This revolution will be text-messaged

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The reason is simple. It's cheap, far cheaper than making voice phone calls. Globe, one of the two largest mobile carriers in the Philippines, charges between 6.50 and 7.50 pesos (15 to 17 cents) per minute for a voice call. But text messages cost only 1 peso, or about 1 cent per message. What's more, prepaid plans give as many as 65 free text messages per load.

"I can't even use all the free text messages they give me," said Stephanie Rahill, an American living and working in Manila.

With roughly 30 percent of the entire population living on less than a dollar a day, according the United Nations, cost is an important issue for Filipinos, especially as cell phones start penetrating even the lowest rungs of the economic ladder.

More than 53 million people are expected to own a cell phone in the Philippines by the end of 2007, according to a recent study by CD Castro Consultancy, a Philippines-based consulting firm specializing in telecommunications. This puts the penetration rate somewhere around 60 percent of the population. By contrast, the CTIA, the mobile industry association in the U.S., has predicted that more than 250 million Americans will subscribe to cell phone service in 2007 for a penetration rate of over 82 percent.

But beyond just being cheap, cell phone operators in the Philippines have also made it easy for people to purchase service. As in other developing countries, most mobile users buy prepaid voice cards instead of subscribing to expensive contracts.

In an effort to make it easier for customers to "top up" their phones, Smart and Globe allow users to purchase credit electronically from retailers who transfer the credit to their phones. Signs reading "E-Load" appear in almost every village. The companies also offer top-ups in denominations as small as 30 pesos.

The cheap service plans have made it easier for even the poorest Filipinos to afford cell phone service. And experts say these cutthroat prices, coupled with a robust market for used and secondhand phones, will likely increase the volume of cell phone users and as a result text messaging in general.

With only about 30 people showing up to the most recent attempt at a government overthrow, it seems the era of "people power" protests could be over in the Philippines. But I'm sure this week's nationwide Jeepney driver strike gave Filipinos struggling with another traffic headache plenty to discuss via SMS.

[usarioclave]

Wala Ng Load?

Sir! Wala ng load ako!

[Pilarchip1]

Nice article! Informative

It would be nice to see a follow up article as to why the vast difference between SMS use and voice use in the Philippines as well as the "cellular" access to the internet as it is more common in Asia than other parts of the world.

[Chester Pun Chuen]

LOST OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

I am impress with the ability of a lot of Filipinos being able to use the technology but the effect that I see especially with our young people is that they tend to lose their capability in speaking and spelling the write english words.

I have witness some e-mails and letters that people could no longer see the difference in writing formal letters. I believe in the use of modern technology but we should still emphasize the exercise of proper writing and speaking in order for us to face the global economy.

Filipinos tend use cell phones just for show, or maybe just want to be IN with the trend to the point of sacrificing a lot more important things.

I hope this will awaken some of you and understand my position.

[kteddyv]

Actually, if i may go against you I don't think that's truly why we Filipinos use texting.

We use them in order to communicate with each other iin a fast, cheap way. Now then consider this; typing everything properly such as this sentence:

I'm in trouble, do you mind going over here to help out?

Yes I know it doesn't look like much but consider sending it instead like this:

im n truble d u mind goin ovr here to hlp ot?

Many people can fully understand that without taking much time, and I'm sure if people text alot they will comprehend it too. And by simply texting this way, omitting some letters here and there, you will more efficiently send your text messages and save time.

After all the whole point of texting is not proper English or Tagalog or Japanese, its to send a message as cheaply and fast as possible. And proper English just wont cut it.

And just saying but, Filipinos aren't trying to be IN with the trend, we STARTED this texting trend. We are the texting capital of the world after all.

[idaks16]

wow! philippines featured in CNET... for #1 texters in the world.. hehe..

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