Private communications solutions provider Silent Circle now allows customers to make encrypted voice calls in a total of 79 countries, the company announced on Thursday.
Silent Circle customers who enroll in international Out-Circle Calling (OCC) plans will receive a 10-digit number, which they can use to make and receive calls to and from non-subscribers through the Silent Phone service. The company claims that its services are available in 4-5 times more geographical regions than the ones offered by “non-secure competitors” such as Skype and Viber.
Out-Circle Calling gives Silent Phone users a VoIP option for calling standard mobile and public switched telephone network (PSTN) lines across the world while benefiting from the combined privacy, utility and value of having Silent Circle’s global encrypted mobile communications available anywhere they find cellular and Wi-Fi networks, the company said.
“Silent Circle’s Out-Circle encrypted international calling plans are a major step forward in bringing private encrypted communications capabilities to all corners of the world. Silent Phone and Silent Text already offer unmatched advantages, but with today’s expansion we are giving our members a tremendous increase in cost and flexibility benefits,” commented Mike Janke, the CEO of Silent Circle.
“The facts are that Out-Circle Calling provides a low-cost, private alternative to traditional mobile calling plans that everyone from your neighbor to traveling multinational executives can use. The expanded geographic reach – combined with the superb call quality and unsurpassed built-in privacy features of Silent Phone – further extend Silent Circle’s lead in helping individuals and enterprises safely communicate across town or around the world.”
Silent Phone is available for Android, iOS, and laptop and desktop computers running Windows. It’s also installed on Blackphone, the privacy-focused smartphone designed to protect users’ sensitive communications against hackers, competitors and even government surveillance.
“With Out-Circle Calling, Silent Circle is directly challenging the legacy model of mobile carriers by offering an alternative to costly mobile roaming fees. This is an especially important issue for our enterprise and government customers around the world,” said Vic Hyder, Silent Circle’s Chief of Revenue. “International fees and roaming charges account for a significant portion of European and Latin American business overhead. Our encrypted international calling service completely eliminates roaming charges while protecting members’ privacy with the use of Silent Phone.”
Pricing starts at $12.95 per month, for which users get unlimited member-to-member voice calls and text messages, and 100 minutes for calls to non-subscribers in any of the 79 countries. For 250 monthly minutes users must pay $19.95, while for 1,000 minutes the price is $39.95 per month. For those who call Silent Circle subscribers, standard long-distance rates apply, Silent Circle said.
In May, Silent Circle announced that it had raised $30 million to support acceleration of the company’s growth, and also announced that it would move its company headquarters to Switzerland.