{"id":58889,"date":"2014-01-22T16:35:58","date_gmt":"2014-01-22T14:35:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/onsoftware.en.softonic.com\/?p=58889"},"modified":"2025-07-02T00:56:00","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T07:56:00","slug":"viber-out-reminds-us-that-the-world-is-far-from-being-online","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/viber-out-reminds-us-that-the-world-is-far-from-being-online\/","title":{"rendered":"Viber Out reminds us that the world is far from being online"},"content":{"rendered":"

Viber\u00a0\u200bOut lets you call any phone number, whether mobile or stationary. A bit retro?\u00a0Not really. The newest addition to Viber<\/a>‘s services show that we aren’t even close to global connectivity.<\/p>\n

There are currently about 1.4 billion\u00a0smartphones<\/a> worldwide. It’s a massive number, but compared to the more than 7 billion people out there in the world, it pales in significance<\/a>. In India, for example, over 80% of mobile phones are similar to the\u00a0Nokia models <\/strong>that Westerners were using ten years ago, mobile phones without Internet access\u00a0or apps. The battle between Android and\u00a0iOS hasn’t\u00a0even\u00a0reached them yet.<\/p>\n

\"Proportion<\/p>\n

Proportion of smartphones to normal mobiles in India\u00a0(source<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n

In short, the vast majority of the world’s population doesn’t know about\u00a0WhatsApp<\/strong>. SMS usage is heavy,<\/a> and call traffic is far from being wiped out. Maybe Californians no longer call each other on the phone,\u00a0but all you have to do is visit an African capital to realize that people are still connecting to each other from internet cafes and constantly sending texts, even if they do have smartphones with internet capabilities.<\/p>\n

\"Percentage<\/p>\n

Percentage of smartphones as a proportion of\u00a0the total population in\u00a0four sub-Saharan countries<\/em> (source<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n

Viber Out is both an intelligent and a humble app<\/h3>\n

Viber<\/strong> launched Out a month earlier than planned to support<\/a> those affected by Typhoon Haiyan. In the Philippines<\/strong>, a nation of nearly one hundred million people, only 33%<\/a> have access to the Internet, and the majority still use a residential connection. Where mobile networks fail or just haven’t been put in place, landlines are still the most reliable form of communication. Even in the best connected areas of the world, mobile networks can\u00a0fail<\/a> in an emergency.<\/p>\n

\"In<\/p>\n

In an area devastated by\u00a0disaster, there are many problems facing a fixed telephone network<\/em><\/p>\n

So, while launching a seemingly “retro<\/strong>” feature like SMS support for Google Hangouts, or the ability to make a\u00a0call to any phone with\u00a0Viber Out, may seem like a step back, it actually proves to be more of an\u00a0act of humility<\/strong>. It means recognizing that the world is not confined to the fortunate few who can connect to the Internet from anywhere. At least, not until Google manages to\u00a0connect the entire population in 2014 by using\u00a0hot air balloons<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What do you think about the ability to call regular phones from Viber?<\/h3>\n

DOWNLOAD:<\/p>\n