Smart launches PisoNet

MANILA, Philippines - Smart Communications Inc., the wireless arm of dominant carrier Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT), has launched the most affordable mobile Internet service to date with the “PisoNet” innovative platform.

Charles Lim, executive vice president and head of the wireless consumer division at Smart, said “PisoNet,” Smart’s new mobile Internet offer would initially be available to Talk ‘N Text (TNT) subscribers and would 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.

“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,” Lim said.

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.

“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 expected to surpass Smart’s growth momentum in mobile data that grew 73 percent from last year’s figure, as more Filipinos gain access to the Internet via their mobile phones.

PisoNet would be delivered through a pioneering mobile Internet platform developed by Smart subsidiary Chikka that enables its 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,” he added.

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.

Chikka co-founder Dennis Mendiola said PisoNet is the Holy Grail for Internet advocates who want to bridge the digital divide while sustaining quality of service.

“We’ve taken one big stab at it, using this groundbreaking platform targeted at one of the largest prepaid markets in the world,” Mendiola said.

Globally, telecommunications companies face the challenge of connecting “the next five 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,” Mendiola added.