Ringo launches local/std calling service in India @ 19 paise/min

Ringo, a popular voice calling app that arrived in India earlier this year, on Thursday announced that it is introducing new tariff charges for voice calls in the country. The company says that using its services, people will be able to make calls across the country - local as well as STD -- at Rs. 0.19 per minute.

 Unlike other VOIP apps in the market, Ringo uses telephone networks instead of phone data or the Internet for a phone call, and thus offers superior calling experience, without any call drops. "Our local calling service is not only the cheapest in India right now, but free of typical telecom-related hassles such as STD charges and differential pricing," 

Ringo CEO and founder Bhavin Turakhia said here.He said Ringo is able to offer cheaper calling by purchasing minutes in bulk at low prices from telecom operators and passing on the accrued savings to its customers. The company in January had launched the international voice calling service, which is available in over 100 countries as of now.

 Asked if Ringo will eat into the voice revenues of mobile operators, who might claim that the app's quality is not very good, Turakhia said, "If they (telcos) talk about voice quality of the app being lower, they are actually putting themselves down because Ringo is not making the call, Ringo is using their network to make the call." 

Ringo users can call any landline or mobile in the country at a flat rate of 19 paise/min, without any additional charges like roaming, STD or top-up cards.