Chikka, the way to text

Filipinos have a thing for sending SMS. We are SMS fiends. Even before it became fashionable, we were in the thick of texting, and even found a way to transform the noun “text” into a verb. At one point, we were dubbed the “text capital of the world,” having the most mobile phone users that utilized the SMS feature.

That was roughly 10 years ago, just about the same time that a fledgling Chikka Instant Messenger made its debut in the then-young world of Filipino Internet. At the time, Internet penetration in the country was very low; only about two percent of the population was connected. Chat was already very popular with MIRC and ICQ leading the pack. But one had to own a computer, not to mention have an Internet connection. More often than not, people ended up texting one another first to let them know that they were going online so they could chat.

Being observational Dennis Mendiola, CIO of Chikka, was able to spot certain trends that were happening. It was quite obvious that more Filipinos had cell phones rather than computers, and that the scope and reach of online chat was limited only to PC owners and those who were Internet savvy. Keeping these in mind, Dennis and his business partners Alexandra Roxas and Chito Bustamante decided to launch the world’s first instant messenger to be seamlessly integrated with SMS technologies: Chikka.

Founded in 2000, Chikka.com introduced the world’s first PC to mobile phone instant messenger, integrating the cost-effectiveness of the Internet and the universality of SMS. We all know how easy it is to send a text message. Through years of research and investment in technology and product development, Chikka has successfully made the use of their program as easy as texting.

Today, mobile subscribers around the world enjoy one or more of the services designed and powered by Chikka; for truly mobile IM and email easily accessed and managed via SMS, for mobile payment systems utilizing call credits, for Free-Reply SMS that aids prepaid mobile subscribers in need of “top-up,” for mobile enabled auctions and matchmaking, and for the most relevant, informative, informative, and entertaining text, voice, and visual content gathered from all across the world.

It may be interesting to note that before Facebook and Twitter made use of “status updates” and “shout-outs,” there was Chikka’s Text Newsletter (launched in 2003,) which delivered millions of updates to specific mobile networks. It wasn’t Ashton Kutcher who was the first to have a million followers using his Twitter account. It was actually Kris Aquino using Chikka after she came out with the whole Joey Marquez debacle.

In truth, Chikka was born out of a need. Dennis used to live abroad and he found it difficult to keep in touch with his family back home. Even as a mere concept, the idea of being able to stay in touch with a cell phone-mad country through the Internet was truly ingenious.

Surely enough he wasn’t the only one experiencing these difficulties. A large number of Filipinos have found themselves in other parts of the globe for various reasons, and connectivity with the motherland is very important to them. Overseas calls can be very expensive, and oftentimes international SMS have delivery charges. Chikka’s PC to mobile phone IM offers a cheaper alternative, but does not scrimp on value and service. Any of its 68 million users can vouch for this.

“Over the years, we’ve been getting emails from Chikka users around the world, telling us how much Chikka means to them,” says CIO Dennis Mendiola. “We provide an easy and cost-efficient way for Filipinos all over the world to communicate, and we’re working hard to develop new services and applications that would address their communication needs better. What makes us unique is that we provide universal access to Filipinos worldwide so they can stay in touch on any communications platform at affordable rates.”

Now approaching its 10th year as a leader and innovator in the PC to mobile market, Chikka is excited to announce that it has developed a new application that allows Chikka users to get more reliable access to the Chikka Messenger and greater value for money. The company will also be releasing the official Chikka application for the iPhone, and is currently at work to make the application available to other smart phones including the Blackberry and Android. As part of its aim to provide universal access across all communications platforms, Chikka is working on building partnerships with other instant messaging application developers.

Chikka is a true representation of Pinoy ingenuity. This reflects in the number of users it has, as well as in the products and services it offers. Also, knowing that it keeps friends and loved ones connected in an inexpensive and straightforward way adds to its appeal as a practical communication tool. At 10 years Chikka is doing its part in keeping the Filipino connected. And that’s something that we can all make chikka about.

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Check it out at www.chikka.com and sign up for free

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E-mail me at enricomiguelsubido@gmail.com