Somtel, a leading telecommunications company from East Africa, and Kirusa, a global leader in communication solutions over data networks, today announced the launch of Somtel ReachMe, the first-ever unlimited calling package to Somalia, making it easy and affordable for Somalians living abroad to stay in touch with their friends and family in Somalia. The Somtel ReachMe service enabled using Kirusa’s InstaVoice ReachMe app, also provides a local Somali number, so that family and friends living in Somalia can call them by dialing a local Somali number.
The Somtel ReachMe service is priced at $14.99 per month, which can be paid through the Apple or Google store. There is an introductory free trial offer of one week so that users can experience the service before paying. The Somtel ReachMe service provides phenomenal value to the Somali diaspora who frequently call family and friends back in Somalia, with a monthly rate that costs less than one hour of calling using traditional international calling packages.
InstaVoice Reachme is a smartphone app available for iPhones and Android phones, that allows users to roam inexpensively, and to purchase numbers, called ReachMe Numbers, from Somalia and certain other countries. To purchase local Somalia numbers with unlimited calling to and from Somalia, users can follow the steps below:
1. Download the InstaVoice ReachMe App from Google Play store or Apple App store
2. Register with and validate your existing mobile number (e.g., A person living in the USA, can register with his/her US mobile number)
3. Choose the option to buy a number and select Somalia as the country
4. Pick your desired Somtel number from the list of available Somalia numbers. Further, view the details of the monthly subscription plan
5. Click on subscribe and you are all set to start using the Somtel number from within the ReachMe app
After subscribing to the Somtel ReachMe service, the user can immediately start using the ReachMe app for making calls to any Somtel number in Somalia (including Puntland and Somaliland). Further, they can share their number with friends in Somalia, who can call the Somtel number as a local call. When someone in Somalia calls the number, the ReachMe app on the user’s phone will ring, and the user can pick up the call and speak. The unlimited calling is subject to a fair usage policy suitable for personal use.
Inderpal Singh Mumick, Founder, Chairman & CEO, Kirusa said, “We are happy to partner with Somtel to make it easy and affordable for the millions of Somalia diaspora to stay in touch with friends and family back home. Users can purchase Somalia numbers, make unlimited calls to Somalia, and receive unlimited calls, at a fixed price, without the risk of bill shocks.”
Salah Mokhtar, CEO of Somtel said, “We are proud to partner with Kirusa to solve the problems that Somalian diaspora is facing to call Somalia. We selected Kirusa for their patented technology, excellent voice quality, and scalability and reliability of their platform. By launching the service in less than sixty days from setting up our partnership, Kirusa has surpassed our expectations. We expect to innovate several interesting products together for the Somali market.”
Targeted at the diaspora and international travelers, Kirusa’s InstaVoice ReachMe app allows users to roam easily and inexpensively, and to purchase virtual foreign numbers. Currently, numbers are available from the US, UK, Canada, and France, with Somalia being the latest addition to the list. ReachMe uses a multi-ID architecture, allowing up to 10 virtual numbers to be linked to an account and used on any device.
