MOBILE services provider Smart Communications Inc. has expanded its data-roaming service to 120 countries, benefiting the prepaid segment of the 67-million mobile-subscriber base of the telecommunications group.
From just 112 countries in 2015, Smart’s data-roaming coverage has now been expanded to more than eight additional countries, including top tourism destinations, Smart EVP Ernesto R. Alberto said on Sunday.
“We know that the increasing availability of affordable airfare and accommodations continues to stimulate overseas tourism among Filipinos. Smart’s mobile-data service in the country’s largest data-roaming network is designed to help encourage this by making their travels more pleasant and, eventually, empower Filipinos to travel and learn more by seeing more of the world,” he said.
Available at the flat rate of P550 per day and offered via load cards that are valid for one, two, or three days, the Smart Surf Abroad 550 package provides users with worry-free and convenient mobile-data connectivity while traveling overseas.
This allows travelers with prepaid subscription to stay online using their smartphone while overseas, whether to post photos and updates on their social networks, or to use chat apps to keep in touch with their contacts, or to navigate unfamiliar areas using commuter-service apps and travel guides—all without waiting for the availability of Wi-Fi.
Based on the latest World Tourism Barometer released in January this year by the United Nations World Travel Organization, international tourist arrivals worldwide increased 4.4 percent versus the previous year, reaching a record almost 1.2 billion in 2015—a figure the agency further expects to grow by 4 percent worldwide in 2016.
The same organization also identified Filipinos as one of the fastest-growing travel spenders among emerging markets in 2013.
“Our strong partnerships with the top mobile operators in over 120 countries allow us to offer this service, and we will continue to expand this data-roaming network to serve the communication needs of the growing number of Filipino travelers,” Smart Vice President Alejandro O. Caeg said.
Smart’s improved data-roaming offer, Surf Abroad 550, caters to a growing market of young travelers, often referred to as “millennials,” who are increasingly traveling for leisure in other countries, given new overseas routes and lower airfare promos made available by local airlines.
“We know that our subscribers have increasingly come to depend on mobile data when they are at home, and more so when they are traveling the world—for that always-on, instant-sharing experience,” Smart Head for Global Access and International Services Cristina Z. Mariano said.
Mobile-data usage on Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co.’s wireless segment continues to surge dramatically, increasing by 139 percent for the first nine months of 2015, and leading to wireless broadband and mobile Internet, in particular, posting record highs in revenue growth during the third quarter of 2015.
“We have designed Surf Abroad 550 to be very easy to activate, affordable, and relevant to the digital and mobile needs of traveling Filipinos – so wherever they are in the world, they can instantly capture and share their experiences online via Facebook, Instagram, and other social networks. This is part of our commitment to empower our subscribers to live the ‘Smart Life’ even while traveling overseas,” Mariano said.
Surf Abroad 550 is also available as a fully automated service for Smart Postpaid subscribers, for a worry-free data roaming experience.