Smart reaps awards for disaster response

MANILA, Philippines - Wireless services leader Smart Communications Inc. (Smart) achieved back-to-back wins in two prestigious awards programs in Barcelona, getting recognition both for its quick network restoration and emergency response efforts in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Yolanda and for its revolutionary mobile Internet platform SmartNet.

SafePH – Smart’s disaster preparedness and emergency response program which was put to the test when Yolanda devastated Central Philippines last November – was named “Best Use of Mobile for Emergency or Humanitarian Efforts” at the GSMA Global Mobile Awards 2014, which is dubbed the Oscars of the mobile industry.

In comments posted on the GSMA Global Mobile Awards website, judges said SafePH was commendable on many levels: preparedness, partnerships, and the rolling out of a whole portfolio of services aimed at improving communications access for the affected community in a rapid response fashion.

Meanwhile, SmartNet won the “Operator OTT Service Launch Award” at the inaugural Telecoms.com Awards.

It was recognized as an innovative response to the challenges presented by the rise of OTT (over-the-top) services.

SmartNet is an innovation developed by Smart subsidiary Voyager Innovations which offers the use of popular mobile applications such as Twitter, Facebook, Facebook Chat, and Yahoo! Messenger for free.

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Smart was the only Philippine telco to be shortlisted at the Telecoms.com Awards.

Other Smart nominees were Smart Satellite Services for the Connecting the Unconnected Award, the Katok-At-Tex offers of Smart’s value brand Talk ’N Text for the Mobile Pricing Innovation Award, and Smart’s Self-Care program for the CEM Award for customer relationship management.