Cellphone firms back new technology

At least five cellular phone manufacturers have agreed to support a new technology that will allow mobile phone users to send multi-media data via text messaging or short messaging service (SMS).

This was learned from Alcatel Phils. president Buddy Gomez who told The STAR that this new technology known as enhanced messaging service (EMS) will revolutionize text messaging in the country.

Alcatel, whose cellular phones are among the top five brands in the country based on number of units sold, will be the first to introduced EMS via its newest phone, One Touch 511 which is said to be the lightest and most compact mobile phone currently available in the Philippine market.

Gomez said that EMS will allow the sending of melodies, icons, smiley, and animation through text messaging. It will also make possible the sending of text messages to e-mail addresses and will allow SMS broadcast.

One Touch 511, which will retail for around P10,000, is a WAP-enabled phone that is lightweight at 75 grams since its casing is made of aluminum, and provides an entirely new acoustical environment, incorporating new polyphonic capabilities with a guarantee of optimal sound quality.

Via polyphonics, users of this phone can now have ringing tones or create new ones that incorporate eight musical instruments at the same time as against existing tones that use only one instrument. It also has a zoom function so that one can choose to have four lines or six lines.

Local content developers like Information Gateway, Entertainment Gateway, among others, and in tandem with the cellular service providers, have already spearheaded and are making available local content in addition to those which are already available internationally.

Last year, Alcatel is said to have sold over 500,000 to 600,000 phones in the local market and according to country manager for mobile phones division Rowen Untivero, they have managed to grow every year since they entered the market in 1999.

Untivero acknowledges that Nokia is still the number one selling brand in the Philippines but quickly added that the number two spot is anybody’s ballgame. "Since there is no audit in this particular field, anybody can claim to be number two and all we can say is that we are up there," he said.

Alcatel is currently the fifth largest GSM mobile phone vendor in the world and is among the top five vendors in New Zealand, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines. "We aim to improve our ranking in the Philippines and will be working aggressively to achieve that goal," company officials said.

Aside from cellular phones, the company is also into building next generation networks, delivering integrated end-to-end voice and data networking solutions to established and new carriers, as well as enterprises and consumers worldwide. It operates in more than 130 countries.

Alcatel is also making a huge step forward as it moves from its previous positioning in the entry level market to the active replacement market starting next year.

Gomez said that while previous Alcatel phones catered mainly to first time users of cellular phones, this time around, the company will be making a pitch for the mid-range and active replacement market as a viable brand alternative.