in Cancun last month and it seemed like our only option to talk to each other in Mexico was paying 59 cents per minute with a monthly additional charge from our phone company of US$4.99 for the service… until my son-in-law found Palringo. We talked to each other across the resort the whole time with no charge!” – L
• “My daughter has some health issues. We allow her to spend time on her computer, but I instant message with her often, just to make sure she’s alright. I use Palringo to continue to IM with her even when I’m out of the house. That connection makes me feel better, and I’ve not used anything else which offers me the options Palringo does.” – TR

Please contact us for further information on these.

New architecture delivers improved user experience, simplified management and performance boost

• User experience now slicker and more intuitive than ever before
• Account management outpaces anything else available
• Application faster than ever before – now native on the handset
• Radically improved call quality

Following hot on the heels of the launch of Truphone 3.0 for the Apple® iPhone™, Truphone today launched Truphone 3.0, a major new upgrade to its mobile VoIP application for the Apple® iPod™ touch.

The new version dramatically builds on the success of previous versions of the VoIP application for the iPod, enhancing the instant messaging and account management experience, making Truphone faster than ever before and delivering a new standard for call quality.

Among the many improvements in Truphone 3.0 are increased ease of use, speed of function response, intuitiveness and simplicity – all designed to enhance the user experience. Truphone has also improved voice quality making the app for the iPod better than it’s ever been before.

Using Truphone’s integrated messaging tool that unifies all IM communities in a single place, users can now simply manage all their IM communication from a single page within the application, eliminating the need to constantly jockey between different applications or even different pages within an application. IM services currently supported include Skype, MSN Messenger, AIM, Yahoo! Messenger and Google Talk.

“Following the successful launch of Truphone 3.0 for the iPhone we were keen to follow-up as quickly as possible for all our iPod touch customers. That’s what we’ve done to ensure that they can take advantage of all our new improvements: improved UI, account management and call quality. We believe Truphone 3.0 sets a new benchmark in terms of quality and performance”, said Geraldine Wilson, CEO Truphone.

“With these improvements, we believe Truphone 3.0 is the best application to turn your iPod touch into a Wi-Fi phone and staying in touch with all of your IM communities.”

[ends]

Resources

• Additional screenshots: Truphone for iPod touch, v3.0
• Truphone press office
• Truphone web site

Truphone already enables…

Free calls when in Wi-Fi to:

• Other Truphone users
• Skype and Google Talk users

Free Instant Messages when in Wi-Fi to:

• Skype
• MSN Messenger
• Google Talk
• Yahoo! Messenger
• AIM

Incredible savings on calls to:

• Call landlines and mobiles around the world at cheap rates

Great account management:

• See rates for calls before initiating a call
• Display recent call history, showing the Truphone customer exactly how much a call just cost and how long it lasted with the ability to see a summary of calls made month by month
• Top-up from within the application, without the need for web windows to open separately
• Top-up in a variety of ways: credit card or PayPal
• Change calling tariffs within the application

About Truphone
Founded in 2006, Truphone is a global mobile communications provider in the business of innovating how people converse in our globally connected world. As the industry’s first mobile Internet operator, the company makes it easy and affordable for users all over the world to keep in touch with friends, family and business contacts overseas or whilst roaming. Truphone is the trading name of Software Cellular Network (SCN). SCN is privately owned, funded by both venture capital investment and angel investors.

Apple and iPod are trademarks of Apple Inc, registered in the United States and other countries. Google is a trademark of Google Inc. Wi-Fi is a registered trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance. Google and Android are trademarks of Google, Inc. Truphone is a trademark of Software Cellular Network Ltd. All other brands, product names, company names, trademarks and service marks are the properties of their respective owners.

Palringo’s Webby Award-winning, multi-service, Instant Messaging application is newly available in the BlackBerry App World.

Palringo users exchange voice, picture and text-based messages with contacts on many popular messaging services including Microsoft’s Windows Live/MSN Messenger, Facebook™, AOL® Instant Messenger®, Google Talk™, Yahoo!® Messenger®, Apple’s iChat®, Gadu-Gadu, ICQ®, Jabber® and QQ. This means that Blackberry users can chat, and share photo and voice messages, with all of their friends on many different IM and social networking services using just one application instead of switching between multiple, single-service applications.

