AVO and other alternatives to roaming

Almost every time we talk about a project, be it an investor, a potential client or a partner, the question of competitors arises. We are often asked how our solution differs from this or that application and how we are better off. Therefore, we decided to make a small review of existing roaming solutions today.
We classified them according to the principle of work and the problem to be solved.

Messengers and VoIP applications
We decided to start from this category, since it is with them that we are often compared. We have included applications and services in this category, which allow calls to telephone numbers from all over the world at prices lower than those offered by telephone companies. In addition to cheap outgoing calls, most applications in this category allow free communication between users by voice and text messages.

If we summarize, then this category includes applications that have two functions: free communication between users and paid outgoing calls to regular phone numbers.
These applications are very popular, and it is quite difficult to find a person who would not have an account with at least one of them.
Unlike AVO , applications in this category do not have the ability to receive incoming calls from users who do not use the application. This limits their use as an alternative to roaming, as during a trip with an incoming call, the user will still have to pay for the incoming call or completely skip the call if the user decides to use a local SIM card for low-cost Internet.
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Below is a list of the most popular applications in this category:

• Skype
• Viber
• Hangouts
• Whatsapp

Providers of local numbers
The next category of applications, in addition to outgoing calls, also allows you to receive incoming calls from telephone networks. But for this the user needs to rent a room, the cost of which ranges from 3 to 5 dollars per month. In this case, the user loses the ability to use your home mobile number. And if you can still set up call forwarding for incoming calls, then for outgoing calls, at best, the rented number will be determined. The advantage of AVO over this category of applications is that users do not need to buy an additional number to receive incoming calls and when they call from the application, the user's home mobile number will be determined.

• Worldphone
• Localphone
• Zadarma
• Skype

We have added Skype to this category, as for a number of countries it provides the service of renting and binding a real phone number.

Data roaming
There are quite a few such companies on the market. There are only a few of them on our list. They provide special SIM cards or 3G modems with international coverage for Internet roaming. These companies are not our competitors, but rather potential partners, since they provide low-cost data roaming, and we are an inexpensive solution for voice roaming. A user using a combination of our offers will have a full range of mobile services during a trip at prices well below roaming prices. Now we are working on the possibility of creating common products with some players in this niche.

• KnowRoaming
• Keepgo
• GoSim
• Gocalme
• ComfortWay

Direct competitors
For dessert, we left direct competitors. These are applications that, from a user point of view, provide the same functionality as AVO . The differences are invisible to users and consist in a different approach to solving technical problems.

Roamerapp
Advantages: very beautiful and nice interface; the ability to make and receive calls not only via the Internet, but also to a local SIM card without having to have an Internet connection; provides its own data roaming solution.
Disadvantages: the need to set up call forwarding every time before the trip, and turn it off after returning. In addition, there are no free calls between users and for incoming calls you need to pay a monthly fee.

Youroam
Advantages: free calls and messages between users; unlimited outgoing and incoming calls (US) for a monthly fee.
Disadvantages: only available for US users.

It should be understood that each of the above solutions has its own market and its users. For some users, it is enough to have inexpensive access to the Internet and saving the number is not critical. Other users need to be able to receive and make calls with their home number, but they are not ready to pay for roaming. As a rule, for voice communications while traveling, the last group of users selects AVO or one of our direct competitors. This does not mean that they will not use Viber or Skype while being abroad. These applications are great for communicating with other users of the same applications, while AVO allows you to keep in touch with any subscriber of the telephone network. This means that you will be able to contact both the owners of old phones (not smartphones) and subscribers of fixed-line phones.

www.avoapp.com