smart offers Free mobile internet service to all prepaid subscribers!

Starting today all Smart Sun and Talk n Text prepaid subscribers will now enjoy Free mobile Internet.

This was anno nced earlier by Manny V Pangilinan chairman of Smart Communications in a press conferense held at Shangril-la hotel Makati.

The free internet service is initially available until November 30th
With the free internet service Smart encourages its subscribers to maximize its use by enjoying the free mobile internet service.

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With mobile internet users may now be wble to access apps like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram book planetickets voa skyscanner, shop online via Zalora ans a whole lot more.

One of the advantages of getting mobile acess is that you may now be able to apps like MMDA, Waze for easy navigating in major thoroughfares in Metro Manila or monitor the latest typhoon updates via the Project NOAH app.

To know more about this latest upadate, read the FAQ HERE http://mobile.smart.com.ph/prepaid/freeinternet



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Smart, Deezer bring you MassKara LoveDance

This month of October the partying never stops in Bacolod City as it holds the annual MassKara Festival.

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On October 17th Smart in partnership with Deezer and SkyScsanner is bringing lucky Smart users to the City of Smiles to experience the happiest festival in the Philippines!

The mechanics is simple, just upgrade your Deezer and you’re good to go!

Grand prize winner will win an all expense paid trip inclusive of airfare, hotel acoommodation and tickets to the LoveDance for FOUR!

To learn more about this exxiting promo check out http://smrt.ph/DeezerMasskara

DEEZER MASSKARA Daily How to Join TW



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BYAHILO 2014-09-22 12:58:25

 A breakthrough mobile data platform developed by Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart), the undisputed leader in mobile, will soon enable its subscribers to access the Internet on their mobile phones for as low as P1, the most affordable mobile Internet service to date.
 
Dubbed “PisoNet,” Smart’s new mobile Internet offer will be initially available to Talk ’N Text (TNT) subscribers and shall allow access to all apps and websites on mobile phones for only P1 per 10 minutes, with the exception of video streaming sites and file-sharing activities.
 

Set to be rolled out this month, the service is much more affordable than the standard P5 per 15-minute charging rate for mobile Internet.

“Now, one peso is all you need to access the Internet. PisoNet thus brings the many benefits of the Internet to more Filipinos nationwide, especially those who are accessing the Internet for the first time using their phones,” said Charles A. Lim, EVP and Head of the Wireless Consumer Division at Smart.
 
“With this upcoming service, the user is not limited to specific sites or apps.  They can thus access the mobile apps and sites that are most relevant to them at a more affordable price,” Lim added.

PisoNet is thus expected to surpass Smart’s growth momentum in mobile data, which has been growing at a 73% rate from last year’s figures, as more Filipinos gain access to the Internet via their mobile phones.

Pioneering platform

PisoNet will be delivered through a pioneering mobile internet platform which enables Smart’s mobile phone data network to efficiently manage and shape the flow of Internet data traffic. As a result, network resources are used more efficiently to deliver the internet services that people want.
 
“This platform unmatched by any other country in the world is a technical breakthrough that enables us to offer very affordable Internet ‘sachets’ sustainably,” Lim explained. “This means we can keep offering best-value mobile Internet products for as low as ‘piso’.”

This enables Smart to offer data services in “sachets” without sacrificing consumer experience, allowing subscribers to pay only for the Internet services that they need on an “always on” basis. 
 
The same platform also powers PowerApp, the telco’s suite of mobile Internet packages that allows subscribers to access Internet bundles—such as Social, Photo, Email, Chat, and individual apps—for as low as P5 per day.

 
‘Holy Grail’

“This is the Holy Grail for Internet advocates who want to bridge the digital divide while sustaining quality of service. And we’ve taken one big stab at it, using this groundbreaking platform targeted at one of the largest prepaid markets in the world,” explained Dennis Mendiola, co-founder of Smart subsidiary Chikka, which developed the platform.
 
Globally, telecommunications companies face the challenge of connecting “the next 5 billion users” who are largely prepaid mobile phone users with limited budgets for mobile internet usage.
 
“Telcos around the world until now just offer data packages akin to ‘eat-all-you-can’ buffets at a premium price with little regard for efficient use of data resources. Our platform allows Smart to offer data at much higher level of efficiency, thus making it possible for us to offer much more affordable prices,” added Mendiola.

PisoNet will soon be initially available to TNT subscribers, who only need to simply text PISONET to 5555 to enjoy the offer.  PowerApp, meanwhile, offers various packages that can be availed of by Smart and TNT prepaid and postpaid subscribers. To know more, visit smart.com.ph/powerapp. 
 



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Smart, Wikimedia Foundation launch WIKIPEDIA ZERO in PH

Wireless services leader Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) announced a new partnership today with the Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit organization that operates Wikipedia and its sister projects.

