Smart expands data roaming coverage to 110 countries; unlimited in 10 nations

Smart Communications’ postpaid subscribers can now surf the Internet in 110 countries for Php550 a day. The Surf Abroad 550 data roaming package initially covered only 57 countries when it was launched in 2014.

The enhanced service doesn’t require registration and automatically connects to the network of a roaming partner. Subscribers just need to turn on the data roaming feature of their smartphones.

The roaming service covers top tourism destinations such as Myanmar, India, Finland, and Luxembourg, among many others. By the end of the year, the list will further be expanded to include a total of 180 countries around the world.

With the Surf Abroad subscription, users can access their email, post on social media, chat with friends via messaging apps, and access Google Maps, or just surf for anything on the web.

To ensure fast mobile internet access for all subscribers, the service does not include video and music streaming, and peer-to-peer file sharing.

In an interview with UpgradeMag.com, Tina Mariano, Global Access and International Services head at Smart, says that the Surf Abroad 550 package will be charged within a subscriber’s consumables, as long as his consumables allow. Anything beyond will be charged on top.

The service offers unlimited access in 10 Asian countries, namely Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Cambodia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Macau. For the rest, there is a 100MB limit a day.

The service is expected to contribute to the skyrocketing growth of Smart’s mobile data business, which has already registered a sharp 21% year-on-year growth to reach P4.7 billion during the first six months of 2015.

The package appeals particularly to millennial travelers, according to Mariano, especially since they are the types of travelers who are always eager to instantly capture and share their experiences online via Facebook, Instagram, and other social networks.

According to the 2015 Annual Millennial Travel Habits study by global travel search site Hipmunk, Internet connectivity ranks among the top amenities most important to millennials whenever they book their flights or hotels abroad.

Around 43% of millennials surveyed by Hipmunk, for example, rank fast Internet connectivity as their most favorite hotel perk, while Internet ranks next to entertainment in the list of top in-flight amenities important to them.

“These types of travelers demand an always-on, instant-sharing experience when traveling abroad, which is why Smart has made it very convenient and affordable for them to connect to the Internet while traveling in other countries,” Mariano shared.

By automatically registering to the service with preferred roaming partners abroad, subscribers will no longer have to suffer from “bill shock” when they return to the country.

Once the service is active, subscribers will receive an SMS notification informing them that they have already been subscribed to the enhanced Surf Abroad 550 package.

Smart Prepaid subscribers will also get to experience Surf Abroad 550 in 180 countries soon, according to Mariano.