2 Responses to “Silicon Valley Minute: Jeff Black”

1. Frederik Hermann:
   July 25th, 2007 at 12:37 pm

   Hey Jeff and Tom,

   great video and this is a serious question.

   All this roaming is a pretty complicated topic and I’m trying to get my head around it.

   I’m in Vienna (Austria) right now and was wondering how it works if I would use my US phone (in this case T-Mobile US) with Talkplus installed on it, with a virtual presence in Austria (means an Austrian number) calling somebody in Austria, do I have to pay any active/passive roaming charges because I’m using my US number or do I become an Austrian number/identity and it’s actually a completely local call for a couple of cents per minute?

   What if I would call somebody in the US while being in Vienna, would I use my Austrian identity or US identity and what would cheaper?

   Right now I’m using a local Austrian SIM and JAJAH mobile (http://www.jajah.com) to make my calls and was wondering if Talkplus could save me more money without getting a local SIM (which I had anyways from living here before).

   I appreciate your answer,

   Frederik

2. Barbara:
   July 27th, 2007 at 6:40 pm

   Hi Frederik,

   This is Barbara from TalkPlus. TalkPlus helps you out while you’re travelling internationally in 3 ways:

   1. It gives you a consistent number where you can be reached, no matter where you are or what SIM you have.

   As you know, every time you switch your SIM, you have a new phone number, and you can’t be reached at your old SIM number. If you have TalkPlus installed on your phone, then you can always be reached at *any* TalkPlus number you own, no matter what SIM you have. So you don’t have to keep telling people what number to call you on, depending on what country you’re in that day.

   2. It gives you multiple international numbers, so even while you’re travelling, “local” folks can reach you for the cost of a local call. Travelling in the UK after your Austria trip? No worries - your TalkPlus Austria number still works, and your Austria friends can call you for the cost of a local call. Your TalkPlus US number still works, too, so your US friends can keep calling you at that number for the cost of a local call for them. And your TalkPlus UK number, and so on.

   3. Low-cost long distance calling is built in to the application. If you want to make a low-cost call, just call from the TalkPlus application. You don’t have to go to a web site (like Jajah) to initiate your calls. It saves you time and money. We also have lower rates than most other providers, including Jajah.

   One important thing to remember - TalkPlus works over your existing mobile service. So to avoid carrier roaming charges, you have to have a local carrier SIM. So you still have to put in a local SIM card as you travel, but now you can stay in touch more easily (your TalkPlus numbers all still work) and for a lower cost.

   Hope that helps.

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