AwayPhone offers powerful Hong Kong connections

• Monday, 11 June 2007

Delegates at this week's China-Britain Business Council's (CBBC) annual Scottish reception will be the first to use a new enhanced mobile roaming service developed specifically for Hong Kong. Created by pioneering UK firm AwayPhone, www.awayphone.com, an international MVNO for the traveller, the offering ensures users have a 'local' number and cuts dialling costs by up to 90 per cent. The only one of its kind, the product was developed in conjunction with a network of Chinese partners and is available now.

To showcase the technology, AwayPhone is offering CBBC delegates a free SIM card with a Hong Kong phone number that they can provide to their contacts. Any calls to that number will ring through on their home mobile line when they are not physically in Hong Kong. The offer also includes the opportunity to register with AwayPhone at on a 'no call no fee' basis for three months.

Launched in the autumn of 2006, AwayPhone was founded by businesswoman Sherry Madera. Working on financial deals across China, she became frustrated with mobile communication services that were expensive and inflexible. She became aware that more business was done when local contacts could reach her on a local phone number, rather than expecting people to make an expensive call to an international cell phone. Madera's foresight was to rethink how different telephone numbers could route to one mobile phone, in each case using the least expensive communications routing. "This ensures people stay in touch, incoming callers are no longer confused and everyone saves money," explains Madera.

Available technology was adapted by AwayPhonne and combined with systems created specifically for the process to build a network that offers low cost incoming and outgoing mobile calls in 71 country destinations. AwayPhone has developed partner sales networks worldwide through distributors, mobile resellers, SIM card dealers and online portals to ensure the service is widely available.

Hong Kong leads the way

Last month AwayPhone refined its product further, developing a new relationship model by securing a deal to offer MVNO services in Hong Kong. The resulting system is the most advanced of its kind. "Every aspect of how calls are placed or received now works exactly as if does when using a home mobile service," explains Madera. "The difference is that, underneath, and unseen by the user, calls are being routed cleverly. This means that, regardless of whether the regular home mobile or the local Hong Kong number is being dialled, the AwayPhone customer will receive calls on the same phone. This works both when they are at home or abroad. Wherever possible, calls are routed using technology called 'Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)', which means we can really bring call prices down for the end user, while adding to their functionality."

Hong Kong's booming popularity for international commerce makes it a key market for AwayPhone and the new operator agreement will set the standard for other regions. Many visitors expect making calls when roaming with their normal operator will be cheaper than the rest of China, but this is not the case. A 10-minute call in this hectic city will set you back between £13 and £18. AwayPhone slashes these costs by around 95 percent.

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Notes to editors:

AwayPhone is a new international mobile phone operator. It provides low cost incoming and outgoing calls wherever customers are in the world and seamless use of their regular mobile number AND a local phone number to their AwayPhone handset when they are abroad.

AwayPhone focuses on making it easy to do business globally. When customers leave their home country, they use their AwayPhone to keep in touch. They can make as many calls as they want without worrying about excessive cost, and they are always confident that they will never miss a call. AwayPhone is based in London, UK and offers services in 78 countries worldwide.

More at www.awayphone.com

AwayPhone's monthly international roaming comparison index is available here http://www.awayphone.com/about/comparisons/

For more information, high-resolution photography or to arrange an interview with Sherry Madera, please contact:

Kate Alexander, ICONIC kalexander@iconicnet.co.uk / 07788 584413
Mark Charmer, ICONIC mcharmer@iconicnet.co.uk / 07976 960739

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