Palringo first became available on BlackBerry devices in April 2009 [see here].

Video demonstration: click here.

Key information

1. Palringo’s Groups Gallery is a browsable directory that makes it easy for people to find Palringo groups they’d like to join and participate in.
2. The addition of Groups Gallery means that Palringo groups are significantly more useful than before: until today there was no way to find out about specific groups other than by word of mouth or guesswork.
3. Now, the Groups Gallery enables people to meet others who share similar interests, all in the same virtual place.
4. Groups are also a useful way for groups of friends or colleagues to stay in touch. Businesses are using Palringo groups as well as the location functionality to enable better communications between staff and to respond more quickly to customer needs.
5. Using a Palringo group for messaging enables voice, text and photos to be shared simultaneously with everyone in the group.
6. Statistics: there are more than 21,000 groups on Palringo, and 50,000 Palringo users are members of at least one group. More than 4 million group messages were sent last month. The largest group has 1,995 members.
7. Group owners manage how their group is seen in the Groups Gallery by editing the description, adding a photo and selecting the most appropriate category for the group. For privacy, group owners may designate their group as ‘ex-directory’, ensuring their group is excluded from the Groups Gallery.
8. Group owners also have tools to manage their community of group members, by promoting other members to help them administer the group or removing rowdy group members.

Quotes
Martin Rosinski, CTO of Palringo, said:

“The number and variety of groups in existence on Palringo is fabulous. Because it’s easy and free to create a group, if you can’t find what you’re looking for you can simply create your own group. Then you can promote your group in the gallery to attract new members.”
“The versatility of Palringo, the way it works across all sorts of mobile phones and operating systems, means it’s extremely inclusive – no-one is excluded because they’ve got the wrong handset, for example. The group functionality takes that a step further because everyone in a group can communicate with everyone else yet only needs to send one actual message. Now, by adding the Groups Gallery, Palringo has just made it a million times easier for new members to find and join any group.”

Links and resources

• Palringo Groups Gallery
• Screenshots
• Palringo press office
  

About Palringo
The Palringo service combines walkie-talkie style voice (vocal instant messaging), the real-time text chat functionality of instant messaging, the ability to share pictures, location and presence – all within the context of a discussion. Supporting connections to other popular instant messaging services, it enables both one-on-one and group discussions, and enables real-time dialogue, for users from across the globe, on any mobile network or connected PC. Palringo is a privately-held company based in Newcastle, UK.

Free replacement SIM, £5 free credit when you top up £10, free P&P

SIM4travel, a Truphone company and the leading supplier of global travel SIM cards, is offering United Mobile customers affected by the termination of the United Mobile service a free SIM4travel SIM with free £5 credit when they top-up £10.

United Mobile customers have been left without service just as many are preparing to go away for Bank Holiday weekends or as they prepare for their summer holidays.

SIM4travel is able to offer a continuation of service for those customers affected by what has happened recently with United Mobile to ensure that, as much as possible, they are not left out of pocket and out of service. Customers interested in the offer should visit www.sim4travel.com/replace for more information.

SIM4travel and Truphone are committed to helping consumers manage the costs of using their mobiles abroad – by offering great call rates back home and the ability to receive calls for free in most countries. SIM4travel prides itself on the call quality, reliability of service and the value for money its SIM card offers, and is committed to maintaining its position as the premier global network.

SIM4travel guarantees:

• Customers will receive calls for FREE in 36 countries
• Great rates in 100+ countries
• Customers get a UK number starting +44 7509
• No tie-ins or lengthy contracts, just pay as you go
• 24/7 customer support from anywhere in the world, 365 days of the year

“It’s never a nice thing to see a business struggle, particularly in these tough economic times, but we’re keen to ensure that as many customers as possible continue to make great savings on their roaming charges – and with SIM4travel quality offering that’s what they’ll get”, said Geraldine Wilson, CEO of Truphone.

[ends]

How it works
SIM4travel is a GSM SIM card service designed to be used whilst roaming. There’s no contract required so there are no tie-ins. It’s a prepaid service, and it’s easy to top-up with a credit card. Customers simply purchase a SIM4travel pack, pop the SIM card in to their mobile phone, then activate the prepaid account by registering their credit card and loading cash credit. Customers can then start making calls from the moment they land, all at a massive discount compared to standard network charges, in over 100 countries around the world. What’s more, by using the exclusive SIM4travel mobile number (+44 UK) calls are free to receive in most major destinations around the world. SIM4travel will save money for anyone who uses their mobile whilst abroad – business people, holiday makers, everyone can benefit.

