Japan’s FAI Corp expands in RP, ties up with Globe

The Frontier Association International Corp. (FAI) of Japan, a Nagoya-based telecommunications and information technology group, is expanding overseas and has chosen to invest in the Philippines before any other country in the region.

The group has made initial investments in the country’s information communications technology and business process outsourcing sectors through an agreement with Globe Telecom and by setting up a call center in Manila

FAI Corp. has teamed up with Globe Telecom to offer the new Frontier Call international call service which will allow Filipinos in Japan to make unlimited international calls to their families, relatives and friends in the Philippines at a low fixed monthly rate.

The service will primarily benefit the thousands of Filipino workers in Japan who want to keep in touch with their loved ones in the Philippines but have to limit their international calls due to the prohibitive cost of existing services. With Frontier Call, these Filipinos can be in close contact with their loved ones without worries of running up a high telephone bill.

The unlimited call service can also be a cost-efficient tool for the growing number of Japanese businesses with investments and operations in the Philippines.

Frontier Call’s service is an attractive service as it offers clear voice calls at a low rate.

All that is needed by those the subscriber wishes to call in the Philippines, through Frontier Call’s unlimited service, is a registered Globe or Touch Mobile cellular phone. This makes the service more accessible given the wide reach of Globe’s cellular network which is present even in areas where there is no fixed line service or Internet service providers.

Subscribers can choose between five plans which will allow them to call one to five Globe or Touch Mobile numbers in the Philippines. These plans are priced at ¥7, 800.00 (P2,500.00) for Light Plan (unlimited calls to one line), ¥9,800.00 (P3,750.00) for Basic Plan (unlimited calls to two lines), ¥11,800.00 (P4,375.00) for Deluxe Plan (unlimited calls to three lines), ¥13, 300.00 (P4,900.00) for Deluxe Plan Plus 1 (unlimited calls to four lines) and ¥14,800.00 (P5,400.00) for Deluxe Plan Plus 2 (unlimited calls to five lines).

The new Frontier Call service was formally launched this month. Inquiries may be directed to the call center specifically set up by the company in Manila for this service. The toll-free hotline number in Japan is 0120-644442.

To facilitate customer inquiries, Frontier Call has invested in setting up a Nihonggo, Tagalog and English speaking call center in Makati. The call center initially has 25 seats which will later be increased depending on the demand once the Frontier Call service has been launched.

Aside from providing fresh investments into the country, the call center also provides employment for Nihonggo-speaking Filipinos so they no longer have to go overseas to find a well-paying job.

The call center may also be expanded to accommodate an anticipated increase in traffic once Frontier Call firms up plans to offer its services outside of the Philippines.

The call center will also serve as the company’s launching pad into business process outsourcing by offering innovative services that will make full use of the skills of the pool of Nihonggo, Tagalog, and English-speaking personnel. Plans include an instant translation services through a hotline. The service is envisioned to cater to travelers and businessmen in Japan who cannot speak Nihonggo but whose need to communicate is immediate. It can also cater to the communication and translation needs of Japanese travelers who cannot speak English.

The Frontier Group’s future plans also include investing in retirement homes and other facilities for Japanese retirees. This type of investment is being encouraged by the Philippine Government and will entail a large amount of capital from the company.

FAI Corp. is registered as a telecommunications company with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan. It is primarily engaged in the business of providing unlimited international call services. Overseas Filipinos and their families and friends in the Philippines are the main target market of Frontier call service.

Globe Telecom is one of the leading providers of mobile telecommunications services in the Philippines. It is a member of the Ayala Group, one of the Philippines’ leading conglomerates, and Singapore Telecom, one of the largest Asian telecommunications carriers.