Tizeti's WifiCall.ng to reduce call cost by 30-50 per cent

Tizeti, a leading internet service provider (ISP) in Nigeria, has launched a voice calling service, WifiCall.ng, that will enable users to make and receive crystal clear, unlimited voice call from and to anywhere in the world.

With apps already rolled out for Android and iOS devices, the service will initially be available to only Nigerian mobile numbers with plans to roll out in other countries by 2020. Thus, any subscriber with a +234 line will be able to use the service from anywhere in the world. WifiCall is a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), and as such it will be competing with Skype and WhatsApp.

Tizeti, in a statement sent to benjamindada.com, explained that the implementation of WifiCall platform will reduce the cost of calling for businesses by 30-50 per cent. The monthly subscription starts from N6,000 ($16.67) for a month.

WifiCall.ng is reinventing our traditional understanding of phone communication using next generation Cloud and AI technology, bringing voice communications in Nigeria into the 21st century. Our goal continues to be to reduce the cost of data and accelerate the rate of connectivity across the continent - this is the first step in continuing to bridge the digital divide that exists.

According to the Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI), affordable internet is defined as 1 Gigabyte (GB) of data of costing no more than 2 per cent of monthly income. Currently, the average cost of 1GB of data in Nigeria is N1,000. This is a far cry from the N300 (for N18,000 minimum wage) prescribed by A4AI 2% of monthly income. Using the new N30,000 minimum wage, 1GB of data still cost Nigerians N400 more than what is expected.

WifiCall, according to the statement, is a first not only in the Nigerian ISP space but also in the African ISP space. It provides users with a versatile, user-friendly interface, giving them access to a modern version of the "yellow pages".

Unlike WhatsApp, WifiCall subscribers can call any phone number in the world (even if the number is not registered on WifiCall), using their data package.

Key features of the WiFiCall app include:

• Customisable dashboard
• Calling statistics
• Personalised digital receptionist messages for multi-line requirements whereby companies can create and manage queues
• One click phone number search + search engine of business phone numbers
• Subscribers can select their own number
• Multi-user sub-account management with ability to top up online and allocate call credits to users.
• Management of users within a calling space

The service comes with a number of additional innovative features, such as allowing mobile users to place calls directly from Twitter by tweeting phone numbers to @wificallng while on the social network. This will enable small and medium enterprises to deliver seamless customer service.

Tizeti has developed a system that meets the needs of a wide selection of Nigerians. Whether it's a household with a handful of users or a business who wants to set up a fully-fledged call centre solution, they can all do this in minutes at a fraction of the cost. Hitherto, setting up a voice service of any size was only available to mega businesses as it required huge capital and it would take months to develop and deploy. WifiCall.ng has created a viable solution for Nigerians.

Tizeti operates widely as a "Comcast for Africa”. It builds and operates solar-powered towers in Nigeria, while also providing residences and businesses with unlimited high speed broadband internet, currently covering over 90 per cent of Lagos.

The company has installed over 12,000 public Wifi hotspots across Nigeria with 500,000 users and it provides Express Wi-Fi in partnership with Facebook. The company has also expanded its services to Ghana with new consumer-facing brand Wifi.Africa. Tizeti is a graduate of Y Combinator, 2017 Winter batch.