Smart to link up with global mobile giant Vodafone

MANILA, Philippines - Leading wireless services provider Smart Communications will become the first preferred partner in the Philippines of Vodafone, one of the world’s largest mobile communications companies.

This partnership will be made possible as the Conexus Mobile Alliance and Vodafone have agreed to form a strategic partnership. Smart has been an active member of the Conexus Mobile Alliance, one of Asia’s largest mobile alliances, since December 2006.

 “We are proud to be a part of this undertaking which will further enhance our ability to meet the growing demand among multinational businesses for sophisticated voice and data communications solutions as well as advanced roaming services within and out of the Asia Pacific region,” said Smart international and carrier business division head Alex Caeg, who is also Conexus Mobile Alliance deputy chairman.

“Our collaboration with Conexus has enabled our subscribers to be among the first in the region to enjoy a $10 daily data rate when roaming on Conexus member networks. With Vodafone, we can look

forward to more of these simpler and customer-friendly benefits over a larger footprint. They will know what to expect in terms of roaming data charges, thus there will no longer be any ‘bill shock’ by the end of the month,” Smart international roaming business and alliances head Mary Alice Ramos noted.

The Conexus-Vodafone partnership extends Conexus members’ present data-roaming reach from 10 Asian markets to over 35 markets in Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Africa.

“The value to Vodafone of collaborating with Smart in the Philippines, one of the Conexus members, will be significant given the growing importance of the Asia region to our enterprise customers,” said Paul-Gerhard Itjeshorst, Acting CEO of Vodafone Partner Markets.

The Conexus Mobile Alliance and Vodafone recently announced they have agreed to form a strategic partnership which will significantly expand Vodafone’s market presence in Asia and provide Conexus member customers with greater support in Vodafone’s global footprint.

 “Under the partnership, Smart’s multinational corporate subscribers will enjoy enhanced network coverage, harmonized roaming rates across multiple countries and greater cost-efficiencies, “Smart enterprise business head Juan Victor Hernandez pointed out.

Smart’s multinational corporate subscribers will also have access to certain resources, products and services of Vodafone Global Enterprise, the business within Vodafone that manages the communications needs of multinational companies. Vodafone Global Enterprise serves 140 customers based in the Asia Pacific and 435 more customers which operate in the region.

Established in April 2006, the Conexus Mobile Alliance seeks to develop and enhance international roaming and corporate mobile services for greater convenience and ease of use for its members’ customers. From a combined customer base of 100 million five years ago, Conexus has grown to over 320 million customers. Together, the alliance will continue to expand global reach and further support diverse customer requirements through collaboration and knowledge-sharing.

Vodafone is one of the world’s largest mobile communications companies by revenue with approximately 382 million customers in its controlled and jointly controlled markets as of end-June 2011. Vodafone currently has equity interests in over 30 countries across five continents and more than 40 partner networks worldwide.