New Free Audio Conferencing Service Launches in U.K.

LONDON, May 13, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Iotum, a global leader in reliable and affordable HD audio conferencing, is officially launching FreeConference.co.uk at The Business Show at the ExCeL Centre on Thursday, May 15, 2014.

Toronto-based affordable HD conferencing provider iotum launches FreeConference.co.uk, the first UK conferencing service to offer free in-browser calls as well as traditional dial-in numbers free of bridging fees. FreeConference Connect is FreeConference.co.uk's free in-browser calling tool that utilises Web Real Time Communication (WebRTC) technology to deliver high-quality audio conferencing with no dialing in or unnecessary program downloads.

Any user with internet access and a compatible browser can use this feature at no charge – Chrome and Opera are both WebRTC compatible across multiple operating systems, including Android.

"Our history with FreeConference.com in the U.S. proves that offering a product with multiple levels of cost and service – including absolutely free – meets the needs of almost every customer," said Jason Martin, Managing Director of iotum, parent company of FreeConference.co.uk. "Consumers, small to medium businesses, enterprises and not-for-profit groups need solutions that fit them, not pre-set packages that demand you pay for services you don't need."

FreeConference.co.uk does not charge bridging or service fees, but callers who choose to dial in from their landline or mobile phones instead of using their web browsers are subject to charges from their local telephone providers that will vary based on the service plans.

Free features:

• One-click access to conference calls via web browser (Chrome, Opera & Firefox)
• Free access to dial-in numbers in the UK, Australia, Belgium, Germany and the United States  - with more countries on the way.
• Advance conference call scheduling
• Automated email invitations and reminders for participants
• Call recording
• Call history

Paid features (coming soon):

• A wide selection of local UK and international dial-in numbers and toll-free numbers.
• Waiting room – keeps callers on hold until organizer joins
• Moderator tools – muting individual callers, hanging up conference lines, Q&A and presentation muting modes.
• Security app – including individual pin-codes and the ability to lock and unlock conferences
• SMS reminders and dial-out
• 1-year recording storage

Dean Bubley, Director of research firm Disruptive Analysis, said: "The market for audio-conferencing is likely to see significant change in the next year or so. The ability to use WebRTC to 'dial in' to bridges should reduce costs for hosts and participants, as well as reducing the pain of older, lower-quality web-based approaches such as Flash audio. WebRTC is also now becoming supported in more browsers and embedded directly into native mobile apps, which should further increase its reach in future."

FreeConference.co.uk is one of several group-communication services from Toronto-based iotum.

About iotum™
A leader in telephony and group communications solutions since 1985, iotum is building a variety of easy-to-use products and services that provide the group communication and collaboration solutions that consumers, business and affinity groups need, all on crystal clear lines.  Each product or service has been designed with particular users in mind to create an attractive alternative to competing services that are either inexpensive and featureless or feature-rich but overpriced. For more information about the company, its team, solutions and services, please visit www.iotum.com.

Contact: 
Jim Byrnes, on behalf of iotum
+1 610-333-1794
[email protected]

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SOURCE iotum