Globe Telecom launches 2 new value-added services

Globe Telecom launched yesterday two new value-added services that will allow Handyphone users to create their own content and send text messages to 25 recipients simultaneously.

The text group and the text site services are the newest additions to the myGlobe mobile e-services and are expected to further boost the volume of short message service (SMS) or text messages from the current volume of 1.5 billion messages a month for the whole industry and 800,000 messages in the case of Globe as of end-2000.

According to Nonie Busuego, Globe director for wireless data services marketing, using text groups to send messages to other Globe Handyphone users is convenient since the message sender needs to send only once for it to be received by all his intended recipients (who must all first agree to be members of the text group).

Any Globe Handyphone user can easily start his or her own text group by inviting others to join in. The user has the capability to give his text group its own name, as long as the name is not yet taken.

Users who are invited to join text groups will receive a text message notification inviting them to become a member of the group. Busuego said the service is voluntary and a Globe subscriber can reject any invitation to join a text group by simply ignoring the text message invitation.

"What is very clear here is that a subscriber has to agree to become a member of the text group first and therefore cannot receive a text group message from a group where he is not a member. We are also calling on text groups to adhere to responsible texting so that each message will be valuable to each member of the group," he said.

Under the Text Group Service, each member is charged P1 for every text group message sent and received.

Busuego revealed that right now, thousands of ‘communities’ have already reserved for their text group name. "We have a lot of student group as well as homeowners’ groups such as the Magallanes village text site," he said.

This new service will also allow text groups to create their own content. The Globe official said that right now, content providers of myGlobe are mostly big companies like ABS-CBN, CNN, and BPI who have not only the technical competence but also the funds to invest in hardware and connectivity.

"Through this service, we are helping communities and groups who do not have these capabilities to provide content. We are creating an open platform in which content providers and communities can create profiles and content through SMS/WAP and the Web," Busuego said.

Meanwhile, the new text site service provides Globe subscribers the capability to create their own mobile e-service or text sites. Much like a website, text sites are mobile sites wherein one can post information that other subscribers can obtain. Once their text sites are existing, users can easily update their information using an online computer or the text messaging capabilities of their Globe Handyphone.

Busuego said the text site service gives communities the chance to form their own mobile service, and create information and server which can be downloaded on the Handyphone via a keyword or WAP.

"Our vision for this new portal is to energize the development of communities within the Globe subscriber base and build a world of content without borders," he added.

To start using text group and text site, Globe Handyphone users need to register at www.myglobe.com.ph and click on the My Services Link. They would then need to enrol for a text group or text site service and reserve a desired keyword. Once successfully registered, a Globe subscriber would only need to input the correct keyword and send it to 2355 to send a text group message or get the posted information.