It’s the number one gripe of many iPhone and Android phone users in Bermuda: getting hit with outrageous phone bills for roaming charges after a trip overseas. But TeleBermuda International (TBI) has just launched a new mobile app it hopes will put a stop to those big bills.It’s called Qallz and it’s available for the iPhone, iPad or Android. Once users download the app and sign up for the service with TBI, they can start making calls starting at 8 cents a minute.Like a cross between a regular cell phone call and Skype, a spokesperson for TBI said Qallz is little bit like a modern-day calling card.“Let’s say you’re travelling to the States and you want to make a call back to Bermuda or anywhere else. With a calling card, you have to find a phone line, put your PIN number in and all of that,” said Karen Carlington, director of residential services for TBI. “With Qallz on your phone, you can actually find a Wi-Fi hot spot and just make a call.”“It’s like an updated version of a calling card, just easier because it’s right there on your device,” she added.Qallz, which was developed in-house at TBI with the help of application developers overseas, launched last week. The company says it’s already being well received by the business community.“If you’re a business traveller, you know the roaming bills can be exorbitant,” Ms Carlington said. “And most of the time, business travellers are looking for Wi-Fi hot spots anyway — in airports, hotels, their offices overseas or wherever. So you can use this app with Wi-Fi and avoid the roaming charges.”The key is to make sure your cellular signal is switched off while you’re travelling abroad. Putting your phone into “airplane mode” on the iPhone will allow you to avoid roaming charges but still find wireless internet networks.To use the service on an iPad or Android tablet, users will need to plug in a headset. The earbuds that come with the iPhone and iPad have a microphone on them that will work just fine.Calls to the US and Canada or from overseas to Bermuda are 8 cents a minute. Calls to landlines in the UK are also 8 cents a minute, but to UK mobiles is 29 cents a minute.“If you’ve ever made a call back to Bermuda from the States on your cell phone, you know you can pay anywhere from a dollar to two dollars a minute just because of the roaming. So this can be very cost effective,” Ms Carlington said.“And the nice thing about it is, because it’s billing based on where you’re calling and not where you’re located, you can be anywhere and call the US or Bermuda for 8 cents — if you’re in Asia or anywhere, the rates stay the same,” she added.“On your phone, you get what looks like a regular phone pad and you just dial like normal. It’s just like making a regular phone call — only cheaper.”To sign up for Qallz, just fill out the online form on the company’s website and within 24 hours, you’ll receive a confirmation e-mail with your username and password. Download the app to your phone or tablet through the iTunes Store or Google Play, and once it’s downloaded, sign in with your username and password. You’ll then see the phone keypad pop up and you can start making calls.For more information on Qallz or to sign up for the service, go to www.qallz.com or call TBI at 296-9000.