This landmark partnership, dubbed Bridge Mobile Alliance, is composed of SingTel Mobile (Singapore), Telkomsel (Indonesia), Maxis (Malaysia), SingTel Optus (Australia), Airtel (India), Taiwan Mobile (Taiwan), CSL (Hong Kong) and the Philippines’ Globe Telecom.
It will operate through a Singapore-based joint venture company called Bridge Mobile Pte Ltd.
Lim Chuan Poh, chairman of Bridge Mobile Alliance, sees the partnership as the first step toward achieving regional cooperation among Asia-Pacific telcos.
"This is a milestone achievement, bringing us one step closer to the vision of a seamless mobile service experience across the Asia-Pacific region," he says.
Bridge Mobile Alliance aims to establish a regional mobile infrastructure and common service platform to provide improved voice, data and SMS roaming services across the region.
"Bridge Mobile Alliance enables its members to deliver a seamless cross-border mobile experience to 64 million subscribers across a highly diverse and fragmented region. Roamers can now enjoy greater convenience and consistency of mobile experience," says Dr. Patrick Sim, chief executive officer of Bridge Mobile Pte Ltd.
Globe Telecom chief executive officer Gerry Ablaza welcomed the alliance as a major development consistent with Globe’s commitment to provide outstanding service to its consumers.
"This initiative is, indeed, an exciting opportunity for Globe. Increasingly, the business of Globe is taking on a dimension beyond the Philippines. For one, we have a significant number of overseas Filipinos and we are looking to serve their needs for connectivity with their families in the Philippines," Ablaza says.
Nikko Acosta, Globe Telecom’s international services head, sees the Bridge Mobile Alliance as a relevant opportunity to boost Globe Telecom’s international communication services.
"This partnership will certainly enhance our capability to serve Filipinos working or traveling abroad, as well as travelers from other Asia-Pacific countries visiting the Philippines," he says.
Globe International Services currently provides roaming services to over 180 international destinations.
With more than 380 roaming partners and still constantly expanding, it also offers varied communication options such as International SMS and MMS, Traveler’s Internet, and the Travelers SIM with free Traveler’s Privilege Card, as well Globe’s lowest IDD rate ever for G-Plan and Globelines Post-Paid (residential and SME) subscribers.
Globe International Services has already implemented projects such as the Meet and Assist program, in partnership with the Department of Tourism, which provides assistance and information to arriving foreign tourists.