ePLDT inks deal with US firm on mobile content offer

The wholly-owned technology arm of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT), ePLDT, has partnered with Silicon Valley-based company Funambol for a Web-based application that could provide back-up to content in mobile phones. Yesterday, ePLDT announced that it is now testing a new service called Sync123 that will allow mobile phone users to create back-up file of their mobile phone address book in the Web wirelessly. At the same time, users can also edit the names and numbers that have been uploaded in the Web and later download the edited version to their mobile phones. This uses the synchronization software found on Smartphones running on SyncML technology, available in selected phone models of Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Motorola. The service is ideal for users who often change mobile phones and users who always leave their phones somewhere, or users whose phones have been stolen. Jose Carlo A. Medina, ePLDT product development head, said Sync123 is a service fully developed by the ePLDT team using the commercial open source software from Funambol. Funambol is headquarted in Redwood City in California and has development center in Italy. The initial deal between ePLDT and Funambol will run for three years. In its beta phase, only subscribers of Smart Communications, Inc., ePLDT’s sister firm, can test the service for free. This is expected to start commercial operation in April. Mr. Medina said that although this is now being offered to Smart subscribers, it is not yet final whether Smart will carry the service in April. Aside from Smart, he said ePLDT is also looking at selling the service to other telecommunication companies in the region such as SingTel. Revenue streams for networks for this service include revenues from mobile internet connection and actual payment for the service, in the form of either monthly subscription or pre-paid cards. Going forward, ePLDT plans to develop Sync123 applications that could support short message service or texting, e-mail and instant messaging. It will also offer the platform to third-party developers to allow them to customize applications to a targeted market like hospitals that want vital data of their doctors to be synchronized in mobile phones and in the web.- Maricel E. Estavillo/BusinessWorld