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This is the ‘first ever’ free international calling plan from a U.S. carrier

Published Nov 12th, 2014 12:47PM EST
FreedomPop Free International Calling Plan

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FreedomPop on Wednesday announced a brand new offer for smartphone owners who might interested in its free plans: The “first-ever completely free international calling service for smartphones.”

FROM EARLIER: FreedomPop is about to turn any LTE tablet into a phone with free data, voice and texting

The company will offer any smartphone user with any carrier in the U.S. 100 minutes of free international calls each month to 52 countries including the U.K., China, Hong Kong, Brazil, Argentina, India, and others. Users who need more minutes can subscribe to a $4.99 monthly plan, which offers rates that FreedomPop says are more than 75% lower than what carriers and VoIP providers currently offer.

Finally, FreedomPop will also offer users anywhere in the world an international number, in order to allow contacts from other countries to make international calls as if they were local. “For example, a customer based in Los Angeles can get a Mexico City phone number so family members based in Mexico can call at local rates, or vice versa. The service costs just $4.99 per month, yet can save international callers hundreds of dollars a year,” the company wrote.

FreedomPop’s free international calling plans are available on all FreedomPop smartphones, and on iOS and Android devices that have installed the FreedomPop Free Talk and Text app.

The full press release follows below.

FREEDOMPOP LAUNCHES THE WORLD’S FIRST FREE INTERNATIONAL CALLING PLANS

FreedomPop becomes the first company to offer free international calling to all Americans;
Users can also get an international number on their existing phone for friends and family to call at local rates

LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 12, 2014 – Do you have family and friends in another country? Or conduct business internationally? What if you could call your contacts outside the U.S. for free, from any phone? Now you can. Just in time for the holiday season, FreedomPop, the free wireless Internet company, is launching the world’s first-ever, completely free international calling service.

Beginning today, FreedomPop will give any smartphone user with any carrier 100 minutes of free international calls each month to 52 countries, including Mexico, the UK, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Brazil, Argentina and India. The service will expand to over 170 markets in the coming weeks. FreedomPop users who want more minutes can upgrade to an international paid plan starting at just $4.99 per month – over 75 percent lower than the rates charged by current carriers and even VoIP providers like Skype.

FreedomPop also announced the first ever program to provide users anywhere in the world an international number, letting contacts outside the country make international calls as if they are local. For example, a customer based in Los Angeles can get a Mexico City phone number so family members based in Mexico can call at local rates, or vice versa. The service costs just $4.99 per month, yet can save international callers hundreds of dollars a year.

“FreedomPop’s mission has always been about ensuring that everyone has access to affordable and essential communication services. Free international calling is the next step in giving consumers true freedom to connect with friends, family and colleagues across the world” said Steven Sesar, FreedomPop’s COO. “We know there is high demand for international calling, especially around the holidays, and what better holiday gift than to provide a free international calling service to any smartphone user.”

FreedomPop’s free international calling plans are available on all FreedomPop smartphones and to any Android or iOS user via the FreedomPop Free Talk and Text app.

About FreedomPop
FreedomPop provides disruptive mobile services so that no one is left off the “connected grid.” Founded in 2011, FreedomPop is rewriting the rules of the American telecoms industry and is backed by Mangrove Capital, DCM and Skype Founder Niklas Zennstom’s Atomico. The company offers a suite of devices, services, and innovative social sharing and incentive benefits, providing consumers access to free high-speed Internet and mobile phone services nationwide. Visit http://www.FreedomPop.com for more information.

FreedomPop is on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/FreedomPop and Twitter http:twitter.com/freedompop4G.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.