Ringo, the low cost calling app has been officially launched in India. The app will let users call anyone across the country at a flat rate of 19 paise per minute, without any distinction for STD, roaming or off net calls. The best part of the deal is the fact that unlike other VOIP services, Ringo uses telephone network and it doesn't need internet for the phone call, thus it will also help you save the extra data charges that incur while using other VOIP apps.
Ringo claims that it will help you save up to 90% on your tariffs and it can also make calls to the recipients even if they don't have the application installed. The call rate tariffs have been on a rise in recent times and it will be safe to assume that one has to spend at least 50p/min on an average, including the other associated charges.
The app is also running a promo wherein first time users will be awarded 50 free minutes. If they want to earn free talk time, then they can do so by referring their friends. Apart from the domestic calls, even the International calls are relatively economical. For instance, a call to US cost just 0.87p/min which is way less than what my telecom operator would usually charge.
That being said, Ringo doesn't directly place your call but instead it will just place a call request once you call a number. Now you would get a call from Ringo and it would connect it you to the desired number.
The app since call quality was much better than WhatsApp and Skype although it did fall a bit short as compared to the usual calls on mobile networks. The caller ID at the recipient's end shows an operator number, and although the app sends a message to the recipient informing them about the call, the chances are that the recipient might still confuse it for a spam call.
As we said earlier, the app doesn't require Internet connection, but this comes with a caveat, the app does need Internet connectivity to place a call. Another thing was that app was not able to place a call a couple of times due to server timeouts, however things returned back to normal after some time. The app is currently available for iOS, Android and Windows Phone.