Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Japan-Based Pinoys Offered Globe App

MANILA, Philippines — Globe Telecom, in partnership with Japan-based company IPS, Inc., recently launched Tokyo03, a mobile application for Apple iOS-based devices that offers unprecedented value to those who make frequent calls to the Philippines from Japan, as well as Philippines-based individuals who regularly call associates and loved ones in Japan, eliminating the worry of having to pay expensive inbound roaming fees or outbound IDD rates.

Currently available for the iPhone, iPad and the iPod, and soon to be available on the Android platform, Tokyo03 is an Internet phone application that assigns the user a virtual number. Virtual numbers function just like regular numbers and can be reached through cell phones or landlines. By giving users a virtual Globe number, Tokyo03 allows those in the Philippines to communicate with their contacts in Japan and be charged local rates simply by dialing a Globe number, as though he were in the same country as the person he or she is calling.

While those in Japan are charged data usage fees for making calls to the Philippines through the Tokyo03 application, those in the Philippines who call their loved ones in Japan on their virtual number only need to pay local rates.

This innovation aims to serve the Filipino telecommunications market in Japan. As the fourth-largest foreign community in that country, Filipinos represent a large proportion of outbound calls, which have long been hampered by high IDD rates. Tokyo03 enables Philippines-based subscribers to save on costs by letting them make international calls to their loved ones in Japan at highly reduced rates.

source: mb.com.ph