Pingo, the prepaid international calling service from iBasis, has introduced Pingo (News - Alert) EZ Dial, a new smartphone application that delivers automatic access to discount calling rates for users of mobile devices.

According to a press release, Pingo EZ Dial will be available to users of iPhone, Blackberry, Treo and phones using operating systems such as Nokia (News - Alert) Symbian, Windows Mobile and Google Android.

iBasis is a carrier of international phone calls and Pingo is its only direct-to-consumer offering. Pingo EX Dial enables the easy access of the Pingo service to iPhone (News - Alert), BlackBerry and other smartphone users. It provides reliability, global coverage and cost savings to retail telecom carriers like other iBasis services.

Users can download EZ Dial from the Apple iTunes AppStore or through text message to their mobile device. When an international phone number is selected from the address book or contacts list EZ Dial sends the call to the Pingo service enabling immediate savings. Users are not required to dial any access numbers, PIN codes or change their calling patterns in anyway.

The application also complements existing voice plans and eliminates need for Wi-Fi connectivity. Consumers can buy international calling minutes on the Pingo Web site at competitive rates and without any hidden fees or contracts, said iBasis (News - Alert) sources.

“iBasis is the second largest carrier of international voice traffic in the world, and for the first time, consumers and businesses now have a smartphone application that provides easy access to our low wholesale calling rates,” said Jayesh Patel, vice president of business development and strategy for iBasis, in the release.

Patel added, “The quality and reliability is the same as we provide for carriers worldwide. And, with no further contractual obligation, Pingo customers can make inexpensive international calls and escape the ‘financial stranglehold’ of operators’ international plans.”

Pingo Business (News - Alert) offers similar wholesale international rates to small and medium-sized businesses with up to 999 employees besides offering easy-to-use online management tools. It allows IT managers and administrators to automatically push the EZ Dial application to staff mobile devices. This ensures that employees will use the Pingo Business service enabling significant cost savings on international calls for the company.

Online account management as offered by Pingo is reportedly easy to use. Minutes can be bought using credit card and debit cards. Subscribers can select payment by four currencies, compare rates and interact with automated phone voice prompts in various languages including Chinese, English, Polish and French among others.