Conexus Intros One-Rate SMS Roaming

JAKARTA -- Conexus Mobile Alliance today welcomes VinaPhone to the Alliance, expanding one of Asia’s largest mobile alliances’ customer footprint to over 240 million mobile subscribers.

Dr Kaizad Heerjee, Chairman of Conexus Mobile Alliance, and Director and Chief Commercial Officer for PT Indosat, Tbk, said, “We would like to welcome VinaPhone to the Alliance, with the hope of a strong and long-lasting partnership. Vietnam is one of Asia’s fastest growing economies and VinaPhone is one of the leading mobile operators in the Vietnam market. As the earliest adopter of 3G services in Vietnam, VinaPhone will be able to help promote and expand the benefits of the Alliance to their customers. At the same time, we aim to offer VinaPhone’s customers true convenience and simplicity as they use the services that Conexus brings to the market.”

A subsidiary company of Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group, VinaPhone was officially established on June 26, 1996 as a nationwide mobile phone network using next generation and modern GSM technology, with an eye towards creating healthy competition in Vietnam's mobile communication market. By the end of 2000, VinaPhone had completed its coverage of nearly all residential areas, industrial zones, highways, tourism spots and border-gates throughout the country. Many popular new services such as prepaid mobile phone service and international roaming have been launched. VinaPhone was the first mobile operator in Vietnam to launch 3G services in the country.

“VinaPhone is proud to join the 10 established member operators of the Conexus Mobile Alliance to develop and enhance mobile data services across Asia while improving overall customer experience and satisfaction,” said Mr Lam Hoang Vinh, Vice President of VNPT and Managing Director of VinaPhone. “We look forward to working closely with Alliance members on delivering more convenient and peace-of-mind mobile data services for our business travellers from Vietnam to the rest of Asia.”

Alliance Introduces One-Rate SMS Roaming Service Across Asia Customers of select Conexus member operators will soon be able to enjoy a SMS roaming one-rate of US$0.20 per SMS (or its equivalent in local currency) when they roam in all participating member operators’ networks. The transparency and predictability brought by the new SMS roaming one-rate will help business travellers effectively control their SMS roaming charges, ensuring them peace of mind when they do business in the region.

Post-paid mobile customers of India’s BSNL and MTNL, Korea’s KT Corporation, Philippines’ SMART Communications and Vietnam’s VinaPhone will enjoy this new one-rate SMS roaming service as they roam on all participating member operator’s networks. Post-paid and pre-paid customers of Indonesia’s PT Indosat, Tbk, Singapore’s StarHub and Thailand’s TrueMove will also experience the new rate. Customers of participating member operators should refer to their home operators for more information on when the service will be available to them.

Conexus Mobile Alliance