About SIM4travel
SIM4travel is a trading name of, and Truphone is a trademark of, Software Cellular Network Limited. SIM4travel operates its own Pay As You Go global network. Using a SIM4travel international SIM card there are no charges for inbound calls in the EU, and calls home are just 25p per minute. Worldwide, savings of up to 80% are possible in most countries worldwide.

For more information visit www.sim4travel.com and www.sim4travel.blogspot.com.

Improved user experience, simplified management and performance boost

Truphone today launched Truphone 3.0, a major new upgrade to its mobile VoIP application for the Apple® iPhone™. Truphone 3.0 dramatically builds on the success of previous versions of the iPhone’s first ever VoIP application, enhancing the instant messaging and account management experience, making Truphone faster than ever before and delivering a new standard for call quality.

Among the many improvements in Truphone 3.0 are increased ease of use, speed of function response, intuitiveness and simplicity – all designed to enhance the user experience. Truphone has also improved voice quality, making the app for the iPhone better than ever before.

Truphone’s integrated messaging tool unifies all IM communities in a single place, meaning users can manage all their IM communication from a single page within the application – eliminating the need to constantly jockey between different applications or even different pages within an application. IM services currently supported include Skype, MSN Messenger, AIM, Yahoo! Messenger and Google Talk.

“Customers tell us they want three things: simplicity, quality and a good deal. Those principles drive our innovation, and Truphone 3.0 delivers on all three. We’ve dramatically improved our UI and account management tools. We’ve eliminated the need for compression through new advances in signal processing, making calls crystal clear. And, just as we always do, Truphone 3.0 sets a new benchmark in terms of quality and performance that competitors will have a tough time matching,” said Geraldine Wilson, CEO Truphone.

“With these improvements, we believe Truphone 3.0 is the best application on mobile for our customers’ international calling needs as well as staying in touch with all of their IM communities, in or out of Wi-Fi.”

Similar improvements to Truphone for the Apple iPod® touch will be announced soon.

[ends]

About Truphone
Founded in 2006, Truphone is a global mobile communications provider in the business of innovating how people converse in our globally connected world. As the industry’s first mobile Internet operator, the company makes it easy and affordable for users all over the world to keep in touch with friends, family and business contacts overseas or whilst roaming. Truphone is the trading name of Software Cellular Network (SCN). SCN is privately owned, funded by both venture capital investment and angel investors.

Resources

• Truphone press office
• Truphone web site
• Picture: Geraldine Wilson, Truphone CEO (Flickr)
• Screenshots: Truphone 3.0 (Flickr)

What Truphone already does

Free calls when in Wi-Fi to:

• Other Truphone users
• Skype and Google Talk users

Free Instant Messages when in Wi-Fi to:

• Skype
• MSN Messenger
• Google Talk
• Yahoo! Messenger
• AIM

Plus: incredible savings on calls to landlines and mobiles around the world.

Most importantly all these communication opportunities are also available outside of Wi-Fi by using Truphone Anywhere for calls (charged at a local rate in your home country and then routed over Truphone’s network – not for use when roaming), and 3G for Instant Messaging.

Account management:

• See rates for calls before initiating a call
• Display recent call history, showing the Truphone customer exactly how much a call just cost and how long it lasted with the ability to see a summary of calls made month by month
• Top-up from within the application, without the need for web windows to open separately
• Top-up in a variety of ways: credit card or PayPal
• Change calling tariffs within the application

Apple and iPod are trademarks of Apple Inc, registered in the United States and other countries. Google is a trademark of Google Inc. Wi-Fi is a registered trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance. Google and Android are trademarks of Google, Inc. Truphone is a trademark of Software Cellular Network Ltd. All other brands, product names, company names, trademarks and service marks are the properties of their respective owners.

