Zoo·Tok - Unlimited International calling for Cheap
By Vivek | August 9th, 2007 at 02:25 pm ET
Okay not exactly unlimited, but 60 minutes in one shot. And no funky mVoIP buzzwords to deal with.
Zoo·Tok’s plan is to offer real cheap calling for a fixed price. You pay 50 pence(approx $1), and can call any phone, landline or mobile, anywhere in the world for 60 mins. To initiate the call you need to register with Zoo·Tok, give the service your phone number, and also the number you want call. To get both parties connected, Zoo·Tok calls you first, and then the other part to get both ends talking. Typical call back methodology.
Will it work? I have my doubts. Skype also had similar designs to get to users pockets with a connection fee and a lower per minute charge. Zoo·Tok is definitely better than that, but not the perfect solution for all destinations. Case in point can be India, where the best you can get is 20 mins for $1 via Rebtel. But if you calling France, you can get almost 50 mins for the 1 dollar and you can end your call whenever you want without loosing any money. Go ahead try your destination, and the deal might be good enough for you.
on August 9th, 2007 at 7:10 pm
[…] No the real challenge begins, getting people to try it out, which essentially means letting people know it exists. There have already been a couple of appearances in blogs (here and here), but there’s a long way to go. […]
on August 11th, 2007 at 1:22 am
(I work for Rebtel) In fact, if you make a smart call through rebtel and you are both in countries that are supported by Rebtel, you will even save more money than you could by using Zoo Tok if you and your friend make a smartcall:
http://www.rebtel.com/en/How-it-works/Dont-click-here/
on August 15th, 2007 at 11:16 am
Thanks for the review,
You raise a very important point which is that ZooTok will work for some places and not for others.
We are unique at the moment because our approach is to uncomplicate matters and charge a fixed low fee, reducing the need for a degree in quantum mechanics to understand international billing.
With regulators cracking down on mobile operators (in europe anyway) and an increasing number of connected mobile devices in the market, it is only a matter of time before huge bills for international calls will become a thing of the past.
Until then however, our families are waiting for our calls and it looks like ZooTok might help.
on November 16th, 2007 at 6:31 pm
ZooTok is a good service, unfortunately i was not able to call Sudan.
on December 12th, 2007 at 10:47 am
This is such a wonderful and informative way to reach others. I Will be more than glad to share this site