Next Mobile Inc. unleashes MyWorld

Next Mobile Inc. (NMI), the Philippines's newest mobile telephone system (MTS) operator, has recently launched a revolutionary global communications product named MyWorld, a mobile phone service that offers unlimited calling.

NMI CEO Mel V. Velarde explained that this service intends to benefit Filipinos working and living abroad and their relatives in the Philippines, local businesses with international partners or branches, and also foreign nationals of multinational companies. Utilizing the iDEN (Integrated Digital Enhanced Network) technology of Motorola, and through its partnerships with other iDEN operators around the world, MyWorld offers subscribers an attractive alternative to broadband-based VoIP, and enables millions of overseas Filipinos who stay abroad permanently as immigrants, or temporarily as overseas workers, as well as expatriates living in the Philippines to keep in contact with their loved ones, while at the same time being able to enjoy high-quality unlimited calling without the cost of mobility.

MyWorld currently has four service plans to suit the specific needs of the global Filipino. The first option, called MyWorld Inbound, allows the subscriber here in the Philippines to be reached by their loved ones or business associates from abroad by calling their very own US number (or other numbers from a choice of over 30 countries), and avoiding the high cost of international calls. The subscriber under this option will receive two phone numbers, a local Philippine MyWorld cellphone number and a foreign number. With this, a subscriber can receive unlimited inbound calls from his chosen number (to the Philippines), and at the same can make around 40 minutes of IDD calls to US/Canada and other frequently called countries.

The second option, MyWorld Outbound, allows the subscriber in the Philippines to enjoy making unlimited calls from his/her MyWorld phone to a preferred destination. The service is initially available to any landline or mobile phone in the US, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore or landlines in Taiwan. The package also includes free 100 minutes of IDD calls to other countries, including Australia, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Israel, Italy, Mexico City, Russia (Moscow and St. Petersburg), the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan (landline), UK and the US.

Option three, called MyWorld Two-Way, combines the features of the first two options. Subscribers will enjoy making and receiving unlimited calls to and from abroad, among other features.

Meanwhile, option four, called MyWorld US Roaming, enables the subscriber to bring his MyWorld phone to the US and enjoy local calling rates. This is made possible through a partnership with Sprint Nextel US.

Aside from unlimited calling, NMI is also working out an international service that will allow unlimited texting to the US and possibly other countries, and unlimited push to talk in Saudi Arabia. The company is likewise in talks with a number of banks to create a third consortium for foreign exchange remittances. NMI currently has a network covering the entire Metro Manila area, from Baguio in North Luzon and up to Batangas in Southern Luzon. Currently, expansion in the Visayas is underway, with the Cebu coverage available by the end of this month. Its services will soon expand to Davao and other key cities nationwide.

The company, formerly owned by Nextel International, Inc., has since been acquired and restructured by the Velarde Group Inc. and is 19 percent owned by ICTV or Information Capital Technology Ventures, a publicly listed, Philippine-owned company.