Truphone is not a replacement for an ordinary telephone service and emergency calls cannot be made using Truphone. However Truphone does not prevent emergency calls being made via a handset’s normal cellular service provider. Truphone cannot advise on the legality of VoIP services in specific territories or jurisdictions. It is the user’s responsibility to confirm that use of the Truphone VoIP software and service is permitted in the location in which they use it.

A new gold edition of Palringo for Blackberry® was launched today adding location functionality and support for Facebook™, iChat® and QQ.

Key points

1. Palringo for BlackBerry now includes the option to share your location with other Palringo users. Location and proximity [distance] of contacts are shown, both on the buddy list screen and on map displays for even greater precision.
2. User feedback on the initial beta version of Palringo for BlackBerry has been instrumental in refining the gold version. In particular, the connection issues identified in the beta version have been resolved.
3. Palringo is available now for the BlackBerry Pearl™, BlackBerry Curve™ and BlackBerry 8800 series. The application is free and downloadable from http://www.palringo.mobi/.
4. Palringo users can exchange voice, picture and text-based messages with contacts on many popular messaging services including Microsoft’s Windows Live/MSN Messenger, Facebook™, AOL® Instant Messenger®, Google Talk™, Yahoo!® Messenger®, Apple’s iChat®, Gadu-Gadu, ICQ®, Jabber® and QQ. This means that Blackberry users can chat, and share photo and voice messages, with all of their friends on many different IM and social networking services using just one application.
5. Palringo enables users to form and administer groups. Many businesses use Palringo Groups as an additional tool to enable communication with staff, whether they’re out in the field or in the office.
6. There are presently thousands of active groups on Palringo, ranging from entire businesses to special interest groups to sports clubs. There is no need to be online to receive messages; the conversation history can be read whenever a user logs in.
7. Palringo is designed for use on mobile phones, but versions are also available for Windows-based PCs and for Mac OS.
8. At the recent Mobile World Congress in Barcelona [February 2009], Palringo was shortlisted for a 2009 GSMA Global Mobile Award – the most prestigious annual awards in the world of mobile. The shortlist of five, in the Best Mobile Internet Service category, also featured Nokia and Bharti Airtel.

Quotes

Martin Rosinski, CTO of Palringo, said:

“We know of businesses using Palringo to gain a business edge over their competition, simply because it enables them to react more quickly to a situation: they either get to the customer first, or they keep the customer happier. Palringo shows [via status] which staff members are available and their location indicates whether they’re near or far away – so colleagues can send the right person the right message at the right time.”

“Getting Palringo right on BlackBerry is obviously an important step because so many business users have a BlackBerry and the device itself is the ‘permanent fixture’.”

“The new version of Palringo is a huge improvement on the previous beta version. Some elements of the application have been completely rewritten, particularly where we were unhappy with the quality of the original user experience. We’re confident that BlackBerry users will find it a valuable, useful, and fun addition to their device.”

Links and resources

• Screenshots (Flickr): Palringo for BlackBerry
• Video (YouTube): Palringo for BlackBerry

Microsoft and Windows Live are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Symbian and all Symbian-based trademarks and logos are trademarks of Symbian Software Limited. Java™ and all Java-based trademarks and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. The BlackBerry and RIM families of related marks, images and symbols are the exclusive properties and trademarks of Research In Motion Limited. iPhone and iChat are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. ICQ is a registered trademark of ICQ Inc., a division of America Online, Inc. JABBER is a registered trademark of Jabber Inc., and its use is licensed through the XMPP Standards Foundation. Other product or service names mentioned herein may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Introduces flat-rate calling plans to both landlines and mobile phones

Low-cost calling just got lower with TruUnlimited, a robust, flat-rate, worry-free, calling plan announced today by Truphone. People around the world can now call more places, both landlines and mobiles, more often – all for one, low, fixed price.

Using TruUnlimited, customers enjoy the freedom to make calls around the world, at any time of the day and on any day of the week, without worrying about mounting call charges. The customer is also always in control: TruUnlimited plans do not require customers to enter into long-term contracts and may be cancelled at any time.

“Many of our customers have asked us to help simplify their lives by providing the peace of mind that comes with the ability to make unlimited calls without having to worry about checking balances or fear of bill shock when they receive their statement,” said Geraldine Wilson, CEO at Truphone.

