A smart life, unboxed

MANILA, Philippines - Smart has built a legacy of bringing mobile innovations into the life of all Filipinos, and with the digital wave upon us, we have come up with innovative products and services to bring the real-life benefits of connectivity to as many Filipinos as possible,” said PLDT and Smart chairman and CEO Manny V. Pangilinan at the Smart Unbox event recently.

Following its rebrand last month, Smart recently unboxed its latest slew of innovations that aims to change the way Filipinos connect, enrich their passions, and ultimately optimize their digital life.

“Late last year we discovered that we were behind the other network on the 3G side,” said Pangilinan. “So there was a huge effort  in catching up, and today, I believe we have a better network in 3G than Globe.  There has also been a significant effort in building our LTE site on the data network and that is proceeding very well — by yearend we will have a significant platform on 4G throughout the country.”

Pangilinan added that what was the most important part of the “Smart Unboxing” event that night was “our ability to deliver, enrich and enhance the experience that our customers have — and that means more data products, more data services that they want  so that we can break barriers and bridge gaps.”

A new day for Smart

Smart Wireless consumer operations head Katrina Luna-Abelarde led the Smart Unbox presentation at Shangri-La at The Fort, saying, “Our multi-pronged efforts range from bringing the smartphone into the hands of more digital newbies, to providing the most awesome content for young digital natives, to making sure that everyone will enjoy the best data experience. Our goal is to make sure no one gets left behind by this digital shift.”

Abelarde introduced Smart’s bigger and better Smartphone Prepaid Kit at only P1,288, making it easier for Filipinos to connect to mobile Internet and get accustomed to using online apps and services.

“For those with multiple gadgets, sharing connections is a lot easier with our Smart Bro pocket Wi-Fi, which we offer for only P888,” she added. “The digital life, as we all know, starts with a smartphone and we are making it easier for every Filipino to own one.”

Smart also announced its Super Speed LTE SIMs as well as Giga Surf 50, its biggest data offer with 1GB data for surfing and apps, plus free 300MB for video streaming on YouTube and iflix, valid for three days at only P50. As an innovative feature, this 1GB data can be shared with other prepaid subscribers through Smart’s Pasadata service.

Smart has teamed up with Twitter to further enhance its customer experience via @SMARTCares with live feedback and a faster response system. Smart is the first brand in the Philippines to use Twitter as its main customer-service touch point for customer care needs and account inquiries in real-time.

To help subscribers maximize their data experience, Smart is powering Marty the Smarty, everyone’s go-to guy for all kinds of questions and concerns about mobile data and the Internet, accessible via his website, www.martythesmarty.com, and official account on Twitter, @martysmarty.

Smart has also further enhanced its My Smart mobile app so prepaid and postpaid subscribers can manage their accounts 24/7 — anytime and anywhere. Downloadable on Google Play Store and iTunes, this simple and convenient app also allows subscribers to register and check the status of promos, load up their account and even redeem perks.

The “Own It” campaign is a platform that encourages everyone, especially the youth, to share their passions to the world, giving them a voice larger than themselves.  Under this campaign, Smart has teamed up with YouTube for Smart Launchpad, a program to help budding content creators upload their own work and broadcast it to the world via Upload Stations all over the country. Smart will be tapping industry experts for workshops that will lead to a selection of the most deserving content creators to fly to LA for a once-in-a-lifetime experience of collaborating with the biggest YouTube stars.

Along with MCA Music, Smart recently kicked off Smart Music Live! last July 14 in a free-for-subscribers concert that featured Ely Buendia, Up Dharma Down and Nathan Sykes at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Smart Music Live will also feature perks and meet-and-greet events for upcoming concerts of hit artists like Selena Gomez on July 31, In the Mix featuring Third Eye Blind, Panic! At the Disco, James Bay, Elle King and Twin Pines on August 18, and Shawn Mendes in October.

Of course, to make sure that those of us at the “Smart Unbox” event that night were able to experience all the brand has to offer, we were able to download the Smart Life app on the prepaid Smart phones made available at the event.  This app is a breakthrough one that features daily exclusive digital perks, videos, music, and games for mobile users.

Currently in its initial phase, the app will roll out exciting new functionalities as well as host top-rated content from D5 Studio, feature sports coverage such as FIBA and the upcoming Olympics, and other compelling digital content created for and by users for even more delightful experiences.

“At the center of all these new products and services is our effort to transform our networks into the country’s most extensive and data-capable infrastructure, so we are able to deliver faster, more reliable and more affordable Internet services across the country,” Pangilinan said. “Smart has had a long tradition of innovations.  Tonight is simply an extension of the tradition of innovations that we’d like to convey to you. Starting this year  you will see more and more innovations, more and more progress, more and more activity in this digital world that our customers demand of us.”