Smart tops GSMA telco nominations
Philippines’ wireless services leader, Smart, along with two other major global operators, garnered the most number of telco entries that made it to the finals in the just concluded 17th Annual Global Mobile Awards of the Global System for Mobile Association (GSMA), which attracted a record 600 plus entries submitted to the GSM Awards Committee by mobile operators all over the world.
“Reflecting the intensity of competition and innovation across the mobile ecosystem, we saw an exceptionally high-quality field of contenders vying for this year’s global awards,” says Michael O’Hara, Chief Marketing Officer of GSMA. “It is a significant achievement to have made the shortlist.”
Smart earned a total of four nominations and is the only Philippine telco to reach this level of achievement.
UK’s largest communications company, Orange, and UAE’s largest telecommunications company, Etisalat, also earned four slots each in the final round of judging.
“We are proud to make this mark for Smart and for the Philippines,” says Orlando B. Vea, Chief Wireless Advisor of Smart. “This reinforces our commitment to actively pursue relevant innovations that will deliver benefits to our country and people.”
A green network
For this year, Kabalikat sa Kalikasan, Smart’s corporate social responsibility program that promotes environmental protection, was once again nominated under the Green Mobile Award category.
Kabalikat sa Kalikasan is the unified name for Smart’s environmental initiatives which aim to manage, reduce and offset carbon emissions in operations by engaging stakeholders in environmentally-sound practices.
In 2009, Smart won the first GSMA Green Mobile Award.
Effective disaster communication tool
Smart’s Strengthening Disaster Preparedness of Southern Leyte through SMS technology, which was nominated under the Best Use of Mobile in Emergency or Humanitarian Situations, is the first cohesive attempt in the Philippines to use SMS for climate change awareness and as the base of an effective communication system among disaster risk management bodies.
A World Bank report recently cited Smart’s disaster communication system as a tool working effectively in mobilizing resources during the recent typhoons and earthquake that hit the country.
The system has helped a high-risk province like Southern Leyte to strengthen its disaster preparedness and response program via the implementation of a communication system that will enable an effective exchange of information between pilot communities in one city and 9 towns in Southern Leyte and the Southern Leyte Provincial Disaster.
Launched in partnership with the Philippine Business for Social Progress and World Bank, the project is powered by Infoboard, Smart’s Web-based group broadcast service that offers SMS capabilities catering to needs of communities.
Enabling the health sector
SHINE, Smart’s mHealth service nominated under the Mobile Health Innovation category, is a hosted electronic health information and referral system. It can be accessed by a java-capable phone or a computer with Internet connectivity.
A public-private collaboration supported by Philippine Department of Health in cooperation with local government units, SHINE enables doctors, nurses, and midwives to record patient encounters, easily find and retrieve patient records, remind patients and healthcare providers, facilitate referrals among facilities, and more efficiently generate government required reports.
Empowering women
Smart’s fourth nomination covers the company’s partnership with Microventures Inc. to enable Hapinoy stores to become Smart Money Centers- outlets that enable conversions of e-cash in Smart Money wallets into physical cash and vice versa; and the acceptance of bill payments using a Smart cellphone.
Hapinoy is the Philippines’ first sari-sari store chain of over 10,000 outlets. It gives store owners–all of whom are female, access to best-priced goods, management tools, steady capital from microfinance institutions, extra income via Smart e-loading, and now, the Smart Money Center (SMC) business.
This is not the first time Hapinoy has received GSMA attention. In 2008, Smart and GSMA sealed an agreement to provide internet connectivity and computerization to select Hapinoy stores in various parts of the Philippines.
The Global Mobile Awards is the most highly sought after awards in the global communications indusry. Established in 1996, the Awards attract entries from across the world and are judged by a panel of independent, highly respected experts.
They are presented at the Mobile World Congress, the mobile industry’s annual gathering of around 60,000 senior industry leaders, executives, media and analysts.
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