Google Voice: Now available in 38 new languages

Google Voice, the Skype-like component within Gmail, has opened itself up to 38 more languages as well as many more countries outside the US.

Previously, only US users could access Google Voice for landline and mobile calls. Now, however, users in South Africa, Turkey, Russia, Portugal, Vietnam, Serbia and many others can logon to their Gmail accounts and start making phone calls at greatly reduced rates. Gmail’s US rates, as outlined in the table below, are substantially cheaper than Skype’s (all prices are in US cents):

These reduced pricing options will make Google Voice an attractive option in developing countries where landlines are a costly commodity. Credits are purchased in one of four currencies: Euros, British pounds, Canadian dollars or U.S. dollars. Users in the newly opened up regions who want to test out Google Voice will need to install the plugin for voice and video chat. Once installed, a green phone icon will appear inside your Gmail chat tool and credit can be added from the ‘add rates’ dropdown menu within the application.

Google is always aiming to make it simpler for others to connect across the globe and the 38 new languages of Google Voice makes this easier than ever before.