In recognition of the Pinoy’s penchant to be always informed with what’s going on, Twitter partnered with telecom giants Globe Telecom and Smart Communications to launch “Twitter Lite”, which – as the name suggests – is a lighter version of the app.
Harvey Libarnes (Smart Communications VP, Digital Products and Partnership), Tina Pang (Twitter SEA Head of Sales), Dwi Adriansah (Twitter SEA & Australia Head of Business Development), Popo Yambao (Globe Telecom Prepaid Brand Director)
Just to be clear, Twitter Lite is not an app; instead, it’s a way of accessing Twitter via a mobile browser. The main difference with Twitter versus Twitter Lite is that the latter uses the Progressive Web App technology, which allows users to access Twitter with up to 70% data saving and 30% launch time. It also takes less than 1MB memory on mobile devices.
First launched in Indonesia two months ago, Twitter Lite responds to the “Filipinos’ desire to know the news as they unfold,” said Popo Yambao of Globe. “Pinoys spend from three hours per day online. In this connected world, we want to know (about everything) real-time. And here, Twitter plays a role.”
Twitter Lite features include: SMS notification from Globe and Smart; ability to enable data saver mode to enjoy real-time content in a more affordable manner; ability to receive push notifications on Android; offline support; and availability of Twitter Lite in home screen (for shortcut).
With Twitter’s partnership with Globe Telecom and Smart Communications, Twitter Lite is expected to reach over 120 million mobile subscribers in the Philippines, including those living in outlying islands and rural areas.
Globe will be promoting Twitter Lite through a custom Twitter timeline t.co/GlobeEntertainment and Twitter data pack through SMS marketing and USSD menu browser to their subscribers. Meanwhile, Smart will offer a custom Twitter timeline t.co/SmartEntertainment and Twitter data pack through SMS marketing to their subscribers, as well as expose Twitter Lite on the Opera browser speed dial.
