In a blogger gathering with Smart this afternoon, they showed us the entire HTC line-up including the HTC Chacha which is initially exclusive to them for the first month. They also discussed their new tiered pricing for mobile internet called Always On.
Always On basically gives you a cheaper time-based rate (daily to monthly) but capped strictly for mobile use (that means it’s not suitable for WiFi tethering to your laptop or other devices because of the conservative bandwidth allocation).
The Always On plans are available to all postpaid, prepaid and broadband accounts with varying denominations from Php50 to Php995. See pricing schedule and bandwidth caps below:
* Available to SMART Postpaid, Prepaid and Broadband
** Not available with Mobile Prepaid
To activate the plan, just text “amount” to 2200 (e.g. text “ON 300″ to 2200 for 30 days of unlimited internet with 250MB cap).
What happens when you used up all the bandwidth before the end of the validity period? Well, you just go top up and activate another Always On plan.
I think these plans are most suitable for users that are heavy users but not heavy on bandwidth. That means you can have it on your smartphone for Php300/month if you only want to access FB, Twitter and FourSquare and you can also do the same with your tablet or another 3G device. That way, each device has its own unlimited account.
I will try the Always On 300 on one of my Android phones for a month (will be mostly using FB, Twitter, Google+ and FourSquare) and see how much data I’ll consume on the phone. Let’s see if this is a more rational and economical way to be always online. Will report back after a month.
Twitter: daniojr
says:
I can’t understand about the volume if how is it.
this is a good option for those who want to sync email, check FB/twitter as well as weather/maps/traffic
I hope smart provides a way to check how much you’ve consumed or warns you that the service has expired. I don’t want to still be “always online” after the service has expires, as the bill would stack up :S
sir… you can use 3G watchdog if you are using an android phone to keep track of your usage.
Twitter: technokyletwit
says:
Kung gagamit kau ng 995 na always on mag unli plan na lang kayo.
this is perfect for my gravity app (twitter/facebook). hope globe and sun come up with better deals
Nice! This is just exactly what I need. Cool Smart!
idk if this is the right forum to ask or inquired about this?
anyway, i have now 2 co-employee who got billed by Smart for 3k on internet usage, and thats is just for two days or 1.5 days…the reason they shift to new smart phone…one is samsung galaxy s and the other is Xperia Arc…it seems the smartphone is “automatically” connecting to the internet…also they noticed on billing the data usage is 10pesos pero sunodsunod…and my co-employee doesnt know it…
i’ve been asking globe for this kind of plan… meron pa naman sila dati sayang.. i might wait for a month or two baka gumaya si globe baka magswitch ako ng line…
Twitter: razorous
says:
@Yuga
Still a little bit confused on the volume part. So what happens when you reach 20MB on the “Always On 20″? Does it stop your connection and ask you to register Another “Always On” service? Or does it automatically go the 30 minutes per 10 pesos?
My second question is, how fast is the connection?
@razorous – once the Always On plan expires, it will start billing you at Php10 per 30 minutes. Speed is up to 2Mbps.
Twitter: razorous
says:
Thanks yuga! It really sounds like a trap. Lalo na if you don’t know how much MB you use everyday. It would have been better if it would prompt you that 20mb has been used up, and then ask you if you’d like to continue to P10/30min or jsut go for another Always On plan…
I think, better pa rin ang
SMART Unlisurf 50
Globe Supersurf 50 (800mb limit)
SUN SBW50 Unli
Versus AlwaysOn 30 = 50MB.
Ilang Youtube Clips lang yun?
Most of the time, naka-SUN i25 ako 3 hrs. – the only network with WCDMA signal in our home in SJDM Bulacan…SMART&GLOBE = DEADSPOT!
Twitter: razorous
says:
Sorry for dumb question, but unlisurf i’m guessing has no cap right? Does this mean 1 whole day of unlimited surfing with 3g speed? Or do they only work with gprs speed only?
Some people here are dumb to say that the unli plans are gone. It doesn’t mean that with this new
Disappointed with these pricey volume packages. But since prepaid ito, it means we can register to unlisurf50 despite the restriction. Wahaha LoLz
You can check your balance here:
https://my.smart.com.ph/Login.aspx