Telivoice launched in Mumbai

Sabeer Bhatia, Co-Chairman, Navin Communications launched Telivoice in Mumbai. Telivoice is global phones messaging service that allows members to send receive phone messages across the world by making a local phone call. This is a store and retrieve phone messaging service that utilizes the power of the Internet to deliver voice messages across the world. 

Speaking on the occasion, Bhatia termed Telivoice, the logical extension of email revolution that Hotmail had launched. "Hotmail allowed anyone with access to a computer and Internet services to have a permanent email account, irrespective of their geographical location. Telivoice provides people with a geographically independent virtual phone without the need to own one."

To use the service the user has to purchase a prepaid card for Rs 50. The user can then make a local phone call, follow the simple instructions and register to use the service. Once registered, members dial the Telivoice access number and record a message and listen to the messages sent to them. They can then automatically reply to them.

The message is then stored and forwarded to the recipient through the Internet. The recipient can retrieve message by calling a local number in his/her city following the multilingual instructions.

Service charges would depend on the destination and the duration of messages. Local area charges are Re 1 per minute. Messages to areas requiring a STD call would be charged at Rs 3 per minute. Similarly ISD call would be charged Rs 10. These are deducted from the Rs 50 pre-paid fees. Once the entire value of the pre-paid is used up users can recharge their account by buying a re-fill slip.

Bhatia believed that in a country like India with low tele-density and PC penetration and an even lower Internet penetration, Telivoice was the best solution for effective and inexpensive global communication.

Sanjay Mukerji, MD, Navin Mail Services said that in India the company was looking at two distinct streams of revenue. Telivoice is the consumer end of the market. On the business end of the market he said that the company would be working with corporate entities for voice software applications. The company has already tied up with a few major banks and a joint promotion with ICICI Bank credit cards would start shortly.

Currently Telivoice services are available in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bhopal, Chennai, Cochin, Coimbatore, Goa, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Ludhiana, Mumbai, Nagpur, New Delhi, Pune and Surat. Besides this, over a hundred locations in India can access the service through a local telephone call using 95-code. Outside India the service is available in US, Mexico, Canada, Australia, UK and Philippines.