AMID a tight competition and the economic slowdown, Smart Communications Inc. reported a double-digit growth in subscriber base, boosted by cheap promotional offerings.
The country’s leading mobile- phone provider said subscriber base rose to 35 million as of end-2008, up by 16 percent compared with last year.
Smart said the growth in the cellular business was bolstered by new low-cost service offerings that were developed, based on the usage patterns of subscribers.
Napoleon Nazareno, Smart president and chief executive, said the company has maintained its leadership in the mobile-phone industry through innovative product offerings based on strategic market.
“We call it ‘slicing and dicing’ the market and the objective is to address the needs of different segments of our subscriber base.”
Orlando Vea, Smart chief wireless advisor said, “We complemented our initiatives in our mainstream business by introducing mobile broadband services that are laying the foundation for our future growth. This is part of our vision of promoting Internet for all as a means of further improving the lives of Filipinos.”
In the last quarter of 2008, Smart also boosted its postpaid business by introducing Smart
Gold Lite, which offers an affordable voice call rate of P2 per minute for Smart-to-Smart calls.
After building its fixed wireless Internet service, Smart also said that the company is now developing its mobile Internet business.
In 2008, it launched postpaid and prepaid Smart Bro mobile Internet services using USB modem devices. By year-end, this was the fastest-growing segment of the wireless broadband business.
“Offering USB plug it devices attached to laptops is the first step in developing the mobile broadband business. Soon, you will see more compelling applications offered via cellular handsets. This will usher in the mobile broadband era where the mobile phone is the preferred Internet access device for millions of Filipinos. This will make Internet for All possible,” Vea said.
Smart’s current drive to make broadband Internet more widely available and accessible to
Filipinos aims to replicate what the company helped achieve for its mobile phone business. –Darwin G. Amojelar, Manila Times
July 2025
Nutrition Month
“Give us much more than P50 increase
for proper nutrition!”
Invoke Article 33 of the ILO Constitution
against the military junta in Myanmar
to carry out the 2021 ILO Commission of Inquiry recommendations
against serious violations of
Forced Labour and Freedom of Association protocols.
Accept National Unity Government (NUG)
of Myanmar. Reject Military!
#WearMask #WashHands #Distancing #TakePicturesVideosturesVideos
July
3 July – International Day of Cooperatives
3 July – International Plastic Bag Free Day
5 July – World Youth Skills Day
7 July – Global Forgiveness Day
11 July – World Population Day
17 July – World Day for International Justice
28 July – World Nature Conservation Day
30 July – World Day against Trafficking in Persons
Monthly Observances:
Schools Safety Month
Nutrition Month
National Disaster Consciousness Month
Weekly Observances:
Week 2: Cultural Communities Week
Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise
Development Week
Week 3: National Science and
Technology Week
National Disability Prevention and
Rehabilitation Week
July 1-7:
National Culture Consciousness Week
July 13-19:
Philippines Business Week
Week ending last Saturday of July:
Arbor Week
Daily Observances:
First Saturday of July:
International Cooperative Day
in the Philippines
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