China Mobile has introduced a self-developed VoIP mobile client, in its latest attempt to compete against OTT players such as Skype, Line, Whatspp and WeChat.
The Jego mobile app, which is now available for iOS and Android devices, offers free VoIP, SMS, push-to-talk voice messages, photo sharing, video calling, and other services, TheNextWebwrites.
Dereck Li, business development manager of China Mobile’s international unit, said the new service targets international users and aims to compete with Microsoft-owned Skype in the IDD and video calling markets.
For instance, Skype pay-as-you-go calls to China cost around $0.026 per minute (including taxes) not to mention a $0.049 connection fee. Jego, on the other hand, will cost $0.022 per minute.
Jego also offers unlimited calling to China at $15.99 per month or Hong Kong at $11.79 per month, respectively. Unlimited worldwide calling will cost an extra $9/month if you’re paying for the China Plan or $13.20/month for the Hong Kong Plan. Skype by comparison charges $16.09/month for unlimited international calls.
Jego will initially be available only to mobile users with a domestic Chinese phone number but will expanded across South East Asia and eventually Europe.
To support international calls for Jego, China Mobile will establish 27 points of presence (PoP) around the world. The operator plans to continually work to add to its network of PoP sites by partnering with regional telecom companies around the world, Li added.
Apart from Jego, China Mobile is also revamping Fetion, its own mobile IM service in a bid to challenge WeChat, the popular OTT service operated by Tencent.