To provide vital communication services in areas hit by Typhoon Ulysses, Smart is giving free data and text/call credits to over 12 million affected Smart and TNT customers in Metro Manila and Luzon.
It had earlier provided similar efforts to customers in Southern Luzon, impacted by Super Typhoon Rolly. Sun Prepaid subscribers, which were recently rebranded to Smart Prepaid, also received free credits.
As of November 13, Smart has restored its services in affected areas except in Marikina, Tarlac, and Bulacan where repairs are still ongoing.
Smart has also set up communication services as a form of aid: Libreng Tawag, Charging, and WiFi stations in Marikina, Valenzuela, Rizal, Aurora, Sorsogon, and Camarines Sur.
Libreng Tawag and Charging sites are also up in Pampanga, Bataan, Tarlac, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, and Tuguegarao City, while roving Wifi stations are also positioned in Albay and Sorsogon to provide free calls, charging, and wifi services, as well as Libreng Load to affected customers.
Smart had also extended communication support to the Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office (APSEMO) and the local government unit of Marikina.
PLDT and Smart have set up a crisis command center to better communicate with customers. This enables PLDT-Smart to quickly relay critical information about its services in the wake of Typhoon Ulysses.
Meanwhile, Smart has resumed the last mile of restoration activities in Catanduanes, Camarines Sur, and Albay as Typhoon Ulysses weakens and moves further away from the country.
Emman has been writing technical and feature articles since 2010. Prior to this, he became one of the instructors at Asia Pacific College in 2008, and eventually landed a job as Business Analyst and Technical Writer at Integrated Open Source Solutions for almost 3 years.
