Smart launches prepaid broadband Net service

From the people who led the way in making cellphones the most popular personal device of Filpinos comes a new drive to put the Internet literally into the hands of millions of Filipinos. They are using a familiar formula: very low cost, ease of use and ubiquity.

Smart, through its wholly owned subsidiary Smart Broadband Inc. (SBI), recently launched a prepaid wireless broadband service, Smart Bro Prepaid, making the World Wide Web available to a broader segment of the population with affordable sachet pricing, nationwide coverage, and easy loading.

The Smart Bro Prepaid kit is priced at P4,500, well within the reach of a broad market. The kit already includes the Smart Bro Plug-it USB modem, a SIM card, and P30 worth of free broadband load which can be readily used for up to one hour and 30 minutes of high-speed Internet access.

Smart Bro Prepaid can connect to Smart’s HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) network at speeds up to 384 kbps, allowing for an easy online experience.

Smart Bro Prepaid requires no monthly fees and no documents are required to avail oneself of the prepaid broadband kit. Just go to any Smart Wireless Center, Smart Bro agent or Smart Bro accredited dealer and easily get your very own Smart Bro Prepaid broadband kit.

Loading the Smart Bro Prepaid is not a problem either. Subscribers can easily load their account in over one million Smart Load outlets across the country or use any Smart Bro Load Card. Smart Bro load go for as low as P30 and Smart Bro Load Cards are available in P100 and P300 denominations.

For only P10, Smart Bro Prepaid subscribers can access the Internet for 30 minutes, using a small USB device called Smart Bro Plug-It that can be hooked into a desktop PC or laptop. The Smart Bro Plug-It is actually a wireless modem that connects the user to Smart’s nationwide wireless broadband network.

“The Internet is the new cellular. The Internet should be for all. We will put it in the hands of everybody,” said Orlando Vea, Smart’s chief wireless advisor.

Vea is the founder of Smart and was its first president and CEO when the then start-up company changed the Philippine telecoms landscape with its affordable mobile phone service. He is now back at Smart, again leading the company in innovations toward bringing telecoms and multimedia services down to the grassroots.

Internet access has become a must for any country’s development. It has become a basic tool for communications, education, commerce, social interaction, governance, and the delivery of social services. The Philippines, however, has one of the lowest Internet penetration among its peer countries in the region. Unserved demand for Internet access is estimated at 15 million connections.

With low-priced new and used personal computers now in the market, affordable access is seen as the solution to the unserved demand for Internet connection.

According to Bong Mojica, head of Smart’s wireless consumer division, Smart Bro Prepaid is just the initial offering.

“Even as we continue to provide great value in basic voice and SMS as well as value-added services, we will make broadband as pervasive, bringing new technologies and compelling content to the market,” Mojica said.