ABS-CBN ties up with SM, Telepreneur for distribution

MANILA, Philippines - ABS-CBNmobile, a partnership between the Lopez family and Ayala-led Globe Telecom Inc., has expanded its network through a partnership with SM Supermalls of retail and banking magnate Henry Sy as it targets two million subscribers all over the country.

Chito Franco, head of National Sales and Distribution of ABS-CBN Convergence Inc., said the company has tied up with SM Supermalls and multi-level marketer Teleprenuer Corp. (TPC) to make its services available to even more Filipinos nationwide.

Franco said the partnerships would strengthen the presence of ABS-CBNmobile all over the country especially in places where it has few distributors and dealers.

ABS-CBNmobile SIMs will now be available in all SM Malls, making it easier for people, especially those who frequent SM Malls, to buy their SIMs and enjoy ABS-CBNmobile’s services.

“SM is the biggest shopping mall chain in the country and this will certainly help ABS-CBNmobile reach out to more Filipinos much more easily. With TPC, we also plan to focus on some pilot areas to see how we can make our presence felt in areas that are far from malls, or areas that are a bit harder to reach,” he said.

These pilot areas include those outside Metro Manila where a stronger presence will benefit ABS-CBNmobile.

TPC president Lorenzo Rellosa said the company could help ABS-CBNmobile with its continuously growing membership that currently numbers to almost 530,000.

Aside from that, Rellosa added that TPC’s community of enterprising Filipinos has the ability and the network to quickly spread ABS-CBNmobile SIMs and load services nationwide.

“We are honored to have this partnership with ABS-CBN, and we look forward to a very fruitful collaboration,” he said.

Nandy Villar, head of Marketing of ABS-CBN Convergence Inc., said he looks forward to having these pilot areas where TPC can help in distributing ABS-CBNmobile’s services.

Last July, it partnered with Kakao Talk allowing ABS-CBNmobile subscribers to call and chat for free until Oct. 7.