adminthis revolution as it recently scored a first by launching the only real VoIP service in the country, Guroo.
The service which is barely a week old has already recorded a staggering uptake. Africom chief executive Mrs Rudo Mudavanhu said the introduction of the service was a culmination of close to 18 months of work.
“We are glad to finally announce that we are now offering Guroo, a VoIP app not just to the Zimbabwean market but the world over,” she said. Guroo (pronounced guru) is an application which anyone with a smart- phone, tablet or computer can simply install with a few clicks.
What makes Guroo stand out is its capacity to communicate across networks, as it is not limited to local calls or app-based subscribers.
Unlike other VoIP apps like Skype or Viber, which can only make voice calls to users on the platform, Guroo cuts across that barrier.
What’s more, a Guroo subscriber can make international or cross platform calls at amazing charges of only 6 cents per minute while calling Guroo numbers and 12 cents per minute on any other number which is not on the Guroo platform
In its simplest term, VoIP is a technology that allows anyone to make voice calls while using the internet, traditional applications like Skype have been leading the VoIP world but these are limited to registered subscriber calls unless you want pay an extra fee to call mobile or landlines.
While real broadband speeds are now attainable in Zimbabwe since the inception of fibre optics, all the current mobile operators have ignored calls to launch VoIP-based application to enable their subscribers to benefit from the affordable communication platform.
While Econet Wireless Zimbabwe hogged the limelight earlierthis year over the launch of their VoIP services, beginning of the year the move immediately came to a naught as the project failed to take off with speculation rife that it was because the service was detrimental to the mobile operator’s income.
To confirm that Econet has buried the service, just recently, during their results announcement, chief executive Mr Douglas Mboweni announced that they will not be pursuing the service as there are apps like Skype already doing the same thing.
The truth is no mobile operator would be comfortable in launching VoIP service as an app in their own platform as this will obviously chew into their GSM network revenue, which is their major business focus and source of revenue.
VoIP is a fiery contender, which no player would dare want to initiate, which is the only reason we were sceptical about the Econet’s VoIP launch, which has virtually died a natural death. What Africom is now offering is a real threat, forget Whatsapp, forget Skype, this app is a game changer!
To simplify its functionality, it’s like having your app, like Whatsapp, where you can text anyone for free, as long as you are connected to the Internet, then you have an option to call, not just people on Whatsapp, but this time any other number even those who are not on the platform and you are only charged 6 cents per minute, against the current 23 cents per minute.
Another advantage of Guroo is that you do not need to change your current number. All you need is to register online on www.guro-0.com and instantly get a unique Guroo number on the 0864 network, install the app for your device and you are set to go.
Of course, there are hidden charges, you will have to be connected to the Internet. This will also mean you will be charged twice at the local Internet connection fee, depending on your ISP, and yes voice traffic is much higher than simple texts.
Still this may turn out to be way too low than the standard calling platforms. Other cool alternatives would be calling from a Wi-Fi hotspot, and if you have free Internet access or cheap ones, then you will realise the benefits of such a service, there won’t be any extra charges.
Africom’s head of marketing Mr Prosper Mutswiri, was however quick to point out that: “We are not competing with other service providers, but rather complementing them since most our subscribers will use Internet connectivity from their various broadband platforms.”
Mrs Mudavanhu added: “The application is Afro based and it’s a first for the African continent where we are saying let’s develop and localise our content and increase the economic growth of Africa.”
She also highlighted that Guroo does away with the exorbitant roaming costs where all calls are treated as local calls as there are no more extra charges worldwide so long as one is connected to the Internet, Guroo calls will still charge 6 cents and outside Guroo calls to any number pegged at 12 cents.
This is surely a first for most Zimbabweans and we closely watch how the market will respond to such a product.
The writer is an award-winning and Founding Editor with TechnoMag, More on Tech on www.technomag.co.zw
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