Local Mobile Internet Usage Explodes

Free, easy-to-use social networking services which work across smartphones, tablets and other Web-enabled devices are driving mobile internet growth nationwide. Hence, Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) intends to use services like SmartNet as a launchpad to boost its over 47.7 million subscribers “We observed that 70% of users with services like SmartNet use their phones to access the Internet, compared to the 10% industry-wide average,” disclosed Smart head for Broadband Internet and Data Services Gio Bacareza. SmartNet, a home-grown service, allows highly social but budget-conscious Filipinos to chat, search and add contacts from the cloud, check their Facebook and Twitter social stream without switching applications, post online updates, among other things, for free. Banking on this momentum and on the 300% surge in the number of Android users in its network, Smart also made the latest SmartNet version downloadable for free from the Android Market. Created specifically for emerging markets, SmartNet has a "Safe Browse" feature which keeps other applications outside SmartNet from accessing the Web in the background – taking away the risk of bill shock, or incurring unexpected data charges. Brisk sales of SmartNet-powered Samsung Galaxy Y Netphone Edition also increased the number of smartphones in the telco’s network. With over 700,000 Android devices – from smartphones to tablets to ‘phablets’ or the hybrid smartphone-tablets – activated globally every day, SmartNet’s support for other Android devices allows more subscribers to maximize the use of their smartphones. “Soon, even non-Smart subscribers can enjoy SmartNet and benefit from its features,” Bacareza announced. “It will allow more people to connect with the biggest community of mobile users in the Philippines. Even overseas Filipinos will be able to enjoy SmartNet.” SmartNet is also set to be deployed to work on iOS devices, as well as feature phones.