MANILA, 14 April 2006 — Users of the Smart Communication’s SIM card in Saudi Arabia can now make voice calls from their cell phones to the Philippines, a Manila daily reported yesterday.
The Philippine Star said the new feature was made available through a tie-up between the Philippine company and Mobily (Etisalat).
Covered by the tie-up are users of Smart Buddy, Talk ‘N Text, Smart Kid Prepaid and Addict Mobile prepaid.
“Now, our prepaid subscribers who travel to Saudi Arabia can keep in touch with their loved ones back home with ease. This is just the first. We’re committed to bringing this latest roaming technology to more countries very soon,” Roger Quevedo, Smart’s head for wholesale business, was quoted as saying.
Under the existing setup, subscribers of Smart and Globe can only send and receive text messages from the Kingdom. Their SIM cards are sold for 50 riyals in the Kingdom.
He said the prepaid international roaming service would be available to the other Middle Eastern countries in the next few weeks.
To make a call from the Kingdom, a Smart prepaid subscriber only need to dial the phone number as they would while in the Philippines, using the international dialing format: Key in +
To avail of Smart’s prepaid international roaming services, however, subscribers must type ROAM ON SAUDI and send to 333 at least one hour before departure from the Philippines. The report said.
It said subscribers must have a minimum of 100-peso load to activate their prepaid international roaming service. For more details, users may also call 888-1111 or *888 (toll-free) from their cellphones.
