PLDT launches new solution SWUP
By Mary Ann Ll. Reyes
The Philippine Star 06/07/2006
Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) launched yesterday a new solution called Shops.Work UnPlugged (SWUP) to address the need of retailers and banks for real-time wireless data communications.
PLDT corporate business group head Eric Alberto said this would provide retailers and banks with multiple branches an expanded network for real-time monitoring of critical data for their operations.
"SWUP is the first bundled solution that makes wireless cashier POS (point-of-sale) and wireless card terminals possible. Retailers will now be able to reach out to a bigger market in areas where physical connections are unavailable," Alberto explained.
"This solution can also expand the frontiers of banking since the technology can be used to come up with wireless automated teller machines, or ATMs. You can even have an ATM at the beach," he added.
Through the use of wireless terminals enabled with SIM (subscriber identity module) cards similar to those used in mobile phones, coverage of the service is available to 99.57 percent of areas covered by PLDT mobile phone subsidiary Smart Communications, Inc.
Clients can expect data rates of up to 170 kilobits per second (Kbps), thus ensuring a speed that is more than enough for simple data communications involving cashier POS, card swipe and ATM transactions.
SWUP comes in three variants, namely: Naked SWUP, which is a SIM only variant; SIM bundled with GPRS/EDGE modem or simply SWUP Cash, and an EFT-POS bundled with SIM called SWUP Card.
PLDT corporate business solutions head Nerissa Ramos said this new innovation from the PLDT Group allows retailers to sell or position their stores practically anywhere and still be able to facilitate both cash and credit card transactions.
"Imagine bazaars, taxicabs and delivery boys asking you, 'Cash or card?' And it's very secure, too. There is the security provided by the SIM and the security inherent in Smart's GPRS/EDGE network where there is a dedicated Access Point Name assigned per company, as well as the security of the PLDT Brains network. It does not go through the Internet, thus protecting the clients from viruses and hackers," she explained.
With SWUP, clients can enjoy unmatched access, reduced costs, high transmission speeds, simplicity and convenience in having a real-time data communications system.
"We believe SWUP is a quantum leap in networking in the country. It gives retailers, franchisers and banks the power to link up all its branches, store outlets, warehouses and customers to their head offices in real-time, as each transaction happens," Ramos said.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
PLDT launches new solution SWUP
Desktop Linux revisited
Desktop Linux revisited
WANT a quick taste of Linux without installing any software?
Check out Ubuntu, an increasingly popular Linux distribution for desktop PCs. The latest version, 6.06, boots off a CD to give you a preview of the system. You can download an image file (almost 700 megabytes from www.ubuntu.com) and burn a CD using a program like Nero.
Three years ago, I tried another Linux distribution called Knoppix that worked pretty much the same way. The neat thing about live CDs, as they are called, is that you don't need to install anything to get started. Simply stick in the CD and boot from it and you're ready to go.
A live CD is great, too, for testing if an operating system will recognize the hardware you have. And, in those instances where your operating system crashes, a live CD can be a useful recovery tool as well.
There are limitations to booting from a CD, however.
First, because you're running off a read-only medium, you can't really customize the system to your liking. All changes you make during one session will be lost the next time you boot from the CD. Also, running off a CD is much slower than having the system boot from the hard disk.
The neat twist to the Ubuntu live CD, however, is that it puts an installer icon on the desktop that enables you to set up the operating system to boot off your hard disk instead.
For some time, local Ubuntu enthusiasts like Dave Asuncion, who works for the city government of
Designed for usability, Ubuntu takes its name from the South African concept of "humanity toward others." The live CD even has a short video of Nelson Mandela talking about the African tradition of community and sharing.
Ubuntu's development is sponsored by Canonical Ltd., a private company that South African entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth founded to promote free software projects.
Shuttleworth gained worldwide fame in April 2002 as a civilian cosmonaut aboard the Russian Soyuz TM-34 mission, paying about $20 million for the opportunity. He spent eight days on the International Space Station, participating in experiments related to AIDS and genome research, before returning to Earth.
