Unlimited-text promo unavailable Dec. 25, Jan. 1

MANILA, Philippines - Mobile telephone companies Smart Communications and Globe Telecom, Inc. will not offer unlimited text and call promotions on Christmas and on New Year’s eves. In an interview, Smart Spokesman Ramon R. Isberto said a promotion that allows subscribers to make unlimited calls at night and send as many text messages as they can would not be made available from Dec. 23 to Dec. 25, and from Dec. 30 to Jan. 1. Likewise, a similar promotion from Globe will not be made available on Dec. 24 and 25, and on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1, said Froilan M. Castelo, Globe’s regulatory division head. Both companies said this is meant to prevent their networks from clogging at a time when most Filipinos greet their friends and relatives with Christmas tidings. Smart’s promotion allows subscribers to send an unlimited number of text messages within the network for 24 hours, for P25. Users may also make an unlimited number of calls during the off-peak hours of 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. "We are only able to offer these promotions [for calls] since these are usually dead times," Mr. Isberto said. He added that technically, the company would not be suspending the promotion since it had clearly excluded holiday peak hours under its application with the National Telecommunications Commission. "What we are doing is managing our network, in case there are any serious obstructions [during the holidays]," Mr. Isberto said. "We are not taking any chances. We want to protect the network from abuse," Mr. Castelo said. "We want to avoid any congestion. We just want to clear the airwaves," he added. The Smart and Globe promotions allow subscribers to send an unlimited number of text messages within their own networks for as low as P20 a day. Text messages normally cost a peso each. Voice calls are also being offered at a discount. Calls made within a network can go as low as P2 per minute instead of the regular P6.50 rate. Both companies have estimated that around a billion text messages are sent locally everyday. Mr. Castelo said this can double during the holidays, as Filipinos dash to greet friends and relatives. — Paolo Luis G. Montecillo, BusinessWorld