A PRIVATE company offering cut price telephone services to the public as part of the new liberalisation of communications yesterday reported a huge response to its private network and prepaid calling cards.
Telepassport’s services are less expensive – especially on overseas calls – than those offered by semi-government CyTA.
Due to deregulations of the market in anticipation of EU membership, CyTA is no longer alone – and the Regulating Authority cannot rule against Telepassport’s competitive prices.
Marios Vlachos from Telepassport told the Cyprus Mail yesterday that it was a competitive market and Telepassport wanted to offer the best service at the lowest possible price.
Telepassport first secured licences from the Regulating Authorities in March this year. In July, the company began providing outgoing services for companies and homes. Since then, they have provided international services through a private network and calling cards.
“Our main market are foreigners living in Cyprus, students, soldiers therefore people with no fixed lines,” said Vlachos.
“We did not expect such success. In our first month we sold thousands of prepaid calling cards.”
Anyone can use Telepassport services form any phone, hooking on to a private network without changing your phone line. You will receive an itemized phone bill that will analytically reveal the list of calls. Customers keep their normal line and pay monthly rent to CyTA but are able to make cheaper calls.
Customers using prepaid phone cards will not receive a phone bill. Telepassport maintains you can lower your telephone bill from between 20 and 70 per cent depending on the calls made. “We offer a competitive price to give people the option of lower costs and better services. It is very simple to become a subscriber and we guarantee the customer will be satisfied,” stressed Vlachos.
The prepaid cards are simple to use. You just dial the freephone access number and a recorded message will ask you to punch in the pin number on the card. The Telepassport system then recognises the card and informs you how much money you have left, before allowing you to make your call. The prepaid cards can be used from any phone, be it a landline, a mobile phone or a pay phone. Telephone easy cards are available at £5, £10 and £20 from Telepassport offices and kiosks across the island.
There are other companies who offer prepaid cards in Cyprus, but Telepassport is the only company that is connected to fixed telephony through Germany and Greece. Telepassport currently has half a million subscribers in Cyprus and Greece.
