PLDT wireless unit Smart Communications and Club Cebu have teamed up to provide the best mobile connectivity experience to foreign students and travelers.
Club Cebu, a leading travel guide and Directory Company for tourists in the province, is bundling Smart SIM cards in its welcome for ESL (English As Second Language) learners.
Cebu is one of the top destinations in Asia for ESL students because of its highly skilled English teachers and less expensive school rates.
Mobile data
The availability of direct flights to other countries plus Cebu City’s proximity to beaches and other tourist destinations make the province an appealing choice for students seeking to learn the English language.
The bundled Smart Tourist SIMs are alloted 300MB data upon activation, and can get an additional 700MB when topped up with at least P30 load within three days. To further enjoy their mobile experience, Smart subscribers can avail of its data-packed prepaid bundles, including the newly enhanced Giga offers, simply by dialing *121# or *123# or texting the respective keyword to 9999.
PLEASANT EXPERIENCE. Alejandro Caeg, Smart Senior Vice President and Head of Consumer Business for Customer Development, talks during the signing of the company’s partnership with Club Cebu. Caeg said PLDT and Smart want foreign tourists studying in Cebu to have a pleasant experience by providing them with stable and fast mobile data connectivity.
With Giga Video+ 649, for instance, Smart Prepaid users can enjoy 8GB open access data and up to 1GB or one hour of video access to YouTube, iflix, iWant, NBA League Pass, and Cignal TV per day for 30 days, alongside unlimited texts to all networks and unlimited calls to Smart, TNT, and Sun.
Best online experience
“Though this partnership, students coming from Asia and all over the world will find it easier to stay online, as they continue to learn and explore the wonderful destinations in Cebu and other parts of the Philippines,” said PLDT-Smart senior vice president and consumer business market development head Oscar Reyes Jr.
With Smart, mobile users are assured of the best online experience. Ookla, the global leader in Internet testing and analysis, has recognized Smart as the fastest mobile data network in the Philippines for 2018. Smart has also consistently topped the Mobile Experience Awards of mobile industry analyst OpenSignal since 2017.
Canadian mobile data company Tutela, meanwhile, said in a recent study on the State of Mobile Networks in Southeast Asia that Smart users were twice as likely to experience “excellent” data connections, and Germany-based global benchmark leader P3 also cited Smart for offering the country’s best download speeds.
WELCOME KIT, TOURIST SIM. (From left) Patrick Tang, Smart Vice President and Head of Visayas-Mindanao Regional Marketing; Kecerin Hwang, Club Cebu Chief Editor; Alejandro Caeg, Smart Senior Vice President and Head of Consumer Business for Customer Development; and Hoyle Disuanco, Smart VisMin Regional Sales and Distribution Head during the signing of the agreement.
Stay in touch
“Our goal is to provide the essentials to our guests—these include mobile services and strong data connection, which they need not only to stay in touch back home and share their experiences online, but also to aid them in their studies. We know for a fact that PLDT and Smart are more than capable of providing these services to them,” said Kecerin Hwang, vice president of C&C Discovery and chief executive officer and editor of Club Cebu.
Under the partnership, Club Cebu student-members will also have a chance to win a trip to Boracay courtesy of Smart. All they have to do is share on their social media accounts their experiences in Cebu as an ESL student and a Smart subscriber. The mechanics of the contest will be announced soon.
Since 2011, Club Cebu has provided invaluable travel information and discounts to tourists visiting Cebu. The agency has partnered with hotels, resorts, malls, and other establishments to provide an enjoyable and hassle-free experience to travelers. It has also collaborated with top ESL schools to help guide foreign students on their journey to learning in the Philippines.