Cable & Wireless Jamaica (CWJ) will this morning roll out a new service that allows customers to make calls from any landline, mobile or payphone in Jamaica, the US, Canada, the UK and several Caribbean countries and have the cost automatically charged back to their Homefone account.

A news release from the telecoms giant described the service, named 'Homefone To Go', as "a virtual calling card that. provides an economical and convenient alternative means of making calls while travelling outside of Jamaica without incurring roaming charges".

The service, C&WJ said, will be available to both prepaid and postpaid fixed line customers.

According to Xesus Johnston, C&WJ's vice president of Broadband and Consumer Services, the new service offers an affordable alternative for customers who want mobility without having to pay a premium price.

"Our Homefone service already offers the cheapest rate for calling within Jamaica, and now with Homefone To Go, our customers can make calls at that same low rate when they're on the go, even if they are nowhere near their own Homefone," Johnston said.

The company said that Homefone To Go offers customers the fixed line rate of $0.90 per minute during peak hours and $0.60 in off-peak hours for postpaid, and $1.25 per minute peak and $0.99 off-peak for prepaid.

"Calls made back to Jamaica from landlines in the US, Canada and the UK will cost only $8.00 per minute, and there are no additional roaming charges," said the company.

"And, from now until September 30, 2007, Homefone To Go will offer the low introductory rate of $5 per minute for calls from Jamaica to the UK, the US and Canada."

Call charges, C&WJ said, will appear on the monthly bills of postpaid customers, while prepaid subscribers will have the charges deducted from the credit on their accounts.

For the last 18 months, C&WJ has been breathing new life into its fixed line business by rolling out innovative products and services. In May last year, the company launched its Homefone prepaid service that, it said, "has proven to be immensely popular with consumers".

Later in the year, C&WJ introduced 'Jus Talk', a new calling card, and began revitalising its public phone service with the installation of new pay phones and the rehabilitation of existing units.

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