TruUnlimited for Landlines
For people who need to communicate regularly with colleagues, friends or family around the world, the TruUnlimited for Landlines monthly plan gives unlimited calls to landlines in 38 countries for just £10 per month. As a bonus, the plan also permits calls to mobile phones in some top destinations such as the USA, Canada, China, and Hong Kong at no extra charge.

TruUnlimited for Mobiles
For people calling mobile phones more frequently, the TruUnlimited for Mobiles monthly plan provides subscribers with unlimited calls to mobiles and landlines in 64 countries for just £25 per month.

Both plans are available immediately both to existing Truphone customers and new subscribers via the easy installation of the Truphone application software. This is available as a free download for iPhone™ and iPod touch®, and for certain Nokia N-series and E-series devices. Truphone Anywhere is available on the Google™ Android G1 and on Blackberry® smartphones.

The new TruUnlimited plans are not replacements for other popular Truphone programs. Customers that do not need a Truphone Unlimited plan can still make great savings on Truphone’s standard rates.

[ends]

Notes to editors
Countries included in the TruUnlimited for Landlines plan are landline numbers in: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Colombia, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea (South), Malaysia, Netherlands, Panama, Poland, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, UK, Venezuela.

In addition to landline numbers, mobile numbers in the following countries are also included with the TruUnlimited Landlines tariff: Canada, China, Guam, Hong Kong, Macau, Mariana Islands, Singapore, Thailand, USA.

Countries included in the TruUnlimited for Mobiles plan are landline and mobile numbers in: American Samoa, Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands, China, Colombia, Cyprus, Cyprus (North), Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guam, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Kuwait, Macau, Malaysia, Mariana Islands, Mayotte, Mexico, Mongolia, Monserrat, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Rwanda, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad & Tobago, Turkmenistan, Uganda, UK, Ukraine, USA, Venezuela, Uzbekistan.

Links and resources

• Truphone videos
• Truphone pictures
• Truphone web site

Apple and iPod are trademarks of Apple Inc, registered in the United States and other countries. Google is a trademark of Google Inc. Wi-Fi is a registered trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance. Google and Android are trademarks of Google, Inc. Nokia is a trademark of Nokia Corporation. The BlackBerry trademark is owned by Research in Motion Limited and is registered in the United states and may be pending registration in other countries. Truphone is a trademark of Software Cellular Network Ltd. All other brands, product names, company names, trademarks and service marks are the properties of their respective owners.

Popular mobile instant messaging application Palringo is now available on the Android Market. Using Palringo, Android users can chat to their friends on Google Talk, MSN, Facebook, Yahoo! Messenger, AIM, iChat, QQ and other popular messaging services and social networks.

Key points

1. Palringo also enables Android owners to send photo messages to their friends in just two clicks [see video].
2. Android users can share their location with friends on Palringo: buddies see each others’ location and proximity (distance away) right beside their status in the Palringo contact list. Users may also view a map showing the whereabouts of all of their contacts who have chosen to share their location.
3. Using Palringo’s Group capability, people can chat with all of their friends at the same time. Groups also offer the opportunity to meet new people who share similar interests.
4. The Palringo application is designed specifically for mobile. This means that it takes account of limitations such as smaller screen size, and is considerate of battery life issues.
5. Palringo for Android runs in the background on the phone and notifies the owner when they receive new messages from their buddies. This means they need never miss a chat message.
6. Palringo for Android is built by the same, experienced team that has already made Palringo popular on the iPhone, Windows Mobile, Java, Symbian, as well as Mac, PC and Linux desktop environments.
7. Palringo for Android will be available as a free download through the T-Mobile G1 phone via the Android Market.

Quotes

Martin Rosinski, Palringo’s CTO, said:

• “Android is a 21st century platform and it deserves a 21st century messaging application that’s not confined just to text messaging. Palringo is that application.”
• “If you’re on a bus or in a library, then by all means stick with typing. But if you want them to see something, then it’s one click to take the picture and one to send it – and they’re receiving the photo already.”
• “By integrating the messaging capabilities of popular IM applications and social networks into a single application, Palringo has created a messaging community that runs to hundreds and hundreds of millions of users.”
• “We’ve brought all our experience to bear on Android in order to make it available to people as soon as possible. We’re delighted to be the first to all users to connect to all of their friends no matter what IM or social network they use, as we were for the iPhone last year.”

