Wanna Make Free Phone Calls? Come to Line

Line Corporation, owner and operator of the free call and messaging app, Line, announced Monday the release of Line Call.

It is a new calling service allowing people with Line accounts to make high-quality voice calls direct to landlines and cellphones from the Line app.

Line Call will initially be available in eight countries – Japan, United States, Mexico, Peru, Columbia, Thailand, Philippines, and Spain – with future plans to roll out the service to other countries.

People with the latest version of the Line app installed on their Android device (available on iOS shortly) and have a registered phone number on their Line account can begin using Line Call without any additional setup.

They can instantly get access to clear, uninterrupted, high-quality, and low-cost domestic and international calls to landlines and mobile phones, says the company.

Line Call service is stated to be an alternative to traditional prepaid mobile services and disposable calling cards, letting users make affordable voice calls to people outside of the Line app.

Customers can choose from two different competitively priced data-based calling plans, either a monthly plan or a pay-as-you-go plan. Line Call will enable all Line users worldwide to enjoy this service on top of the full array of Line services, features and products.

“The ability to make calls directly to mobile and landline phones has been one of our most requested features, and we are proud to be able to provide Line customers a more seamless and fun experience on our app while engaging those closest to them,” said Jeanie Han, CEO, Line Euro-Americas Corp.

“With each new platform development and service, we are able to improve our platform to strengthen our positioning as an ‘all-in-one’ communication app.”

According to the company, Line Call gives Line users the option to choose between the existing free call service to other Line users, or to take advantage of low-cost calls to any other number with Line Call, making for a more convenient calling experience.

Line has given users the ability to make free calls to other Line users since October 2011 and added the free video call functionality in September 2013.

Since both services are only available inside the Line app, Line users can now connect to people who do not have Line installed, especially to international numbers.

Line Corporation is based in Japan and develops and operates the Line app for smartphones.