SUBSCRIBEMobile service price war heats up
The cellular service price war heats up with the entry of Smart’s Smart258 service, a response to TouchMobile’s Todo Text Todo Tawag Text as well as Sun’s 24/7. These services offer unlimited voice calls and SMS for a flat rate and at a specific duration.
Launched last Friday (unlimited SMS is launched today), subscribers who wish to avail of this service need to register. Once in, subs will send the number of the person to be called to an access code and wait for a ring back and the call is connected. Talk time is 5 minutes max and has a validity period of 10 days wherein subs need to register again to avail it. Costs P115 and open to the network’s prepaid subscribers under its different brands. Unlimited SMS is valid for 6 days and costs P60. Promo is for one month.
This is, as one column of Cocktails in the business section of INQ7 put it, a mischievous dig at Sun’s 24/7.
Launched also last week but prior to Smart258, this also offers unlimited voice calls and SMS after registration but only open to Touch Mobile subscribers. Costs P300 for voice and P50 for SMS. Promo runs for a month.
The pioneer to this kind of service, which goes back to sometime in October last year, was a hit among various subscribers. Costs P100 for 10 days of unlimited voice calls and texts and P250 for 30 days. Open to postpaid and prepaid subscribers.
Because of its relatively young and small network, it was not prepared to handle the deluge of transactions in its system that its subscribers are plagued with bad quality, delayed text messages and poor service.
This recent phenomenon has rocked the very much competitive telecommunicaitons industry. Not only that, there has been a slew of “unlimited” promotions from landline voice call services to internet access. Already there are affected sectors who are complaining.
The wonders of competition. In the end, the people will benefit.
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