Smart relies on 'unli' on-net services to boost postpaid business

MANILA, Philippines - Wireless leader Smart Communications is banking on the unabated demand for unlimited on-net services to help ramp up its postpaid business.

Its set of plans called Unli Postpaid +, which offers unlimited calling and texting to any Smart, Talk ‘N Text, or red Mobile number plus a free handset, continues to generate activations for the telco, tripling the number of new Smart subscribers in just two months since its launch in July.

“By offering the best combination of value and quality available in the market today, this has become the fastest growing postpaid variant of Smart. We are banking on it to help keep our postpaid numbers up until the end of this year,” Smart mobile marketing head Guido Zaballero said.

The telco leader’s aggressive push for its unli postpaid comes at the heels of a massive network transformation initiative of Smart and its parent company Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT).

“Our improved network allows us to provide better unli service and make the packages more attractive,” Zaballero noted.

Zaballero refers to the P67.1 billion worth of investments made by PLDT and Smart to improve network elements. The upgrades will allow the network to handle and accommodate higher volumes of calls and text messages and data traffic, thus improving the experience for customers.

“We’re confident that our users will continue to see the benefits of being on Smart, including superior call quality, nationwide coverage, and no downtime,” Zaballero added.

Smart is also making the offer more accessible to customers of PLDT and its affiliated utility companies Meralco, Maynilad, and Cignal Digital TV.

The Unli Postpaid + plans available to PLDT, Meralco, Maynilad, and Cignal customers come in two variants.

Plan 299 comes with unli SMS to any Smart, Talk ‘N Text, or red Mobile number plus a free Samsung E1080, and 50 SMS to other networks.

For better value, Plan 599 offers unli calls and SMS to any of the 47.8 million numbers within the Smart network, a free Nokia C1-01, plus 100 SMS to other networks. 

“No other network can claim a calling circle base as big as Smart’s, and Unli Postpaid Plan 599 subscribers don’t even need to use a prefix when placing an unli call to another Smart number, offering them real convenience and value for money,” Zaballero said.

To avail of an Unli Postpaid + plan, PLDT, Meralco, Maynilad, and Cignal customers just need to proceed to the nearest Smart sotre and present their latest and paid original billing statement, a valid proof of identification, and a signed and accomplished Service Application Form (SAF).