"The sight of the Earth from space is breathtaking, and life changing. Three minutes in space will change your perspective, I guarantee, on the way we treat one another and the world," he told Slashdot three years later.
What a cool story, I thought, as I contemplated the install icon. Double-clicking on it, I overcame years of resistance to installing Linux on my home PC because I didn't want to risk screwing up my existing Windows system and other files.
But as far as Linux installers go, the one that comes with Ubuntu 6.06 is pretty easy to use. In fact, the first few screens flew by so quickly I was beginning to wonder what the fuss was all about.
Then I hit the screen about disk partitioning. Call it a personal weakness, but if there's one thing that intimidates the heck out of me, it's messing with a hard disk.
Suddenly, the easy choices were replaced with options like: "Resize IDE1 master, partition #4 (hda5) and use freed space" and dire warnings that all data in the partitions chosen would be wiped clean.
Crossing my fingers that I got it right, I plowed ahead.
It was a tense 20 minutes as I watched the orange progress bar inch toward 100 percent. Then it was all over and I rebooted the PC. Would my Windows installation and data survive?
I breathed a sigh of relief when I found they had, and only then did I begin exploring the new operating system on my dual-boot PC.
First impressions: Ubuntu is slick and clean, and comes with programs that most users will need to start working: the OpenOffice.org suite that works much like Microsoft Office; the Firefox browser; Gimp, an image manipulation program in the vein of Photoshop; and a number of multimedia applications to play music and videos.
Old Windows dogs like me will have to get accustomed to the Linux file system and the different way that software is installed. If the spirit of Ubuntu is alive, however, there ought to be a lot of help from the community along the way.
Column archives and blog at: http://www.chinwong.com
http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=business06_june06_2006
PLDT system to allow credit card deals, ATM in remote areas
this story was taken from www.inq7money.net
URL: http://money.inq7.net/topstories/view_topstories.php?yyyy=2006&mon=06&dd=07&file=9
PLDT system to allow credit card deals, ATM in remote areas
Posted: 3:52 AM | Jun. 07, 2006
Daxim L. Lucas
Inquirer
RETAILERS and banks in the remotest areas of the country will soon be linked wirelessly through a new point-of-sale system of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) that uses cell sites instead of phone lines to transmit data, a company official said.
The new service will enable rural retailers to accept credit card payments and banks to operate automated teller machine (ATM) networks wirelessly, PLDT corporate business group head Eric Alberto said.
The product, called Shops Work UnPlugged, or SWUP (pronounced "swoop"), is meant to address the need of retailers and banks for real-time data communications, Alberto said.
It is part of the company's effort to diversify from its traditional mobile phone and landline products, he said.
Alberto said the service would provide retailers and banks with multiple branches an expanded network for real-time monitoring of critical data for their operations.
"SWUP is the first bundled solution that makes wireless cashier point-of-sale and wireless card terminals possible," he said in a statement. "Retailers will now be able reach out to a bigger market in areas where physical connections are unavailable."
"This solution can also expand the frontiers of banking since the technology can be used to come up with wireless ATMs," he added. "You can even have an ATM at the beach."
PLDT said the service is available in 99.57 percent of areas covered by its mobile phone unit Smart Communications Inc.
The network, using wireless terminals enabled with subscriber identity module (SIM) cards similar to those used in mobile phones, can transmit data at a rate of up to 170 kilobits per second (kbps).
This rate is "more than enough for simple data communications involving cashier point-of-sales, card swipe and ATM transactions," PLDT said.
SWUP comes in three variants: Naked SWUP, a SIM-only variant; SWUP Cash, which is SIM bundled with GPRS/EDGE modem; and SWUP Card, a point-of-sale service bundled with SIM.
PLDT corporate business solutions head Nerissa Ramos said SWUP would give retailers the flexibility to sell or position their stores without physical network limitations.
