A wireless visionary

There are a few lucky individuals who work on the threshold of technology. Their day-to-day existence are spent figuring out new ways of shaping the way people use technology to improve their lives.

Wireless Services Asia, the leading provider and one of the pioneers of mobile value-added services, focuses on how to best enhance cellular phone usage. It develops everything from cellphone logos, picture messages, ringing tones to mobile games. Its gearheads also put a lot of importance in figuring out the next breakthrough telecom applications.

Micky Peralejo, 27, is WSA’s network integration manager. He has been with the company for three years and has seen the surge in popularity of SMS (Short Messaging Service) and WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) and the development of new advancements in cellular technology.

Micky says his job’s main focus is to enable all service applications and their integration into the network, ensuring the functionality of SMS, WAP and Web-based services.

"Essentially, I handle most of WSA’s internal IT-related issues, including hardware, software, PCs, backup systems and IT-related security issues," he explains. "It’s a little bit of everything as all these areas are closely related."

"I also closely work with technical consultants and programmers for the development of new services, especially when related to network integration and project coordination. I do my best to make sure new services and networks fit in properly," he adds.

When asked what he thinks are the latest developments in the fast-moving telecom field, Micky says, "It’s really an exciting time for the telecommunications industry nowadays, particularly in handset capabilities and emerging technologies. The mobile industry is now changing the way we communicate. Phone manufacturers are producing terminals with color screens and built-in cameras. MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) promises to deliver a more visual means by which we can send messages to each other. These enhancements will make mobile phones more user-friendly and enjoyable to use. They won’t be just phones anymore; they will be part of our everyday lives."

Micky and the rest of the WSA team are proud to be on the forefront of technology. As exciting as their work is they also need to keep on their toes when it comes to fast-changing technology.

"Today, the value-added services (VAS) industry has become quite diverse in order to cater to the growing needs and demands of mobile subscribers. More people than ever before are trying the different services that are available to them on their phones. As service providers, we try to keep coming up with new and innovative service ideas and new content that we believe subscribers will want to use and just as equally important, keep them coming back for more," he explains.

The hottest development in recent months has been the availability of colored handsets as well as services that support them. He firmly believes that since Filipinos are innovation-conscious consumers, these services and handsets will catch on quickly.

"Due to the popularity of SMS-based services, I think that MMS services will also be very popular in the near future. The reason for this is because of the growing demand by subscribers for even better and more value-added services. This is something that MMS will help to provide. MMS is not a competing technology of SMS; it’s actually an enhancement of the service. Messaging and instant communication have taken the Philippines by storm, and because of this, subscribers should have no problems with integrating MMS into their lives as well," adds Micky.

Aside from MMS-focused applications, Micky highlights some of the cool technology that WSA is pushing ahead with.

"We have produced polyphonic ringing tones as well as a wide array of colored content, including screensavers (static and animated), greeting cards and comics. And that’s only the beginning; you can expect to see a lot more from us in the very near future," he says.

In order to innovate technology, one needs to use it constantly. At WSA, this is apparent in every aspect of its day-to-day business.

"One way that our company uses wireless technology in our everyday operations, is how we monitor our servers. Everyday, our server automatically sends tech support people SMS messages containing reports on the status of the different servers which run the applications for our services," Micky explains.

"If something goes wrong, our tech support people are immediately sent SMS messages by the server alerting them to that problem right away. This allows us to troubleshoot problems that may occur with speed and efficiency," he adds.