Syntonic’s data roaming service to be deployed in Southeast Asia

Syntonic (ASX: SYT) has said that it has selected Smart Communications to be the first mobile operator to deploy its Freeway Roaming Service in the Philippines, currently the fourth largest carrier in Southeast Asia.

The mobile platform and services provider has also said there is a supplementary strategic partnership for Rimoto to resell the Freeway Roaming Service to its carrier customer base, including Smart Communications and other tier-1 mobile operators in Southeast Asia.

The RoamFree ecosystem is expected to introduce a wide range of desirable functionality and thereby bolster the sales pipelines of Syntonic and its working partners such as Smart and Rimoto.

Syntonic is determined to deploy a strategy that enables several mutually beneficial market solutions that keep travellers connected, while simultaneously growing carrier revenues.

The next version of RoamFree is scheduled for release in Q3 2018 and is expected to use the white-labelled Freeway Roaming Service to provide RoamFree with a comprehensive set of new features and an upscaled platform that reaches further afield into more markets around the world.

Smarter travelling

Smart’s international travel application, RoamFree was recently launched on the App Store and Google Play Store. The service cuts the cost of roaming charges and unifies various service-related activities which in turn generate commission-based revenue for Syntonic.

“The commercialisation of the Freeway Roaming Service shortly after previewing at Mobile World Congress at the end of February 2018 is a strong validation of mobile operator desire to grow ARPU by tapping into the US$676 billion of annual revenue generated by online travel service transactions,” said Gary Greenbaum, managing director and CEO of Syntonic.

“We look forward to working with Rimoto and Smart to expand the Freeway footprint in Southeast Asia and additional geographies,” said Mr Greenbaum.

RoamFree provides Smart’s international travellers with sponsored data access to essential and popular travel services such as Agoda, AirBnB, Grab, Uber, Klook, TripAdvisor, ATM Finder, Google Maps, and Groupon. Smart prepaid subscribers, in particular, are able to obtain added value and the convenience of data-free access for purchases of top-up load and data roaming plans through RoamFree.

Syntonic foresees widespread adoption of the app specifically amongst tourists and says that Smart subscribers can expect to avoid data roaming fees when conducting activities such as purchasing event tickets, hailing a cab or booking a hotel.

“We are proud to be working with technology partners who share our zeal in delivering enriching experiences for travellers. Smart customers already enjoy roaming plans that are simple, easy and affordable, with the power to track usage in real time. Now, RoamFree democratizes roaming while allowing Smart to enhance in-trip experiences. There is nothing like it in our market and we are thrilled that it is about to get even better. With Syntonic, we are expanding our services from roaming access to travel content – further and faster,” said Ms Alice Ramos, vice president for International Roaming of Smart Communications.

Following today’s news Syntonic shares closed the day 8% higher at $0.014 per share.