Telecom project is a first for Bahrain - unlimited calls to Philippines for 20BD

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Originally Posted by Gulf Daily News

Bahrain-based telecoms company Kalaam yesterday launched a scheme that offers unlimited time on phone calls to the Philippines for a BD20 subscription. The 'Banyaning Pinoy Unlimited' scheme was launched in co-operation with the Filipino Embassy and offers free unlimited time on calls to the Philippines from Bahrain.
You can subscribe to the scheme and call any three numbers of your choice in the Philippines from any three numbers in Bahrain, which includes landlines and mobile phone networks of operators including Batelco and MTC-Vodafone.
"We have always been innovators in this sector," Kalaam's channel distribution manager, Rajeev Cherian told the GDN.
"We were one of the first to launch pre-paid cards in Bahrain. This is the pioneer international project under which you can talk for as long as you want to family or friends in the Philippines for as little as BD20."
To implement the plan, Kalaam has partnered with Philippines-based telecom company IMX, a subsidiary of Next Mobile Incorporated (NMI) who will operate the system in the Philippines.
In addition to the unlimited time, a free Motorola i415 mobile phone will also be delivered to a member of your family or person of your choice in the Philippines.
"There are no pin numbers or operators in this system," Kalaam's product manager, Irfan S Deen told the GDN.
"You just use an access number that makes the scheme as easy as picking up a phone and dialling. We also have a 24/7 customer services centre and it's easy to sign up."
The official launch of the product was planned to coincide with the Philippines National Heroes Day, and was attended by the Philippines Ambassador Eduardo Pablo Maglaya.
"The product targets the Filipino community," Kalaam's chief operating officer, Rick Green said.
"Everyone addresses the Asian community in terms of Bangladesh, Pakistan or India. The Filipino community is very big here in Bahrain.
"Over the next two months we will be launching several variants to the service, the first one being that people in the Philippines will be able to call Bahrain."
"We are trying to do something similar in India but that depends on the relations with the telecom operator in the country, and in India it is such a big market, he said.
"We've been very lucky to enter into a partnership with IMX as they are the third largest telecommunications carrier in the Philippines, and in the future what we would like to do is extend our services to other operators in the Philippines."

source: Gulf Daily News