Smart Link expands services to include new VoIP offering

MANILA, Philippines - Filipino seafarers who own Smart Link SIMs may now make calls to any Philippine or international number using a new Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service offered by Smart.

Dubbed as the Smart Link NetFone, the service has been designed to complement the existing Smart Link satellite phone service, which is used in areas beyond the reach of landlines or cellular signals.

To avail themselves of the new VoIP service, Smart Link subscribers simply have to register their Smart Link SIM card number and download the NetFone software program from the Smart Link website (http://www.smart.com.ph/smartlink). Once NetFone is installed on a computer, the subscriber may log on to NetFone using his registered Smart Link number and password on a virtual keyboard, to directly call via the Internet to any mobile or landline number in any part of the world.

Through the Smart Link NetFone service, Filipino seafarers may now use computers with Internet connectivity to make calls wherever they may be overseas.

And because they can use their existing Smart Link numbers and Smart Link load to access both satellite and VoIP services, they need not switch SIMs or purchase new electronic load increments.

“As the country’s leading wireless provider, Smart has always been committed to empower and enable Filipino workers, who account for majority of our subscriber base,” said Orlando Vea, Smart chief wireless advisor.

“This new service reinforces our vision to provide innovative and relevant communication services that will help uplift the lives and livelihood of Filipino workers, especially those overseas,” Vea added.

The Smart Link NetFone is accessible anywhere there is Internet service and offers competitive rates — going as low as P6.50 per minute for calls made to any Smart, Talk ‘N Text or PLDT phone.

Calls made to other networks in the Philippines are priced at P10 per minute. Smart Link NetFone users may also make Internet calls to other parts of the world with IDD rates starting at $0.25 per minute.

“The Smart Link NetFone is an enhancement of satellite phone service experience made possible only by Smart,” said Tina Mariano, Smart Global Access Group head.

“And we will continue to expand the communication options available to Filipino seafarers, to keep them connected to their loved ones back home,” she said.

Since 2001, Smart has been operating its prepaid satellite service via Smart Link. Utilizing the ACeS and Inmarsat satellite facilities, Smart Link provides a reliable means of communication to seafarers who frequent the seas of the Asia-Pacific, Indian Ocean, Middle East, Africa, and selected parts of Europe and the Mediterranean.

With its affordable satellite call rates and extensive reach covering major sea routes, it is the ideal communication tool for those who work in the maritime sector.

The new Smart Link Netfone service expands Smart Link’s coverage to now include land and sea territories beyond ACeS and Inmarsat satellite service areas.

For more information on the Smart Link NetFone, log on to http://www.smart.com.ph/smartlink.