Rebtel is already the world’s second-largest mobile VoIP provider behind Skype and the company isn’t content to simply stop there.
It looks to move into a broader realm by announcing the public launch of its new SDK for iOS and Android, giving both iOS and Android developers a “powerful yet simple tool to integrate voice communication capabilities into any app.” The SDK is available for free.
During its initial beta period, Rebtel signed up more than 20 developer partners. With millions of customers turning to mobile VoIP and messaging services, it makes sense for providers to allow integration of their services into other apps, including social networking apps as well as gaming, messaging, enterprise and even dating.
“Adding free voice functionality is a critical component for our dating app, and we’ve been extremely impressed by both the call quality and the ease of integration. We think this will be a huge value add for our users who want to be able to talk with one another anonymously and for free, while giving us a valuable tool to acquire news customers and drive user engagement,” MobisleApps CEO Fredrik Olofsson said.
“Rebtel’s SDK allows us to enhance the unbeatable experience we offer for our users by giving them the ability to connect with one another in real-time through high-quality voice calling that is free of long distance and carrier charges,” TGTHR Founder Rhys Howell said, who is planning on launching their social networking app in May.
Rebtel has been testing the platform for months, and has added new features to the SDK, including support for iOS background mode, which makes the call setup faster and more reliable, new audio playback controls for playing ringtones and other sounds, and improved voice quality. In addition, developers can take advantage of synchronous free app to app calling over Wi-Fi or 3G, “crystal clear” HD voice quality based on the iSAC codec, and infrastructure that is already in place.
“Over the past few months we’ve seen incredible interest in voice from the global developer community, specifically in markets such as India, China, Europe and the U.S.,” Rebtel CEO Andreas Bernström said. “We’re excited by the launch of our first live voice integration and see a tremendous opportunity to connect millions of new customers around the world who are interested in a free voice calling from their favorite smartphone apps.”
It certainly sounds like an interesting offer, one that could not only see a broadly-used Rebtel becoming an even bigger provider in the mobile VoIP space, but could also see a more likely future where VoIP becomes more widely used than standard mobile voice networks.