Reaching the summit via red mobile

MANILA, Philippines - Get away, but don’t lose your way. It’s a sound advice to anyone out on an adventure or who merely wants to leave daily cares behind for a while. With mobile communication, you can be out of touch but not out of reach.

Especially for an adventurous lot like the UP Mountaineering Club, reliable communication is an essential tool, at times, even a lifeline. 

“Never underestimate a mountain, no one knows what might happen along the trail,” stresses PJ Villarta, a club alumnus. Thus during climbs, “we are constantly in touch with our contact persons who are stationed at our base in the lowland. They guide us with our itinerary and serve as our standby rescue team,” says Bernice Varona, a club resident member.

Red mobile, the country’s newest prepaid service, is ideal for organizations that rely heavily on mobile communication while keeping tabs on costs. It has launched its unlimited service, which enables subscribers to make any number of calls and text messages within their “calling circles” and to other red mobile users, as well as send free text messages to all mobile networks - all for as low as P25.

“Red mobile unlimited” is available in three denominations: P25 (one-day red-to-red unlimited calls/text messages, plus 60 free text messages to other networks); P125 (seven-day red-to-red unlimited call/text, plus 300 free text messages to other networks); and P500 (30-day red-to-red unlimited call/text, plus 1,000 free text messages to other networks).

“This is our response to the clamor for more value-for-money packages and nationwide coverage,” says Guido Zaballero, red mobile marketing head. “Filipino mobile lifestyles are changing. We address the diverse communication needs of mobile phone users who maintain a second subscription for their calling circles.”

Aside from its attractive unlimited offers, red mobile boasts of superior network infrastructure, call quality, and load distribution channels. A mobile prepaid brand offered by Connectivity Unlimited Resource Enterprise Inc. (CURE), red mobile is powered by Smart Communications Inc.

On their latest climb to Mt. Balagbag in Bulacan and Mt. Cristobal in Quezon, the UP mountaineers put red mobile’s service to a test. Both the climbing team and the rescue team used red mobile phone kits to facilitate a seamless communication line that allowed them to monitor and document the ascent of the group.

“You see, even if a group is composed of skilled and well-prepared mountaineers, if an accident happens and you lose touch with the rescue team, then you might end up lost in the thick foliage of the forest,” says Villarta.

“Our point persons were virtually with us because we communicated with them every step of the way,” adds club alumna Jenny Pardo.

Besides a faultless communication line, they enjoyed the luxury of time, as cost was no hassle. “Normally, we just text our rescue team,” says Leorence Amarille. “With red mobile, we were able to communicate more details more conveniently without worrying about losing our signal and draining our budget.”

For the UP mountaineers, making it to the summit has never been this fun.