Stock News 2011: Smart, HTC forge smartphone partnership

Image by Getty Images via @daylife
Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) and leading smartphone manufacturer HTC Corporation (HTC) announced their exclusive partnership last week, with the country’s biggest mobile operator set to offer the latter’s most advanced devices to the Philippine market.

The partnership was an aggressive move on the part of the two industry leaders to drive the Philippine smartphone ‘revolution’ in a worldwide market estimated to grow 55% year-on-year this 2011.

Recently, Smart reported a 102% jump in the number of smartphone users in its network from February to May 2011, particularly those using handsets that run on Google’s Android operating system (OS).

“Our alliance with HTC is key to our smartphone strategy of providing the best network, complemented by the best plans, to power the best devices – in order to create the best customer experience,” says Orlando Vea, co-founder and Chief Wireless Advisor of Smart.

For its part, HTC has sold about 9.7 million smartphones worldwide – an increase of 192% year-on-year – a feat which it wants to repeat locally.

http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/326419/smart-htc-forge-smartphone-partnership

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Stock News 2010: Sun Cellular now offers Facebook for free

Image by Getty Images via @daylife
MANILA, Philippines – Sun Cellular subscribers can now enjoy connecting with their friends and family on Facebook for free with their handsets. The service provided by Sun Cellular is Facebook Zero, a light version of Facebook for mobile phones. The service allows users check their status, update their news feed, and comment without shelling out a single peso, thus the name “Zero.”

Sun Cellular is the only mobile operator in the Philippines to tie up with Facebook and offer this mobile service for free.

“Facebook offered the FB for free on mobile phones to all mobile operators worldwide. Knowing how popular Facebook is with its subscribers, Sun Cellular saw this as opportunity to extend value added services to its users and signed up,” explains Ricky Pena, Sun Cellular Vice-President for Postpaid and New Business.

Facebook Zero is a light service allowing users to check their status, read and update news feeds from friends, and post comments for free. Charges will only apply when users access external links and photos.

All Sun Cellular subscribers with GRPS capable handsets can start using Facebook Zero. Once your cellphone is activated, go to wap.suncellular.com.ph and click on ‘Free Facebook’.

http://www.mb.com.ph/node/290287/