Video: Palringo for Android

Links and resources

• Video: Palringo for Android (YouTube)
• Other Palringo videos (YouTube)
• Screenshots: Palringo for Android (Flickr)
• Palringo press office (previous news releases)
• Palringo web site

New service aims to make every call local

Truphone™ today announced plans to launch, later this year, Truphone Local Anywhere™: a single-SIM, multi-country mobile service that will make any mobile call within the set of supported countries into a local call.

The introduction of Truphone’s multi-country, single-SIM service will change the current experience of people with an international lifestyle. Their mobile experience is currently characterized by frustration, brought on by constantly having to juggle multiple SIM cards and mobile phones in order to minimize their mobile costs.

The company announced its plans today at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain [Stand 7C38].

As the world’s first true commercial multi-country mobile service, Truphone Local Anywhere will deliver low rates on their Truphone plan in any supported country – eliminating the need to maintain separate phones, switch between multiple SIMs or incur expensive roaming charges.

The new service also provides savings to people calling Truphone Local Anywhere customers as well. Friends, family or business associates can call whichever number is most convenient to the caller – making every call cost the same as a local call.

Additional Truphone Local Anywhere features and cost savings include:

• number portability of existing mobile and landline numbers to Truphone;
• full service multi-language customer support;
• ability to manage their Caller ID (CLI);
• competitive rates on domestic calls, SMS, and data in home country;
• low-cost international calling to the world from any Truphone Local Anywhere-supported country;
• up to 80 per cent savings on roaming charges when visiting other countries;
• no roaming surcharges to receive calls in most major destinations;
• TruFriends™ – providing even lower calling rates to call to other Truphone Local Anywhere customers;
• additional “virtual” country mobile numbers to seem ‘local’ in another country so friends/colleagues can call at local rates.

Meeting the unique needs of people with an international lifestyle
The Truphone Local Anywhere service is designed to meet the needs of people living an international lifestyle, such as:

• travel industry workers such as airline cabin crew, cruise ship workers and tourism professionals who travel from one country to another and who need to be in touch with people locally, in other countries and back home;
• second home owners who want a local mobile number in both locations so they can talk to friends and family in different countries at local rates;
• professional expatriate workers and their families who want a local mobile number in both locations so they can talk at local rates to families, friends and colleagues;
• international students who want to avoid roaming charges, but wish to maintain contact using a single phone number; and
• international business people who want a unified solution for their international communications needs as they roam from country to country.

“Until now, the only way to avoid the massive cost of mobile roaming is to carry multiple phones and multiple SIM cards, one for each country you frequent,” stated Truphone CEO Geraldine Wilson. “This means juggling multiple devices and phone numbers to avoid paying the high roaming rates traditionally associated with travel.

“Our customers tell us that they value our current services to make low cost international calls when at home and when roaming. Now they’re asking us to bring it all together. They want one phone, one SIM and one plan. Truphone Local Anywhere delivers this all-in-one solution by providing the first fully-integrated multi-country mobile service for personal users and business professionals. Now these internationalists can enjoy all the benefits of home wherever they may be.”

Truphone seeking strategic partnerships
In addition to launching this year in several key territories, Truphone announced that it is seeking to rapidly expand its international network and customer base via a global franchise model.

Operators and retailers who partner with the Truphone Local Anywhere program can appeal to highly targeted groups of international customers and increase their network traffic. Other partners will also be able to connect to the service with minimal infrastructure requirements. For more information or to become part of the development process, contact truphonepartners@truphone.com.

Price and availability
The first implementations of Truphone Local Anywhere will be available in the second half of 2009.

[ends]

Additional resources

• Truphone press office
• Truphone website
• Geraldine Wilson (Flickr)
• Truphone photos (Flickr)

About Truphone
Founded in 2006, Truphone is a global mobile communications provider in the business of innovating how people converse in our globally connected world. As the industry’s first mobile Internet operator, the company makes it easy and affordable for users all over the world to keep in touch with friends, family and business contacts overseas or while roaming.

Truphone is the trading name of Software Cellular Network (SCN). SCN is privately owned, funded by both venture capital investment and angel investors.

Truphone, Truphone Local Anywhere and TruFriends are trademarks of Software Cellular Network Ltd.