The Philippine text messaging phenomenon

The high-tech veil that allows one to express his or her views without being confronta-tional or directly offensive is one of the greatest appeals of text messaging.

With the ease with which a message is received and forwarded to a whole distribution list, misinformation is often an issue to contend with. This kind of misinformation caused panic among bank depositors of two major banks when rumors of a supposed bank holiday were passed around via text messaging.

Hundreds of depositors trouped to the said distressed banks to withdraw their savings. Late last year, texted rumors that Pope John Paul II had died caused a predominantly Catholic nation to momentarily mourn the "loss" of the head of the Church.

Misinformation and propaganda will find their way through any medium. The more convenient and far-reaching, the better. It is up to the people to educate themselves and use this technology sensibly, keeping in mind that with affordability comes responsibility.

Wap’s Up?

The popularity of SMS in the Philippines makes it an attractive market for other wireless applications and poses a big challenge to telecom operators to provide more value-added services. The global wireless market is estimated to be worth some US$8 billion to $10 billion. The biggest cellular phone operators in the Philippines have introduced WAP (Wireless Application Protocol)-enabled phones on the market. The technology allows users to access the Internet through their mobile phones. The novelty of being able to squeeze the Internet into one’s cell phone is attractive to the tech-hungry population because of its limitless potential for use. Uses that are currently being tapped and explored include news and information, mobile banking, local traffic news and weather reports, customer service applications, Internet auctions, advertising, interactive TV, and mobile commerce. Being explored is its potential use in farming communities. Local farmers in outlying areas can be the biggest beneficiaries of mobile communication technology. WAP-enabled phones are cheaper than personal computers and can provide access to important information available on the Internet. Current prices for farmers’ produce can be accessed as well as weather updates to enable them to prepare for a storm or drought, which will eventually minimize the damage they will otherwise have incurred.

Last year, the number of WAP users is estimated at 10,000, 0.25 percent of four million cellular phone subscribers. Part of the reason for this low popularity cited by analysts is the infrastructure deficiency. Local operators still rely on GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) which transfers datat at the slow speed of 9.6-14.4 kilobits per second (kbps). This, experts say, makes WAP impractical. Connecting to the Internet via WAP costs P8 per minute and with this slow transmission rate, using the mobile phone to access data can be a frustrating and expensive experience.

Globe and Smart have announced that they would provide GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) technology this year. This technology is expected to speed up the connection up to 144 kbps. Plans to restructure the pricing system are also underway, which will make the service more cost-effective for consumers who will be charged per data packet transmitted instead of per-minute connections.

The affordability of WAP-enabled phones remains to be an issue for the cellular phone market, a majority of whom are pre-paid customers. The cost-conscious Filipino will have to get rid of his current unit, purchase a WAP-enabled phone and then will have to contend with the costs of maintaining the service.

Another reason for the slow adoption of WAP is the limited amount of applications available. The content industry is still maturing in the Philippines. Competitions and programs have been spearheaded by non-profit organizations and cellular phone operators to encourage the creation of more applications and a wider choice of content for the technology. Several Philippine portal sites have been created, offering a variety of services. The Smart WAP sites include mail and messaging, news, banking and finance, auctions, e-yellow pages, transportation, games, infotainment, portals as well as DHL tracking services. Globe Telecom has a host of WAP services as well. These include entertainment, news and information, foreign exchange, traffic and directory information. It will be exciting to see how the WAP industry takes off in the Philippines as well as the introduction of the next generation 3G mobile phone system.

In a country like the Philippines, technology and access to information may not be the top priority of majority of the population. With a third of the population living below poverty level, putting food on the table and providing basic education for their children may be more important. However, there’s the big challenge we are faced with: to prepare our youth to be technologically proficient individuals who will be part of a competitive workforce. Indeed, there’s a need for government and private sector initiatives to computerize our schools. The "PCs to Public Schools" program, the technoparks, klikstations and Internet cafes create the momentum to make the country and its people more technologically adept. Bringing students to the level of an information-based society is crucial to a country’s progress.

Two ‘Divides’

But sadly, it is not just the problem of "digital divide," as tech-savvy people call it, that we are faced with. There is the divide that separates the country’s rich and poor and it is growing wider every day. Last month’s riot in Mendiola was not only only a wake-up call for many but also a glimpse into the struggle that runs so deep in the lives of our less fortunate brothers and sisters for whom any symbol of relief and deliverance, no matter how twisted, offers hope.

We are faced with these two great divides. But we are a hopeful people, creative and ingenious, expressive and enduring. We struggle to educate our youth towards two very important goals: wiring them for life in preparation for the workplace of the future and at the same time, imparting to them valuable lessons in life. We hope to teach our youth to be more involved, to reach out and be one with us in our struggle as a people to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor. It is a long journey but we are a people who adapt to change easily.

As a self-confessed generation texter, I think the phenomenon of text messaging is a manifestation of a people’s ability to adapt technology to their needs. The highly creative Filipinos have taken technology to greater heights by applying it to their daily lives, their struggles and their triumphs. The potential for access to limitless amount of information will have its advantages and disadvantages. The future of wireless applications in the Philippines has yet to be seen but text messaging has given the world a window into the creative lives of a people struggling to survive amidst increasing change.