Apart from retailers, she envisions that the product may even be used by taxicabs and delivery boys.
"There is the security provided by the SIM and security inherent in Smart's GPRS/EDGE network where there is a dedicated Access Point Name assigned per company," Ramos said, explaining its security features. "It does not go through the Internet, thus protecting clients from viruses and hackers." With INQ7.net
'Caption' for TV new job prospect
| Wednesday, June 07, 2006 |
| |
| 'Caption' for TV new job prospect |
| The US Congress has passed a law that requires "closed captioning" of all new English-language television programming in the country. The law took effect January 1, 1998, allowing an eight-year transition period. That period has run its course this year. Captioning is implemented to allow the hearing-impaired to enjoy a program on television or a video film by reading the dialogue spoken at the bottom of the screen. It is also intended to help people learning English as a second language, people learning how to read and people in a noisy environment. The term "closed caption" means that only those who activate it can see the text. "Open caption" is visible to all viewers. The House majority leader, Eduardo Gullas, said the closed-captioning law will bring thousands of new outsourcing jobs to the Closed captioning available here In fact, Gullas said, PeopleSupport Inc., a business-process outsourcing provider based in "Captioning is something new for our college graduates," Gullas noted. "Unlike call-center work, captioning requires no voice skills. However, a high degree of English comprehension skills is essential, because the captioning professional must transcribe the spoken word into a readable format." According to Gullas, author of a bill in reinstating English as a medium of instruction in schools, the development underscores the need for young people to learn the language. It has been observed that US video program distributors are now on a "mad scramble" to comply with the mandatory closed-captioning requirement. The problem is that there are only 26,000 American captioning professionals, most of them already employed as judicial reporters. Moreover, they demand an average annual salary of $70,000. "The only way out for the distributors is to find ways to outsource jobs to low-cost, English-speaking countries such as the The US Federal Communications Commission has already imposed stiff fines on television networks that failed to provide captions during emergency broadcasts in recent wildfires, tornadoes and hurricanes. http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2006/june/07/yehey/top_stories/20060607top2.html |
Google plans online spreadsheet to challenge Microsoft's Excel
Thursday, June 8, 2006 |
News
Google plans online spreadsheet to challenge Microsoft's Excel
The move by Google poses another challenge to Microsoft, whose Excel program is part of its Office suite of programs that dominates the sector. Google said it was launching a limited test of an online version of a spreadsheet program, which has rows and columns and is often used for comparative analysis of financial data.
"Perhaps the real Google competitive threat isn't any product or products, but the information vendor's ability to rustle Microsoft corporate paranoia. To get Microsoft chasing Google phantoms, and in the process get Microsoft's corporate mind off its core business."
Joe Wilcox of Jupiter Research said Google may be drawing more customers away from Microsoft's Internet offerings and hitting them with advertising in exchange for the free program.
"Businesswise, Google Spreadsheets is a super-smart move in the battle against Microsoft by hitting at a Microsoft strength, Microsoft Office," said Danny Sullivan of Search Engine Watch.
Microsoft is planning to launch an online version of its Office programs. -- AFP
BPO workforce seen hitting 1M-2M in 2010
this story was taken from www.inq7money.net
URL: http://money.inq7.net/topstories/view_topstories.php?yyyy=2006&mon=06&dd=09&file=4
BPO workforce seen hitting 1M-2M in 2010
Posted: 2:50 AM | Jun. 09, 2006
Inquirer
THE business process outsourcing (BPO) sector is expected to have between one and two million employees in 2010, including 500,000 in call centers, officials of the Contact Center Association of the
More processes are being outsourced, resulting in a surge in demand for workers, said CCAP director Rainerio Borja, president of PeopleSupport Philippines Inc.
The demand is growing so fast that the industry is facing a labor shortage, association officials said.
