The Cult of JAJAH: Out VoIPing VoIP, Out Skyping Skype

I just had one of those mind-blowing experiences where something on the Web is so different your skin starts to prickle with the possibilities and your brain starts to wonder "where's the rub." On Tuesday morning, June 27, JAJAH is announcing free phone-to-phone calls between JAJAH users worldwide, and amazingly low rates for other users. Plus, there's nothing to install, no special equipment, and no monthly payment.

Basically JAJAH is letting you use the Internet as your phone operator to place your calls. All you need to do is go to jajah.com and enter the number you're calling and the number you're calling from. The web site initiates the call between the two phones. The phones can be landline or cellular, and you don't even need a broadband connection since all it's doing is dialing the numbers. According to JAJAH, the call is all voice over IP except for the "last mile" which uses the PSTN. You never make a call; you only receive them. You use your regular phone equipment to talk. No sooner had I typed in the number I wanted to call than I received a call from JAJAH saying it was placing my call and then connecting me.

To answer my "what's the rub" question about how they'll make money, the company said it plans on using paid premium services like call scheduling and IM to offset costs. Still, there's something a bit cultish about this web site. Here's an entry in their FAQ about payment:

JAJAH asks me to pay. What will happen if I won't?

From time to time, JAJAH will ask you to pay for the calls you have already made. Payment is possible using a credit card. If you won't pay, you won't be able to keep using JAJAH. You should note that creating a new account with a new email address won't do you any good, since JAJAH won't allow any more calls from the same phone number.

From time to time? My bookkeepers are not going to like that line.

Even the name JAJAH apparently refers to a mysterious Australian telecom prophet. JAJAH is definitely one to watch closely. It plans to give Skype and other VoIP providers a run for the money and it already gives them a run on simplicity.