Call anyone, anywhere for $US12 per year

Stuart Corner
Tuesday, 06 October 2009 01:00

IT Industry - Strategy

US-based JumperTel has launched a VoIP service that enables 'on-net' calling to anywhere and from anywhere in the world for just $US12 per year: not as cheap as Skype but, JumperTel claims, much simpler to use and superior in other ways.

To use the services both parties must purchase a JumperTel USB phone ($US21.99 online plus $US12 for one year's calls) from JumperTel or Amazon. They then plug this into their PC (a Mac version is under development), the JumperTel application stored on the phone installs on their PC and the phone has a unique JumperTel phone number that can be dialled by any other JumperTel user anywhere in the world with an Internet-connected PC.

JumperTel is claimed to work even over dialup lines so long as they can sustain a throughput in excess of 33kbps. And, JumperTel says, it can get around VoIP blocks put in place by ISPs. "The JumperPhone 100 will detect if your ISP blocks VoIP. Our JumperTel software will suggest using our VPN software and instruct you to go through the install process and restart your JumperPhone 100. After you restart your JumperPhone 100, you will be able to talk with anyone on the JumperTel network."  The company, however offers no guarantees that its technology will circumvent corporate network firewalls and other security features saying it is intended for consumer use.

JumperTel claims that most users find the call quality of JumperTel to be superior to that of a cellular telephone and to be comparable to a traditional telephone call. The service presently supports calling number display and call waiting. Voicemail is under development.

In a comparison with Skype, JumperTel claims that it offers personalised customer service, that software on the phone is automatically updated, and its phone is portable. "You can take your JumperPhone 100 with you around the world. You can connect and talk to your friends and family anytime through a computer."

JumperTel also questions the privacy of Skype saying "Skype stores and shares information to other third parties including carriers." However Skype's policy is not to disclose personal and/or traffic data or communications content unless it is obliged to do so "under applicable laws or by order of the competent authorities."

JumperTel, on the other hand says it "does not share nor store your call history with any carriers or third party entities...The call records and data are purged every 48 hours." This could likely make the JumperPhone attractive to certain elements in the community but rather unpopular with law enforcement and regulatory agencies.