They said that out of the country's 400,000 college graduates every year, only 25 percent are deemed "immediately employable" in the BPO and information technology-enabled services sectors.
"Labor shortage is a glaring issue facing us. But this is something we hope we can address," said CCAP director Raffy David, director for marketing and quality at Pilipinas Teleserv.
When asked if the labor shortage would mean having to sacrifice quality to meet the demand, David said BPO companies take up projects only taken if they know that the requirements could be fulfilled with the quality for which the country was become known.
In
Rosenzweig, in
"I think over the next few years, we can continue to grow our operations here very significantly," he said. "The reason is that the teams are performing so well that the clients are very, very happy with their performance and they're encouraging us to continue to grow here."
Rosenzweig said PeopleSupport was partnering with universities in developing people. "We're seeing a very large pool of workers," he said.< With INQ7.net
Call center group sees 70% growth
Call center group sees 70% growth
By Marianne V. Go
The Philippine Star 06/09/2006
The Call Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP) is projecting the call center industry to post a continued growth of 70 percent this year.
However, according to CCAP director Reinerio Borja of People Support and concurrent chairman of the Business Process Association, the growth of business process outsourcing (BPO) is expected to exceed 100 percent, outpacing the projected 70 percent growth of call centers.
In a press conference, the CCAP expressed optimism that the local call center industry would continue to attract investments, clients and applicants as it expands into other related services such as BPO and animation.
The expansion into BPO and animation, the CCAP officials explained, is logical and maximizes their resources.
Most often call centers operate in the evenings when their
Thus, in the daytime in the
While competition in the sector is increasing worldwide, the CCAP is confident that the
CCAP officials also disclosed that a number of Filipino-Americans are finding their way back to the
The CCAP is holding a two-day Call Center Conference and Expo on June 20 and 21 at the Edsa Shangrila with the theme "Sustaining the Industry's Hypergrowth."
Previously, BPO International president and chief executive officer Christopher Orcullo had projected that finance and accounting outsourcing in the world market would reach $25 billion in 2009 and the
Finance and accounting outsourcing growth is 15 percent of the total BPO growth amounting to $641.2 billion, based on an IDC estimate on BPO 2009 spending.
"Large offshore companies will demand integrated services like purchase and payment combined with procurement and finance and accounting services. And the primary driver to outsourcing is no longer just cost reduction but a more strategic objective of improving competitive position, market leadership among other things," Orcullo explained.
The US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) cited Filipino accountants as "among the best in the world."
Filipino accountants are also well versed with GAAP and International Accounting Standards for financial reporting, standards employed in the
Government statistics show that the
The
Meanwhile, over 80,000 graduates have degrees in business administration and related discipline.
To date, there are more than 60 BPO operators in the
Some of the multinational companies outsourcing their finance and accounting processes in the
Price waterhouse coopers, KPMG Consultancy, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu and Ernst and Young are also represented in the
PLDT seals PhilWeb acquisition
this story was taken from www.inq7money.net
URL: http://money.inq7.net/topstories/view_topstories.php?yyyy=2006&mon=06&dd=10&file=10
PLDT seals PhilWeb acquisition
Posted: 4:39 AM | Jun. 10, 2006
Daxim L. Lucas
Inquirer
THE country's largest telecommunications firm yesterday completed its acquisition of 20 percent of PhilWeb Corp., boosting its plan to enter into the online gaming business.
In a statement to the stock exchange, the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) said its subsidiary ePLDT Inc. remitted to PhilWeb last June 8 some P427 million as payment for the stake in the firm controlled by Roberto Ongpin.
As a result of the transaction, PLDT said that PhilWeb's board of directors will hold a special meeting to elect ePLDT's three nominee-directors and a vice chairman representing the telecommunications giant.
The deal is expected to give a big boost to online gaming in the country as PLDT's telecommunications resources—including the country's largest cellular phone network—are mated with PhilWeb's gaming franchise from the government.
