Virgin Media has today launched SmartCall, a mobile VoIP service for Virgin home phone customers.
The SmartCall mobile app (iOS, Android) will deduct minutes from your Virgin Media phone plan instead of your regular phone plan provided you’re connected to WiFi.
The best thing about this deal is that as it’s VoIP-based, it will work if you’re connected to WiFi wherever you are. Whether you’re on Virgin Media’s London Underground WiFi network, connected to The Cloud or you’re calling from an airport or hotel anywhere in the world, you’ll be able to make calls to UK landlines, mobiles and 0870 and 0845 numbers.
Announced last year SmartCall has been a long time coming but Virgin Media reckons the wait will be worth it.
The company estimates that holidaymakers will be able to save around £24 on calls make in Europe and over £100 on calls from North America, Australia and New Zealand.
Calls made to 0845/0870 numbers on SmartCall instead of on your mobile could see you saving up to £25 and those on pay-as-you-go could save up to £75 a year on top ups.
Alex Perrin, director of home phone and convergence at Virgin Media added: “SmartCall will deliver what our customers have told us they want – an easy to use app with no surprise bills and genuinely free calls.
“With more people adding Virgin Media home phones to their bundles, we want to help customers save money and set their landline minutes free.”
The SmartCall app detects whether a SmartCall is possible and if the call is included in the user’s home phone talk plan, avoiding the chances of you mistakenly making a potentially expensive call that you thought was free. When used abroad the app will detect which time zone you are in and whether it is still free to make a call within your call plan, if you don’t have an unlimited anytime home phone service.
Virgin Media home phone customers can download SmartCall for iOS and Android now for free.
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