Growth in mobile “bucket” services seen

More mobile subscribers are opting for unlimited text messaging and voice calls, according to local mobile service provider Smart Communications. Many prepaid subscribers are looking to stretch budget when using mobile services and are willing to pay for a fixed-cost for extended SMS or voice services, citing the success of its previous services, such as the AllText and Call Nyt Long services.

One of the SMART's newer bucket services, allow subscribers to make 24/7 unlimited voice calls for five days or 30 days for only P100 and P500, respectively. As such, the cost per day under this service would be P17 to P20 pesos.

(My comment: But in fine print they tell you that you must maintain 1 peso load balance at all times which means at least an expenditure of 150 pesos monthly additional to maintain a load? And that is only for calls to other SMART or Talk and Text subscribers it doesn't even allow you to call landlines as part of the deal but landline calls are charged expensive call rates)
(And Smart post paid subscribers can not use the 100 peso deal if they are 300 or 500 peso post paid subscriber for calls to SMART and TALK * TEXT. Globe post paid 300 month subscribers can avail of their landline deal for an extra 399 pesos per month. )

(For Globe, the cost of a Duo subscription is PHP 399 a month for landline calls and does not have a unlimited calling to Globe cell phones like Smart offers.)

( But SUN outshines them all with a 150 load card has 4 hours call to other Sun users and unlimited texting to Sun subscribers. )

Text Unlimited Unlimited Local Sun-to-Sun Texts with Free Sun-to-Sun calls
Enjoy Unlimited Texting with up to Four Hours of Free Voice with Sun Cellular's 24/7 Text Unlimited.

But an even more amazing deal from SUN includes a free Nokia 2680 or Nokia 2630 and unlimited calls and texts to other SUN users and 250 texts each month to other networks and a free 1 GB USA drive!

PLDT has the unlimited cell calling service to landlines as an add on to its existing landline PLDT subscriber customers additional fixed monthly charge of Php250.

PLDT call all requires a 24 month lock in period for both CALL ALL and the Landline. After the promo period in August, the subscriber will be charged P1.00 per minute for outgoing calls (its the catch and fine print). Prior to August 01, outgoing calls is unlimited. I guess Suntel and Globe Duo is better, unlimited.

Click here to read complete article click here 6/25/09 Philippine Inquirer