Smart rolls out mobile Internet in ‘sachets’

Wireless operator Smart Communications has introduced a new Internet package that lets prepaid subscribers use their handsets to access the Internet for quick, small “bites" at the rate of P1 per minute. Company officials said the new offer makes on-the-go Web access possible for prepaid subscribers who have small amounts of airtime and will thus help open up the mobile Internet to a much broader, low-income market. “We are offering mobile Internet in sachets. That approach helped expand the market for mobile phone services in the past. We think it will also boost mobile Internet usage," said Orlando B. Vea, Smart’s chief wireless advisor. Prepaid subscribers with a load balance of P10 or below, say P5 or less, can log in at the rate of P1 per minute. Users just need to have a P1 maintaining balance in their account, to continue using the mobile Internet. “We know that our subscribers use mobile Internet differently from, say, Internet on PCs — where they have the luxury of a bigger screen. On mobile, instead of leisurely surfing, it is more interactive because people typically just do quick checks on their social networks and their email accounts, while on the fly. This is an offer designed specifically for these subscribers, those we know don’t normally stay on the Web for long periods of time," said Danilo J. Mojica, head of Smart’s wireless consumer division. “They go online just to check their Facebook accounts, post ‘status udpates’, ‘tweet’ and respond to email messages. These activities take just a few minutes. With this new offer, you can get sachet-size chunks of the Internet while on the go – even when you don’t have a lot of airtime load," he added. Last year, Smart reported that close to 8 million Smart Buddy and Smart Gold subscribers accessed the Internet on their cellular phones – the highest number of mobile Internet among all Philippine operators. There are, however, 19 million more owners of Web-capable phones in the Smart network who have yet to go online. “This gap between actual and potential users provides us with a lot of room for growth. This new offer will help us take advantage of this growth opportunity," Mojica said. — Newsbytes.ph