VIENNA, July 10 (Reuters) - Silent Circle, a company knownfor mobile apps designed to thwart government surveillance, isintroducing on Thursday a secrecy-cloaking phone service thatlets customers make and receive private phone calls for aslittle as $12.95 a month.
The secure, fixed-rate voice and data calling plan works onApple iOS and Android smartphones and, eventually, on WindowsMobile systems, the Geneva-based firm said. Callers can reach 79countries, including China, Russia, most of Europe and theAmericas. Large parts of the Middle East and Africa are notcovered.
The service marks a sophisticated challenge not just totraditional phone carriers -- who still by and large chargesteep roaming fees to international travelers when calling fromoutside their home market -- but also to newer, voice overInternet services that have sprung up over the past decade.
For while Silent Circle undercuts major competitors' roamingcosts in many countries, the service's basic attraction lies inits distinctive security features.
While no one is immune to such snooping, Silent Circleoffers customers a secure means of encrypted communications thatdisposes of all records of calls, texts or emails.
The new calling plan starts at $12.95 a month for 100minutes of outbound calls and runs up to $39.95 for 1,000minutes of calling, comparable to premium price plans offered byInternet communications services such as Microsoft's Skype and Rakuten's Viber -- but with much higherlevels of security. (Reporting By Eric Auchard; Editing by Georgina Prodhan)