Global communications company Rebtel (News - Alert) is launching mobile VoIP and free international calling in China. The company will be launching the service first in Shanghai, a populous city with more than 6 million expatriates requiring low-cost calling. Rebtel’s low-cost and free international calling to and from China will enable them to keep in touch with friends, family and business colleagues at home.

 

From Friday, December 21, mobile phone users in Shanghai can call any phone, anywhere in the world for just pennies per minute, and make free calls to people in 39 countries.

 

Hjalmar Winbladh, Rebtel’s co-founder and CEO said that although entering the Chinese market was not easy, but they are finally in — just in time for ex-pats to call home for the holidays. The company intends to open service in more Chinese cities in the New Year.

 

While AT&T (News - Alert) charges $3.50 per minute to call a mobile phone in China from a mobile phone in the U.S., Rebtel’s low-cost calls from Shanghai to the United States will cost just $0.018 per minute and $0.019 per minute from the U.S. to Shanghai.

 

According to Rebtel, their calls from Shanghai will cost $0.019 to U.K. landlines, and $0.018 to U.K. mobile phones. Mobile phone users who use Rebtel to call Shanghai from London will pay $0.019 per minute for the services. The company points out that Vodafone (News - Alert) charges $3.33 per minute to call Shanghai from the U.K.

 

Winbladh said in a statement that there are over 10 million mobile phone subscribers in Shanghai alone, so serving just a small percentage of that market should be a good test for rolling out service to the rest of the country.

 

Rebtel is a global voice services company for individuals, small business professionals and cord-cutters inside large companies, who regularly call international suppliers, customers, partners, their workforce, or friends and family abroad.