By Azer N. Parrocha
MANILA, Dec. 2 (PNA) — Telecommunications giant Smart Communications Inc. (Smart) announced on Tuesday that it posted a 69.2 percent surge in mobile data revenues for the first nine months of 2014 versus the same period last year.
Smart said in a statement that this was due to more of its subscribers using web-enabled smartphones to access the mobile internet.
Its mobile internet revenues jumped to Php5.73 billion for the said period compared with just Php3.39 billion last year. This was after the company introduced smartphone offers and innovative mobile data packages.
As of the third quarter of 2014, over a fourth of Smart and Sun Cellular’s combined subscribers of over 69 million were already using smartphones that are optimized for accessing content-rich apps and websites on the go, which contributed to the performance of its mobile internet biz during the said period.
EVP and Wireless Consumer Division Head at Smart and Sun Charles Lim explained that their subscribers are already seeing the benefit of using their smartphones to surf the internet.
He further said that its Smart Free Internet promo would help increase subscribers’ mobile internet usage further by year-end, and well into 2015.
Aside from the Smart Free Internet promo, Smart and Sun have also introduced affordable and innovative data packages in the market such as PisoNet (Php1 for 10 minutes of mobile internet) and turnkey services such as PowerApp that provide affordable access to mobile app bundles for an always-on mobile internet experience.
Smart and Sun subscribers have contributed to a robust 112 percent increase in mobile data traffic within the network, equivalent to 27,000 terabytes worth of data exchanged from January to September 2014, compared with just 13,000 terabytes of data for the same period last year.
Aside from riding the smartphone wave, Smart has been offering services and content suited to the needs of an emerging market like the Philippines.
Lim said that the company has also introduced digital content offerings that allow subscribers to access mobile entertainment right within their reach and accessible even without a credit card.
In addition, Smart also recently enabled the capability for its subscribers to download apps and games and do in-app purchases through Google Play(tm) using their cellphone loads, which means Android(tm) phone users can conveniently purchase and easily enjoy digital content on their phones whenever, wherever they want.
These services can best be enjoyed with Smart’s robust 3G & 4G mobile network, backed by more than 10,000 LTE and HSPA+ sites all around the country. (PNA)