Skype rival Jego from China Mobile has quietly surfaced on Apple’s App Store and Google Play where it can be downloaded for free.
Jego is an attempt from China Mobile — the world’s largest carrier, with more than 700 million subscribers — to answer the growing usage of messaging apps like WeChat, Viber and Line, and of course Microsoft-owned Skype, with an offering of its own.
The stand-out features are HD video calls and the ability to call any China-based number for just $0.022 per minute. That’s cheaper than Skype, which charges $0.026 per minute on a pay-as-you-go basis, in addition to a $0.049 connection fee.
Jego also offers unlimited calling to China for $15.99 per month, or Hong Kong for $11.79 per month. That’s superior to the equivalent from Skype, which costs $16.09 per month, although allows for unlimited calls to all regions of the world.
Jego also grants international users the option of registering their own China Mobile number without a SIM card. Domestic users with a China Mobile number can revert all calls to Jego when they go overseas to save on the cost of roaming.
What’s particularly interesting is the fact that Jego homepage makes very little mention of China Mobile at all. That, combined with the vibrant colors and branding, is a fairly clear effort to remain ‘cool’, ‘hip’ and appealing to youngsters who are quite at home using new and upcoming services, like WeChat.
Credit: TNW
