Smart Communications, the Philippines’ largest mobile operator, has launched GoMail, a mass market push email service based on Synchronicas award-winning Mobile Gateway middleware. Smart is the first and only operator in the Philippines to launch a flat-rated mobile push email service which is targeted specifically to the consumer market, and is compatible with all handsets.

According to Synchronica, Mobile Gateway provides 100 per cent device compatibility by using the built-in email and synchronization clients found in a wide range of handsets, in addition to email to MMS and email-to-SMS for basic handsets. Synchronica adds that competing operators in the Philippines use client-based solutions, which are suitable for a limited range of handsets, decreasing their addressable market.

Smarts subscribers can register for the service by sending the word ‘Mail’ and their handset model as a text to 7077. The service is billed at a monthly rate of P 199 ($4.45/£2.85) or a daily rate of P 20. Smart has embarked on a major print and radio advertising campaign to support uptake of the service.

“Being able to provide push email to any of our 45.3m customers was a compelling prospect for Smart”, says Danilo Mojica, head of Smarts Wireless Consumer Division. “In the same way that Smarts innovative, but affordable offerings made the use of voice and SMS ubiquitous in the Philippines, we would like to turn email into another universally available service on a mobile phone from which the everyday Filipino may benefit. With the launch of GoMail, weve turned that prospect into a reality. Synchronicas Mobile Gateway was the ideal choice to power GoMail, giving our subscribers a user-friendly way of sending and receiving email on any kind of handset.”