Pinoy Reviews

Okay, so you’ve seen the commercial, a USB modem that let’s you connect to the Internet anywhere you like. Yes, the idea is very appealing to those who needs to be connected to the internet anywhere, like me. I was initially taken by the idea and when a classmate informed me about it, I quickly went to the nearest Smart Wireless center to inquire about it. Unfortunately, the wireless center I went to was closed so I contented myself with researching the Internet for it. And that’s when I saw the lines that turned me off: Plan 799 – 40 HOURS free per month

Why did that turn me off? Let’s calculate; At 799 for 40 hours per month, that's 19.98 pesos per hour or .33 per minute OR 9.98 pesos per 30 minutes of internet. In short, there’s really no 40 hours free, you’re actually paying 10 pesos per 30 minutes of internet, their standard GPRS/3G browsing on your ordinary 3G mobile phone.

The costs for a Smart Bro Plug it: P1,999 initial start up fee and P799 per month and you get a USB modem. Altenative: Your ordinary 3G/GPRS capable cell phone, use it as a modem, you get charged 10 pesos per 30 minute of internet and if you’re a light user, you don’t have to pay 799 per month, you can pay way below that.

What Smart should do: Increase the free hours per month so that the cost is half their ordinary internet web browsing, say 80 hours per month then standard fee in excess of that or just offer us internet hungry subscribers with unlimited data plan like what AT&T and other wireless carriers are doing in the States.



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