Israeli start-up seeks to end roaming charges

An Israeli startup is trying to combat a common fear for international travelers: getting socked with hundreds or thousands of dollars in unexpected roaming charges for using cellphones away from home.

   Cell Buddy aims to turn any smartphone into a local one. Travelers can choose from an array of calling and data plans with carriers in dozens of countries. As a result, they pay local rates -- not the pricey fees charged by their wireless carriers at home.

   Here's how it will work once the service starts next year: Customers use a universal SIM card provided by Cell Buddy. Travelers turn on their phones and launch a Cell Buddy app once they reach their destination. The app finds local carriers and lets travelers compare prices, data packages, download speeds and other factors. Travelers are assigned a local phone number and can continue to use their regular phone number back home, at regular prices, using the same SIM card.

   One major caveat: Cell Buddy's SIM works only with unlocked phones, making it difficult for American travelers who have phones still tied to two-year service contracts. Those phones are locked and won't accept other SIM cards. In addition, Verizon and Sprint use the CDMA cellular standard, and some phones won't work with the more common GSM networks elsewhere.

   Cell Buddy's service eliminates the need to order a roaming plan ahead of time, stand in line at the airport to buy a local SIM card or physically switch the cards. Most importantly, it eliminates roaming charges to the home carrier.

source: www.kmov.com

Rwandan telecom want roaming fees scraped

Regional calls, mostly made by business people, charge both the caller and receivers. After the previous year’s review, RURA introduced new charges where a person calling an operator in the country is charged RWF144.3 per minute from RWF59.

The New Times reports Yvonne Manzi Makolo, chief marketing officer (CMO) at MTN Rwanda, said: “The increase in taxes meant rates for people calling from other countries went up by that additional amount.”

She added the situation was made worse by regulators in Uganda, Burundi and Tanzania imposing the same tax again.

“When I call my suppliers, they charge me and also deduct airtime fees. This is making it hard for us to do business,” said businessman Laments Mugabo.

Uganda and Burundi previously cost RWF60, which was hiked to RWF120 to call Uganda and RWF350 for Burundi, with Kenya the only country that has not imposed high taxes to the EAC.

Enos Bukuku, EAC deputy secretary general for planning infrastructure, however said the secretariat will come up with a model that will make roaming call rates seamless by calling on the operators and governments to discuss the issue.