Call global, pay local says eqo

Eqo, a cheap way of making international calls from mobile phones, launched on Wednesday.

It works a bit like Skype, the system for making voice calls over the internet. But it is, if anything, easier and voice quality in the demonstration was good.

To get the eqo service, the user needs to log on to www.eqo.com, and enter their mobile number. They will receive a link. Clicking on the link automatically downloads the eqo software.

Once downloaded, the mobile phone user can call anyone else with the eqo service for cost of a local mobile call. If the recipient does not have eqo or is on a landline, the caller pays the cost of a local mobile call plus 1p or 2p a minute for calls to the US or Western Europe.

The local call charge goes to their existing mobile operator and the 1p or 2p goes to eqo and its service providers. Other call destinations, such as to India, are likely to cost a bit more (see eqo website).

The mobile user will need to be on a data tariff. Calls are cheap because they are transmitted over a nearby node on the internet and travel over the Net for most of their journey.