Kampala — Smile Telecom, the first ever Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone provider launched its services on the Uganda market last week - bringing the number of telecommunication providers to seven.

In an exclusive interview with East African Business Week, Mr. Carrington Phillip, the Country Manager of Smile Telecom revealed that this is the first VoIP WiMAX based telecom company world over and operates in the same way as Skype (phone communication over the internet free except when calling a mobile phone or ground line).

"We chose this platform over GSMA and others because of its efficient, unique, excellent, competitive and low cost technology that translates into the lowest cost call rates ever to the customer," Phillip said.

"We are targeting the bottom of the economic pyramid customers."

Phillip said that Smile Telecom also brings on a call cost regime that is in consonance with time and as one speaks, the screen shows the credit used and time count down.

The company directly employs 40 Ugandans with a number of snowballing advantages of its existence such as taxes and rental fees.

Smile Telecom is a South African and Saudi Arabian owned consortium with headquarters in South Africa. "We are the answer to beeping and we are not using any marketing gimmicks to woo customers," he said.