VoxEra: Egyptian Innovation Eliminates Voice Roaming Charges

VoxEra – An Egypt-based-startup challenges roaming fees through creating a small device that keeps people connected to their families and friends while traveling the world with no roaming fees.

It is accompanied by a user friendly mobile application called VoxEra that enables users to stay connected with zero roaming charges.

Amr El-Gebely Founder of VoxEra told Egyptian Streets that his personal experience inspired him to think of creating such innovation after he had come back from a trip to Georgia with his wife and was surprised to receive a EGP 5000 roaming bill.

VoxEra operates through inserting the telephone SIM card in the device, connecting the device to internet via Wifi, opening VoxEra mobile application and users will be able to receive texts and calls from anywhere around the world. Moreover, all calls are charged at domestic rates.

VoxEra is a message converter. When receiving a call, it converts it into a VoIP call. It then sends that converted message to the Cloud through the Internet. In the same way, when making a call, VoxEra sends a message through the Cloud. When the device has received the message, it converts it into a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) call, at which point, it is delivered to the number you have dialled.

The roaming fees generated a collective of $US 57 billion in 2013, and 88 percent of travellers paid more than $US 100 a month in international charges. It is estimated that by 2018, the roaming fees would reach $US 90 billion globally.

El-Gebely told Egyptian Streets that the whole team has been working on VoxEra since 2015 to bring a new and unique innovation to the market.

“There are 350 million active roaming users per year and there are others who are called silent roamer, they are the ones who do not respond or make calls to avoid paying high roaming bills,” said El-Gebely.

The innovation of VoxEra enables people to communicate with each other without relying on the luxury of having a smartphone.

VoxEra works everywhere starting from flights, cruises even in the middle of nowhere. The sole necessity it needs to function is an internet connection.

The President of The American in Cairo (AUC) Thomas E. Thomason has praised such innovation incubated at the university venture lab “VoxEra mobile roaming device was incubated here at The American University in Cairo in our venture lab, as seen many innovations over the past several years, and this is one of the most impressive.”

VoxEra uses GSM network which means that people can call each other without worrying if both of them have downloaded the same application or if both have smartphones, unlike most applications.

Also, it has a voicemail feature where calls are sent through mails in case a person misses a coming call.

VoxEra has launched its campaign on Kickstarter and it is running until April 12, 2017.