International mag names Smart among RP’s top 10 firms

For the fourth time in five years, Smart Communications, Inc. has been cited as one of the Philippines’ top ten leading companies in an annual survey conducted by the Far Eastern Economic Review, a leading Asian weekly magazine.

"We are pleased that the citation comes at a time when Smart has strengthened its leadership in the GSM market," said Napoleon L. Nazareno, Smart president and CEO. "In particular, we are gratified that Smart has further improved its ranking in the criteria of being ‘Innovative in Responding to Customer Needs.’"

Each year, the magazine surveys business executives and professionals across the region to identify the 200 companies in 11 Asian countries with the best corporate leadership qualities. Respondents to the survey ranked selected multinational and local firms on overall leadership as well as five other key leadership categories: Service and product quality, innovation, vision, financial soundness, and on whether other firms try to emulate them.

Smart was first cited in the Review 200 survey in 1998, a year before it launched its GSM service. Since then, Smart has built the country’s largest GSM network with 7.6 million subscribers as of end-September 2002.

In 2002, Smart introduced various world-leading innovations in its GSM service. It launched the 64K SuperSIM, the world’s most powerful SIM. When combined with Smart’s mobile commerce platform, the SuperSIM is capable of providing a wide range of value-added services.

The SuperSIM and m-commerce system has been attracting the attention of operators overseas. Smart, through its subsidiary Smart Money Holdings Corp. (SMHC), has already licensed this system to Telekom Malaysia’s mobile subsidiary, TMTOUCH.

This year, Smart also introduced PureText 100, the world’s first text-only service. Designed to assist subscribers facing temporary financial difficulties, PureText 100 has been very well received by the pre-paid subscribers of both Smart Buddy and Piltel’s Talk ’N Text.

The company also launched its Multi-media Messaging Service, provided its subscribers with a richer customer experience through polyphonic tunes combined with graphics and photos.

In 2002, Smart introduced Smart Link, its fixed satellite terminal using ACeS technology for rural telephony solution. Now offered at less than P5,000 per unit and featuring peak and off-peak call rates, Smart Link has been well received in remote provincial areas from Batanes to Tawi-Tawi.

"By combining cellular and satellite technologies, Smart is the only mobile operator in the country that can literally cover every square foot of Philippine territory – on land and sea," Nazareno said. "That means that every barangay in the country – no matter how remote – can now be connected to the world quickly and affordably by Smart."

A subsidiary of leading Philippine carrier Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT), Smart has been at the forefront of wireless innovation in the Philippines, among them, Smart Zed, the mobile portal for wireless services, and Smart Money, the electronic wallet linked to the mobile phone.