Smart Communications Inc. launched recently its reloadable international direct dialing (IDD) card dubbed as Hellow, specifically designed to help out overseas Filipinos families to avail of huge savings when calling from their loved ones abroad.
Danilo Mojica, head of Smart’s Wireless Consumer Division, said the Hellow card could be used on any Smart or Talk ‘N Text cell phone to make calls for as low as P2.50 per minute to 17 key destinations.
Unlike other IDD services, Mojica said, anyone may avail of the new offering from Smart. An individual just needs to buy the Hellow card, which costs at P30 and pre-loaded with P30, from any Smart Wireless Center and other accredited resellers nationwide.
“This one is a very specific target”, Mojica said during the launch of the new service on September 23.
“People who would not be able to make the phone calls before, now they can with Hellow card as long as they can borrow a phone.”
To enable to use the card, Hellow user just need to key-in the unique account number and PIN printed on the plastic card when using any Smart or Talk ‘N Text phone. The per-minute charge is deducted from the Hellow account and not from the Smart or Talk ‘N Text sim card in the handset.
The P30 load that comes with the Hellow IDD card may be used up to the last P2.50, and subsequent, sachet-sized load denominations of as low as P15. Kathryn Carag, head of Smart’s International
Services, said there are around 1.3 million Smart Load retailers nationwide that also offers load for Hellow for as low as P15.
There is nothing extraordinary with their new offering but they have explored different platforms of Smart to enable to provide more affordable means to overseas Filipino families to communicate with their loved ones based abroad, Carag added.
With the Hellow card, calls to Canada, mainland US, Guam and Hawaii now cost only P2.50 per minute; calls to Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, China, Malaysia and Hong Kong cost P5; and calls for Japan, Australia, UK, Italy and Thailand for P8 per minute, while calls for Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates cost P10.
Carag said Hellow card could still be used to other countries not included in 17 key destinations where the most number of Filipinos may be found.
In its 2009 primer, the Commission on Filipinos Overseas pegged the total number of Filipinos found in more than 193 countries at 8.73 million. According to Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, these overseas Filipinos are expected to remit about $16.4 billion to their families by yearend.
Source: Manila Times
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