Hoxfon’s long term vision

If you are failing to plan, you are planning to fail - Tariq Siddique

Currently the Hoxfon app is available to download for Android on the Play Store and it is being tested for iPhone. It has almost completed its incubation time and thanks to dozens of testers and early adopters, it’s maturing everyday. A couple of weeks ago I described why I built Hoxfon and now it’s time for me to share the vision for the future.

Hoxfon is the go-to app for people that want to manage multiple landline numbers in different countries from one device. It is great for expats who need to call home, businesses who need a point of presence local to their customers or professionals who rely on a separate work number and are tired of carrying two phones.

Initially I built Hoxfon to have the ability to make and receive calls to and from Italy and UK on a single device without compromising on the quality of calls. When you develop such an app from scratch, new ideas and potential applications continuously emerge. Each time you show a new screen to a friend new opportunities for improvement materialise in front of you, and with a bit of luck and an open mind you could end up with a full roadmap setup just by listening to your early adopters’ feedback.

Hoxfon’s mission

Hoxfon’s broader mission is to take your phone experience to the next level. We are a mobile-first company that strives to accelerate innovation in telecommunications through the use of mobile apps and cloud computing technology. Furthermore, we focus on features and use cases that don’t conform with services provided by traditional telecom companies.

Considering all the different use cases I decided to group specific features together into three separate apps. Each app will represent an improvement in comparison to the previous one and all of them will include the basic functionalities of Hoxfon. The main differences will lie in the scope, functionalities and payment methods.

First generation

The first generation of Hoxfon which is available today for Android on the Play Store and open to BETA access for iPhone, focuses on improving the telephone experience for expats, business travellers and cross border commuters. It allows you to buy a phone number in the location of your choice among 50 countries directly from the app. Customers can buy credit by topping up their balance and pay for each call, similar to the way in which ‘Pay As You Go’ (PAYG) charges for their services. It’s great for people that travel and don’t want to carry many devices with them. It is also a very convenient way to make and receive calls from a specific region even if you don’t reside there. It integrates completely into the traditional phone system, so there is no hassle for the people at the other end of the line.

Second generation

With the second generation, Hoxfon wants to help small businesses with a phone app completely designed for them. Its features will comprise an improved form of those of the first generation’s to allow business owners and freelancers to separate their working and personal life. The app will feature anti spam call filters and time and location based automatic replies. You will be able to buy as many number as your business needs which will work both online and offline, in this way Hoxfon will ensure you are always reachable even when your Internet connection is not strong. You will be able to pay either by PAYG or by choosing an all-in-one minutes+numbers package tailored to your needs.

Third generation

The third generation will focus on Enterprise. It will enhance the overall product building on the already improved second generation features to integrate and operate a full telecommunications system on a large scale. Your Enterprise will be able to manage and control the phone network, granting and removing access dynamically to employees and contractors through the third generation platform. It will provide you with full admin access to monitor and manage your corporate telecommunication network. The platform will be open to integration with your dedicated system via APIs. Each company will pay only the Hoxfon Enterprise License, and will have access to wholesales calls rates and will be able to customise both features and branding of the apps.

In conclusion

In few words, I am planning to build two additional Hoxfon apps. Each app will be tailored to address specific needs, and will introduce different payment models.

Key Audiences

First generation: Expats, business travellers, cross-border commuters

Second generation: Small businesses

Third generation: Enterprises