Viber app allows calls and texts with no roaming feesViber, the messaging platform, has launched a new feature enabling users to own a local phone number, so anyone outside of the Viber platform can call or send SMS messages to this number at local rates with no roaming costs for the user receiver wherever they are located.

The company said that international entrepreneurs can provide their clients with a local business number and be contacted freely no matter where they may be in the world. Frequent travellers can give a local number out in their current destination to make reservations, book tours, or other travel expenses. Expats and travellers can leave a local phone number to their contacts to be reachable at no cost while they are away.

Viber Local Number is available globally, first offering the option to own local phone numbers in the UK, US, and Canada with more countries expected to be added in the near future. It is available both for iOS and Android versions of the Viber mobile app.

Viber CEO, Djamel Agaoua, said: “We are excited to offer people new ways to be closer and more relevant to what matters and is important to them. From expats who need a local phone number that connects them back home, to global business owners who want overseas clients to feel they are located nearby, this new feature gives them a local presence no matter where they are.”