Globe Telecom ties up with Taiwan Mobile

Telecommunications giants Globe Telecom and Taiwan Mobile have tied up to come up with a service that would allow thousands of Filipinos working in Taiwan to get connected with their friends and families in the Philippines at the lowest, most affordable rates.

The partnership has resulted in the Taiwan Mobile Ok Kababayan SIM, the first and only prepaid SIM for Filipinos in Taiwan.

The Ok Kababayan SIM was successfully launched during the Ok Ka Kababayan Fiesta held last Oct. 22 at the historic Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall, the biggest Filipino gathering ever witnessed in Taiwan. Globe and its partners brought over celebrities from the Philippines to add to the occasion’s festive atmosphere.

The Ok Kababayan SIM offers rates for calls made to Globe and Touch Mobile (TM) which are at least 50 percent lower than those of other Taiwan-based cellular providers.

For instance, the Ok Kababayan SIM offers IDD rate of NT$4.5 per minute for calls to Globe and TM as compared to the NT$9.50 to NT$11 per minute of other Taiwan cellular providers.

Aside from the affordable call rates, Ok Kababayan SIM’s NT$1 for international SMS to Globe and TM is also much cheaper than the NT$5 per ISMS of other Taiwan cellular operators. On top of these, Ok Kababayan subscribers also get a bonus of 20 domestic SMS for every NT$300 Ok card reloaded into the SIM.

In the Philippines, with the Globe Super Sulit Tipid IDD promos, calls to Taiwan Mobile are offered at the local rate of P7.50 per minute or approximately $0.13, versus other networks which charge as high as $0.40 per minute.

"This is part of the two companies’ overall corporate thrust to serve the growing OFW market. Globe and Taiwan Mobile are committed to enrich and bring families closer together through mobile communication. We envision more synergies between Globe and Taiwan Mobile to help strengthen the bond between the Filipinos in Taiwan and their loved ones back home," according to Andrew Buay, Globe chief operating advisor.

For his part, Ferdinand dela Cruz, Globe head for consumer business added: "We continually aim to better serve our subscribers who have family members working abroad. We want to show them that Globe is the cellular network that truly cares for OFWs and their families by keeping them connected and empowering them to maximize their time, effort and money through tailor-fit, convenient and relevant cellular services."

Globe and Taiwan Mobile are members of the Bridge Mobile Alliance, the biggest alliance of telecommunications companies in Asia-Pacific.