Globe’s Google Free Zone wins telecom award

MANILA, Philippines - Globe Telecom’s Google Free Zone, a service which provided subscribers free access to the Internet and select Google services on Internet-enabled mobile phones, was named as the Most Innovative Telecom Project in the 17th Telecom Asia Awards.

Globe became the world’s first telecom operator to offer access to the Internet and select Google services on Internet-enabled mobile phones without any data charges via Free Zone powered by Google.

The award, tagged as one of the most hotly contested categories, received a total of 14 nominations for this year’s Telecom Asia Awards. It is given to a telecom project that has the biggest impact on the market.

Google Free Zone bested Bridge M2M Alliance, CSL’s shared data plans (multi device and one-for-All plans), Truphone, and Olleh TV Play.

Globe also won the same category last year for mySUPERPLAN, taking the telco to the frontier of the global telecommunications landscape with game-changing products and services.

With Google Free Zone, Globe Prepaid and TM subscribers get easy and instant access to Google Search, Gmail, and Google+ on their feature phones and smartphone without any cost via http://libre.ph.

All a subscriber needs is an Internet-capable handset to search the web, send and receive e-mails, and share experiences anytime, anywhere, minus the mobile browsing charges. With the new mobile browsing offer, Globe extends the unique experience of being online all the time even to its most budget-conscious subscribers.

“This citation testifies to our commitment to a wonderful world of innovative services that our customers can avail. With Google Free Zone, we connected millions of Filipinos to the Internet for free at the comfort of their smartphones,” said Peter Bithos, Globe chief operating advisor.

“Every Filipino enjoyed being online with Google Free Zone without having to pay for data charges, from searching about the latest buzz around the world, to convenient and easy access to e-mail, to sharing experiences via Google+. This pioneering innovation paved the way for one of the best mobile Internet experiences out there, with the availability of an offer where e-mail, search and social networking are all rolled into one at no cost,” he added.