Part of the global Wikipedia Zero program, the collaboration will give Smart, Talk ‘N Text, and Sun Cellular’s 68.9 million customers unlimited access to Wikipedia, free of data charges from their mobile device.

“We have always looked for and promoted ways to use technology and mobile communications to drive learning and consequently, development. Wikipedia Zero is relevant in a country where access to both computer terminals and Internet connectivity is still relatively low, but where almost everyone owns a cellphone. We are excited to bring Wikipedia Zero to the country and help create a way to make learning more accessible to millions of Filipinos,” said Ramon R. Isberto, head of Public Affairs at Smart.

Wikipedia is the world’s largest online encyclopedia, visited by 500 million people each month, according to Comscore. Wikipedia contains more than 30 million articles in 287 languages, contributed by a global community of 80,000 volunteers.

Under Wikipedia Zero, starting September 5, 2014 until February 3, 2015, all Smart, Talk ‘N Text, and Sun Cellular subscribers who will access m.wikipedia.org, zero.wikipedia.org, the Wikipedia apps (available for iOS and Android devices), or any other Wikimedia sites on their cellphone, can do so without incurring data charges.

“Smart has been a terrific supporter of Wikimedia, and now we’re very happy to formalize our relationship with Wikipedia Zero,” said Carolynne Schloeder, head of global mobile partnerships at the Wikimedia Foundation. “Smart’s emphasis on education is aligned with Wikimedia’s global mission, driven locally by Wikimedia Philippines.”

In addition to the free use of Wikipedia by Smart subscribers, Filipino Wikipedia editors are also participating in Smart’s Tap&Learn: Tablets for Education, the telco leader’s latest initiative in the mobile education (mEducation) space, where mobile technologies are utilized to enhance the learning experience of partner communities.

Through Smart’s Tap&Learn, Wikipedia Philippines representatives are helping train educators from public elementary and secondary schools across the country on how to use Wikipedia to enhance the learning experience of their students, and for their own professional development.

“With the Tap&Learn program, Wikimedia Philippines is very excited to partner with Smart in training teachers in using Wikipedia as one of the tools they can use in their profession,” according to Eugene Alvin Villar, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Wikimedia Philippines.

“While we all know that students should not simply copy from Wikipedia when doing assignments, we hope that through Wikipedia, teachers can impart to their students the value of using reliable sources, adding proper citations, and using critical thinking when reading anything on the Internet. It would also be great if they can encourage their students to contribute to Wikipedia as well,” added Villar



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ADB-Canada Assures that PH Hotels Ready for Global Market

Philippine hotels and resorts in key island destinations are ready to compete in the global marketplace, according to the initial findings of a team of International Accommodation Assessors (IAAs) who joined the Department of Tourism (DOT) in conducting a national review of accommodation standards last month.

The team of IAAs composed of ten experts from different countries said Philippine hotels and resorts including the small players have ‘very high standards’ in keeping the unique Filipino hospitality, one of the country’s competitive advantages.

The warmth of welcome for guests in all types of accommodation is almost unique among international destinations. There is a real potential for the Philippine tourism industry. Some hotels and resorts need to invest to improve, but the new rating system can help identify where to focus that investment, the initial report noted.

New standards under the Hotel and Resorts Quality Assurance and Accreditation System aim to assist visitors in terms of the quality, service and comfort provided by accommodation businesses of all sizes and types in the Philippines.

The system which was launched last year reviewed 144 hotels and resorts in the country’s main island destinations such as Cebu, Bohol, Davao and Palawan. The DOT tapped international assessors to ensure that the review is based on accepted international standards. The review itself is part of a technical assistance funded by the Government of Canada and administered by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) aimed at improving competitiveness in the tourism sector, in time for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) integration. ASEAN member countries include the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Brunei.

Undersecretary Maria Victoria V. Jasmin, Chairperson of the DOT Project Steering Committee, said the technical assistance is crucial in helping the department to implement Improving Competitiveness in Tourism, a roadmap designed to increase foreign tourist arrivals to ten million by 2016.

Data will be carefully analyzed in order to further strengthen and develop the accommodation standards system and enable us to compete at the highest international levels in the future, said Undersecretary Jasmin.

Undersecretary Jasmin added, these new standards will help guide Philippine hotels and resorts on where they could invest to further improve their businesses. They are shown to be equally effective in identifying excellence, enabling the finest properties and managers to show the way for others. The standards clearly identify examples of best practice for use by all types and levels of accommodation.

Hotel owners and senior managers in all the properties visited welcomed the new set of standards as they see it as a significant improvement on the old standards introduced in 1992. Owners and managers welcomed the introduction of the internationally understood one to five star grading approach. They understood that not everyone can be, or should be, five stars and that some of the most successful hotels and brands internationally hold two or three stars, Undersecretary Jasmin said.

Final results of the assessment will be released in September 2014.



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