Smart to offer affordable Google smartphones in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines - Wireless giant Smart Communications Inc. has accelerated its bid to get more Filipinos to experience the benefits of the Internet by making available an array of cutting-edge yet affordable mobile devices.

Smart and Sun Cellular executive vice president and Wireless Consumer Division head Charles Lim said the flagship wireless subsidiary of dominant carrier Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) is set to bring Google’s Android One smartphones to the country. 

 “From the very beginning, Smart had the singular objective of bringing the mobile phone into the hands of each and every Filipino. That has been our dream from the start, and this year we’re partnering with Google to bring not just devices but also fast and reliable mobile Internet connection to more users across the country,” Lim said.

 Smart has pioneered several digital inclusion efforts over the years that enabled more users to connect and access information with the help of mobile technology.

Aside from offering the first Android phone in the country, Smart also introduced the Smart Amazing Phone, one of the first smartphones launched in the world that allowed users to access the Internet and with features that used to be only available through laptops and desktop computers.

In 2011, Smart also unveiled the Netphone during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, which debuted a line of Android-compliant, path-breaking smartphones designed for emerging markets. It is also the world’s first smartphone backed by an operator-managed platform.

“We believe the Internet should be experienced by as many users as possible, which is why we have launched digital inclusion initiatives like our Free Internet offer that have encouraged more people to go online,” he added.

According to him, the partnership with Google for Android One would surely accelerate the company’s ‘Internet for All’ initiative that paves the way for more Filipinos to experience the best of the Internet using their mobile phones.

“As the telecom operator to exclusively offer the first Android device in the Philippines back in 2009, Smart has always been at the forefront of this initiative, and we’re scaling it even further with our Android One offers,” he said.