August 11, 2003
Texting in the Philippines
Interesting feature in the Boston Globe about the cultural, economic, and political role of text-messaging in the Philippines:
"Talk isn't cheap in the Philippines; there are only about 3.3 million wired phone circuits in this country of about 80 million people. There are another 10 million cellphones here, but companies don't offer the large baskets of 'free' minutes that we Americans take for granted. So SMS is the least expensive way to chat, popular with everybody from cab drivers to corporate executives.
During the weekend standoff by mutinous troops in downtown Manila, even friends and family stayed in touch with the dissident soldiers via SMS. And the country's president, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, is a fan -- as well she should be. SMS helped put her where she is today."
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