‘Free communication apps hurting telecom companies’

Growing use of the Internet to send messages and make local and international calls in Jordan is negatively impacting telecom companies' revenues, according to Zain Jordan CEO Ahmad Al Hanandeh. "The number of mobile holders using the Internet to make phone calls and send SMSs and MMSs is on the rise, which is affecting revenues generated by telecom companies. Nowadays, mobile holders install smart apps on their devices that enable them to make calls or send messages via the Internet without being charged," Hanandeh said in a meeting with the press last week. According to the Zain Jordan CEO, about 6-7 per cent of Internet subscribers in the Kingdom use VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) apps, which are applications that smartphone users can download from app stores and use to send SMSs and make calls for free. These include WhatsApp, BBM, Tango, Viber, Skype and others, according to Hanandeh, who noted that VoIP is a free of charge service in Jordan. Internet penetration reached 55.9 per cent by the end of June, according to official figures, while an Arab Advisers Group report estimates smartphone penetration in Jordan at about 45 per cent currently. "The number of SMSs and international calls made through telecom networks is declining fast because mobile users are using VoIP apps regularly," Hanandeh said, adding that Jordanians make about 3.5 million minutes of calls per day via VoIP apps that are free of charge and not through the telecom operators’ networks. "We call for regulating the sector as this is affecting companies' revenues and sales," said Hanandeh. Smartphone owners, however, were full of praise for the VoIP services. "I use Tango almost every day to call friends and relatives in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. It is free. Why would I make international calls and lose credit? Apps such as Tango and Viber are amazing," Mohammad Nasser, a salesman at a private construction material company, told The Jordan Times on Monday. Hannan Sabri, who has an iPhone, agreed. The mother of four, who lives in Amman, said she uses mobile apps such as WhatsApp and Tango to communicate with her husband in Saudi Arabia. "I can make video calls and voice calls on my iPhone by using these apps. I make calls that sometimes last for hours without paying a penny. I like this technology and I hope it will continue to be free," Sabri told The Jordan Times. "A few years ago, I used to call my husband using the fixed land and sometimes my mobile, but the charges were high and I used to pay about JD60 per month for international calls… now all I have to do is pay the Internet bill and that is it.” (jordan times)