July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Tickets On Sale Now

Apparently, information does want to be free. And phone calls, and text messages. At least, if you’re a subscriber to FreedomPop, “America’s free wireless Internet company.”

FreedomPop, which already offers free wireless Internet service, is announcing a partnership with TextPlus today that will enable it to also offer free voice calls and free texts.

“We’re allowing consumers to cut the carrier,” CEO Steve Stokols told me. “And basically screw AT&T and Verizon.”

Starting in the first quarter of this year, TextPlus’ free calls and texts will be integrated into FreedomPop’s services, so existing free wireless customers will have the ability to go 100 percent free, Stokols said.

Voice calls will run over data channels, Stokols said, using the FreedomPop app for Android and iOS, as will text messages. Users simply set up a new number — any number that is available in any area code — or port their existing number over. No new SIM card is needed.

And coverage?

“Today we’re in the top 80 markets,” Stokol said. “That’s 120 million people. By the third quarter, we’ll have coverage for 240 million people.”

FreedomPop makes money when users add premium services on top of its basic, free services. Currently 30 percent of its users purchase some form of upgrade. The company uses Clearwire’s WiMAX network to provide 4G service. And according to Stokol, it’s growing fast through viral marketing.

“We’re averaging about 10-11 invites per user,” Stokol told me today. “So some of the key metrics that were speculative at our launch are now proving themselves.”

Ten to 11 invites per user is pretty spectacular, and should result in a very sweet viral coefficient. In other words, watch your backs, AT&T and Verizon.

photo credit: TheAlieness GiselaGiardino²³ via photopin cc

This latest could be highly viral, especially for small businesses wanting the equivalent of a free 1-800 number.

The USAToday just wrote a piece looking at how these “J” companies — Jajah, Jaxtr and Jangl — embody the new Silicon Valley dot.com boom. (The story cites us at VentureBeat a few times. I’m quoted saying “you can’t find anyone who doesn’t have a business plan sticking out of their pocket.” USAToday’s author Michelle Kessler also cites me saying there “will be a lot of cold showers.”)

Jajah’s is just the latest innovation in the Internet telephone world, where start-ups are delivering an array of buttons for calls. Jajah’s looks as user friendly as any. We’ve written about Yoomba (Yoomba forces a phone recipient to register though, which Jajah doesn’t), and Orgoo (though Orgoo doesn’t let you make the calls from your existing email; you need to use its email platform). Other services give you ways to integrate phone links within your email, i.e, so that you can click on phone numbers and make calls from say Skype or some other service. Xobni is doing that, as are more mature players like Zimbra (recently bought by Yahoo).

The Jajah button also works from websites, blogs or social network profiles.

The service won’t reveal your phone number to the caller. The call buttons are also customizable (size, color, style), and you can you set the time when you are free to accept phone calls. You can also rejecting or block phone numbers. The buttons are available as a Flash widget, click-to-call buttons or a simple plain text link.

So, to let relatives call you for free, you add your button to your email signature, send them the email, they click on it and call you – they don’t have to be registered and there is no local numbers pay.

All they do to call is enter their phone number in the box, and Jajah calls them back with a line that rings through to you — just like Jajah’s standard service works.

Jajah says its service the first, truly global click-to-call service” (it is available in more than 120 countries). Competitor Jaxtr also provides a link. It works in 20 countries. Jaxtr puts you through to a local line, and so technically isn’t free for those calling you.

One caveat about the Jaxtr button. While people calling you do so for free, you (the recipient) do have to pay for the call, albeit at low Internet call rates. If both parties are registered, however, the call is free for both parties.

Click here to see how it works, or see video below (you won’t see if if you’re reading RSS).