Kokotalk proves VOIP has arrived |18 March 2011

The company’s Kokotalk telephone service has been available for five years but has recently been relaunched in a user-friendly calling card version, offering international calls from as little as 99c plus GST per minute.

The calling cards were introduced to celebrate the Carnaval International de Victoria but have proved such a success that Kokonet has extended the service, which allows users to keep their existing SIM card and still make huge savings.

“Early adopters who were already hooked to their laptops and smartphones have been using VOIP systems for years, but we realised that to take the extra step and break into the mass market we had to make it possible to use VOIP on your mobile phone or landline,” said Kokonet’s chief operating officer Richard Perks.

The calling card system allows callers to use their existing mobile or fixed line and access the Kokotalk service.

“The system is really easy to use. You call one number to top up your account and then a second number to make a call. The second number automatically hangs up and then calls back straight away, letting you place your call,” said Mr Perks.

While the concept of using calling cards has been common overseas for some years, they are a relatively recent development in Seychelles. But with the savings possible to countries including India, the UK, France and Singapore, the cards are rapidly growing in popularity.

“We’ve enjoyed very strong sales among expatriate workers, who are more familiar with calling card systems.

Seychellois still tend to think about the big international phone companies first, but as more people are becoming aware of our rates we’re gaining more and more local customers,” said Mr Perks.

Because the system works through pre-paid scratch cards, users do not need to have a Kokonet account. And as the company’s network of sales agents is spreading across the country, the cards are quickly becoming widely available.

In addition to sales outlets across Seychelles, cards are also available from the Kokonet offices in the Pirates Arms Arcade and on Huteau Lane.