XENTEL OFFERS NO COST LONG DISTANCE SERVICE
By Adnews Staff
Xentel Interactive of Calgary installed its LoCall switches in the Halifax, Bedford-Dartmouth area recently, enabling residents in outlying areas to talk with residents of other surrounding towns without incurring long distance charges. Using the service, residents are given a switch number. After they dial it, they dial the phone number they're calling. The service is available for free and allows people to make calls that would otherwise have long distance to them. Advertising space is available on the service. Users will listen to local advertisers' messages when they dial their switch number. The service has been in Calgary, Lethbridge and Red Deer for two years. It has been in Chatham and Peterborough, both in Ontario, since the summer. The Chatham service will likely be stopped by the end of the year because it hasn't been successful. Xentel promotes the service using direct mail and print in local community newspapers. The ads are created in-house.