Orange, the mobile brand of France Telecom, launched a global free calling and texting application , in direct competition with services such as Skype, WhatsApp and Viber.

Telecom operators around the globe have suffered as free calling and texting services have proliferated over the past few years. The apps allow users to communicate without using their voice or text allotments, leading some operators like KPN to complain about the hit to their bottom line.

Giles Corbett, who developed the application called ‘Libon’ for Orange, said telecom operators needed to come up with equivalent services.

He said in an interview.The application can be used by any iPhone user for free, while the company charges for some premium features like transcripts of voicemail or email copies of voicemails.

Libon will be available for smartphones using Google’s Android software in the first quarter of 2013