MOBIVOX LAUNCHES ITS SERVICE IN MANDARIN CHINESE

Mandarin Speakers at Home and Abroad Can Now Easily Reach Each Other For Free or at Low Cost Per Minute From Any Phone

MONTRÉAL–May 13, 2008—MOBIVOX, the international calling service that connects family, friends, business associates and Skype contacts around the world for free from any phone, announced today the launch of a Mandarin Chinese version of its acclaimed voice user interface and Web site. The newly localized service will bring Mandarin speakers a simple-to-use Web site for initial registration, and an easily understood interactive voice response (IVR) application that recognizes callers and asks for the desired number to reach, all in their native language.   

Mandarin-speaking users in over 40 countries need only call their local MOBIVOX access number to reach the IVR and enter the number they want to call.  They can also enter the name of a registered contact using the phone’s keypad, if they have previously entered the name on their Mobivox registration site. Chinese-written names can be entered through Pinyin.

Registered users in China, where there is currently no local access number, can also benefit from free or low-cost calling by using MOBIVOX’s SMS or Web Call Back features. Users will first receive a call from MOBIVOX, which will then connect their call to the contact or number of their choice.
 
Registration to MOBIVOX is free. Calls between registered MOBIVOX members are also free to more than 40 countries, and calls to non-members start at 1.9 cents per minute. 

“I’ve tried many phone services over the years—various calling plans, phone cards, and Internet calls,” said Lin Li, a state government employee from the Sacramento area who emigrated from China in 1993. “But I just tried MOBIVOX recently, and found it the best by far. I am impressed with its convenience, voice quality and extremely low cost. Now I can call my mom in China whenever and wherever I want, using my home phone or cell phone. Even better, if we’re both registered with MOBIVOX, the call is totally free. I am going to tell my friends to try it!”

MOBIVOX worked closely with Welocalize, a globalization firm based in Frederick, Md., for the English-to-Chinese translation and localization of the service.

According to Darren Yaphe, director of marketing at MOBIVOX, China is one of the four most popular destinations for MOBIVOX callers, along with Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. “China exchanges huge volumes of telecom traffic with widely dispersed émigré communities and individuals,” he said. “Considering the spread of these populations and the reach of our network, we knew we’d lower costs for the greatest number of people by making Mandarin Chinese the first language to be added to our English-language interface.” 

The Mandarin interface will also enable the use of many MOBIVOX voice-driven services, including free conference calling, said Yaphe. “Mandarin-speaking members in Vancouver, New York, London, Malaysia and Shanghai will find it incredibly easy and inexpensive to all meet together over MOBIVOX.”

A Mandarin version of this release can be obtained here: http://comunicano.typepad.com/bam/2008/05/mobivox-launche.html.

About MOBIVOX 

MOBIVOX is an international calling service that makes it possible to call friends, family, business associates and Skype contacts around the world for free from any phone. Calls between members are free to more than 40 destinations and all other calls to non-MOBIVOX members start at 1.9 cents per minute.

MOBIVOX is headquartered in Montréal with a satellite office in Boston. For more information, visit www.MOBIVOX.com.

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