Tuesday, September 30, 2008 Telco receives international award for low-cost services
A Philippine telecommunications company has been presented with a prestigious global award for showing that making a profit and “doing the right thing” can come together.
Smart Communications Inc. (Smart) was honored at a special ceremony in New York City last week at the World Business and Development Awards (WBDA) for “giving the poor access to communication and micro-enterprise opportunities.”
The wireless subsidiary of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) is among the 10 recipients of the 2008 awards chosen from among a field of 104 nominees from 44 countries. Smart is the only awardee from Southeast Asia.
Smart was recognized for its “growth inclusive business model,” maintaining profitability while at the same time serving the needs of the poor by providing access to low cost telecommunications services, providing entrepreneurial avenues for the lower income segment of the market, empowering women through microfinance opportunities, helping boost the quality of education through Internet access, and practicing environmental sustainability.
Established in 2000, the biennial awards are the first worldwide business awards to recognize the crucial role of the private sector in implementing the Millennium Development Goals set by the United Nations. It is presented by the International Chamber of Commerce, The International Business Leaders Forum, and the United Nations Development Program.
“This is a great honor for Smart and for the Philippines. We are both elated and humbled. This award is not only very prestigious, but is also most meaningful,” said Napoleon L. Nazareno, Smart president and chief executive officer. “We are challenged to do much more to build our business in innovative ways that help our country move forward.”
Positive difference
The awards ceremony was attended by Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan and Senegal’s President Abdoulaye Wade, and was part of activities during the opening week of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
“Today, business leaders like all of you are rewriting the value equation —to show that true worth comes not only from profits but from making a positive difference,” said Queen Rania in her address to the Awardees. “More and more, when we look at some of the cruelest challenges our human family faces, we find it is business leading the charge of innovation for human development —inventing new tools, initiating new partnerships, re-imagining service delivery… to bring life-saving vaccines and life-altering technologies into the hands of the poor.”
In its press statement the WBDA said that “before Smart introduced low-cost mobile phone subscription in 1994, there were only one million landline subscribers and 102,400 mobile phone owners, all of whom belonged to the more affluent social classes. By the end of March 2008, there were 58.9 million mobile phone owners, with 31.6 million subscribing to the Smart network. (PR)
