Globe forms partnership with foreign telco

Globe Telecom Inc. has inked a deal with a major foreign phone firm to help lower long-distance call rates between the Philippines and Europe.

The Ayala-led company announced on Monday its partnership with Europe’s Lebara Mobile, with operations in eight different countries.

“(The partnership) will give Lebara Mobile subscribers in the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, France, Switzerland, Denmark, Netherlands and Australia better value in IDD calls to their relatives and friends using Globe and TM in the Philippines,” Globe said in a statement.

In recent months, local telecommunications providers have started to feel the pinch on revenue of competition from online applications like Skype, which allow users to make long-distance voice calls at low rates.

Local telcos’ revenues from international calls have also slumped due to the recent strengthening of the local currency, which means less pesos for every dollar earned.

London-based Lebara, which operates as a “budget” brand, is in partnership with more than 70 telecommunication operators worldwide.

It offers prepaid mobile SIM cards that are compatible with all standard mobile handsets and customized to the needs of international communities, particularly migrant workers.

These SIM cards enable customers to make national and international calls, send texts and browse the Internet directly from their own phones at a fraction of the price of traditional operators.

“Lebara’s business model complements our thrust at Globe to provide quality service with the lowest cost for overseas Filipinos,” Globe international business group head Rizza Maniego-Eala said.

“Our partnership with Lebara will allow millions of Filipinos working in Europe the chance to call their loved ones more often at more affordable rates, anytime and anywhere,” she added.

Globe has more than 600 international roaming partners, giving it the widest global coverage among Philippine telecommunication companies.