by PLDT Media Services | Oct 18, 2011

MANILA, Philippines, October 18, 2011 – Almost 1,000 delegates from 45 countries attended the 7th Asian Carriers’ Conference (ACC), a telecommunications event organized by PLDT and Smart, at Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort & Spa in Cebu, September 27-30.

According to PLDT and Smart International and Carrier Business Head Alejandro O. Caeg, there was a record turnout this year despite the inclement weather, as delegates’ participation increased by over 23% compared to last year.

“The ACC has had a very good following over the years and we expect that the Philippines will benefit not just from its tourism prospects but also with respect to expanding commercial and business relationships between Philippine telcos and their foreign affiliates,” Caeg said.

Themed “Embracing New Value Streams for Growth,” the 7th ACC participants learned about new concepts and innovations, as well as developments and opportunities that will help their companies grow.

During the plenary session, PLDT and Smart SVP and Head of Enterprise and International & Carrier Business Ernesto R. Alberto who delivered the keynote remarks on behalf of PLDT President and CEO Napoleon L. Nazareno, said telcos’ investments in network and infrastructure “will bear fruit if it enables us to offer a new generation of relevant services to our customers. Increasingly, these services have taken the form of website platforms and applications downloadable to devices, particularly smartphones and tablets.”

Alberto discussed some of the initiatives taken by PLDT and Smart in order to build their own communities and ecosystems: the TelPad and Netphone.
“PLDT launched TelPad, a landline kit that features a conventional landline and a seven-inch Android 2.2 Froyo device. Smart, for its part, has just launched its Smart Netphone line of handsets, the first of which is a customized ZTE Blade V880.”

As part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) undertaking, the ACC donated a 3-kilowatt solar power collection system to serve the power requirement of Pangan-an Island Elementary School computer laboratory, five sets of brand new computers with broadband internet access, as well as tables and chairs for the rehabilitated computer laboratory. There was also a seed sowing and tree planting activity conducted in cooperation with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and granting of ten college scholarships to deserving high school students through the PLDT Smart Foundation’s (PSF) Gabay Guro (2G) Program.

An annual international conference, the ACC is where leaders from the wholesale fixed and mobile telecoms carriers meet and network, collaborate, and conduct business with delegates from the extended telecoms industry.

Among the major event partners of the 7th ACC were Orange, iBasis, BICS, PCCW Global, Tata Communications, China Telecom, Huawei Technologies, and Sun Cellular.

Photo shows the panelists during the round table discussion at the plenary session. They are, from left: Moderator Joseph Waring, Group Editor, Telecom Asia; Vincent Hebbelynck, Head of Voice Product Management, BICS; Ajay Joseph, Chief Technology Officer, iBasis; Christian Michaud, Senior Vice President - Product Marketing & Business Development, Tata Communications; Antti Ohrling, Founder and Co-inventor of Blyk; Evert Jaap Lugt, Founder and CEO, Nimbuzz; and Phatanadit Kulphaichitra, Senior Business Development Manager, GMS Region, Hutchison Global Communications