Talk is also rife that PLDT will proceed to acquire more PhilWeb shares to be able to fully control the online gaming market—a suggestion that Ongpin has already shot down.
He said he was unwilling to sell more PhilWeb shares to PLDT and that the latter can instead buy its relatively illiquid stock through the bourse.
PhilWeb is primarily engaged in Internet-based gaming, through its appointment as principal technology service provider of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor), with which it has a marketing consultancy agreement for Internet sports betting and Internet casino operations.
PhilWeb offers Internet sports betting in over 230 Pagcor Internet sports betting stations (ISBS) and over 40 Internet casino stations nationwide.
Info exchange on trade pact negotiations urged
this story was taken from www.inq7money.net
URL: http://money.inq7.net/topstories/view_topstories.php?yyyy=2006&mon=06&dd=14&file=6
Info exchange on trade pact negotiations urged
Posted: 11:30 PM | Jun. 13, 2006
Ronnel W. Domingo
Inquirer
(Published on Page B9 of the June 14, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer)
THE ASIA-PACIFIC Economic Cooperation should continue to allow the free flow of information on the best way to negotiate trade pacts amid fears that such agreements might stunt the growth of developing members, according to Trade Secretary Peter B. Favila.
Favila, who recently met with counterparts at the Apec in
"I am particularly concerned that the spaghetti bowl effect [or having the world markets divided into numerous units through various separate pacts] may damage the growth of smaller players in the region," he said.
Further, the trade chief said the separate talks could undermine efforts to conclude a new round of talks in the World Trade Organization.
He said building on best practices within Apec could easily gather momentum since the group had adopted this means as a way to ensure that pacts outside WTO would be consistent with the aims of the WTO.
"But I can imagine that senior officials will have some challenging work here because we each have different experiences, motivations and capabilities which we all want to be reflected in the model measures," he said.
Still, he added that the
"Model provisions are guides for members but should not prejudice ongoing negotiations nor be prescriptive to future negotiations entered into by the members," Favila said.
"By maintaining the nonbinding principle of Apec, possible conflict of interest among members who are negotiating with each other will be avoided," he added.
Also, Favila urged Apec to continue providing members with capacity-building aid on how to effectively negotiate bilateral or regional trade pacts.
"Apec should as well look into commissioning analytical research to better understand and analyze the impact and benefits that separate pacts might impose on both the welfare of the region and the achievement of Apec's goals," he said.
eBay links US buyers and sellers via Skype
eBay links US buyers and sellers via Skype
June 15, 2006
Updated 09:48am (Mla time)
Agence France-Presse
Beginning this month, eBay will test giving US sellers in 14 categories the option of having postings include "Skype Me" buttons that prospective buyers could click on to call them instantly via the Internet.
The new feature was among those revealed by eBay Chief Executive Officer Meg Whitman at an annual eBay Live conference in
Since buying Skype last year, eBay has integrated Internet telephone call features into its auction sites in
"The goal is to accelerate trade on eBay," Durzy told Agence France-Presse. "Most are free Skype to Skype calls. We are not looking at this as a way to gain revenue from Skype calls."
"In
Categories in the
"We wanted categories that we felt the buyers would most benefit from speaking with sellers," Durzy said.
"It is all about removing friction in the bidding process," Durzy said. "Friction being anything that might prevent someone from making a bid."
EBay-devoted blogs and a wiki, a website where visitors can combine their collective wisdom into a definitive how-to guide for online auctioning, have also been created as community forums for buyers and sellers.
"I don't think blogging and wiki technology could be put in better hands than the eBay community," said eBay North America President Bill Cobb.
"There are lots of online communities, of course, but only eBay's can boast such a huge diversity of passions, interests and expertise."
EBay also announced that, beginning in July, it would roll out an eBay Alert service that would alert people on their mobile telephones to let them know when they were outbid on an item and give them the option of upping the ante.
http://news.inq7.net/express/html_output/20060615-79205.xml.html