Here's some news that's two weeks late by now: Smart unveils a new SIM card and data plan, dubbed "Magic SIM". Usually, one might think that it's just yet another data plan to add in their roster that covers a broad range of the pricing market. But what's "magical" now is that they offer non-expiring data - a service package to rival Globe's GOMO, the only other player in this segment.
Magic SIM
The Magic SIM is a limited-edition offering, and it's already sold out in Lazada as of writing this, though it's still available in the Smart Online Store. It retails for ₱399 and comes with 24GB of data included. Just like the GOMO offering, Magic SIM is also 5G compatible. Also like GOMO, it connects to a companion app, Smart GigaLife, which can be found in the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, and Huawei AppGallery. The prospect of non-expiring data entering a mainstream brand and not a newcomer stems from the competition addressing the pain points experienced by consumers, and by that I mean it's fashionably late, but it still arrived nonetheless.
Philippine mobile internet
From what I talked about before regarding non-expiring data: it may not be the ultimate game-changer of a service to have, but it really is a convenient and in some cases a vital must-have. As I have told in my previous article regarding the Philippines' inflexible internet situation, over 4,000 households share a single cell tower, which creates bottlenecks, slows the networks down, and dampens the speeds in the process, which becomes such a vexing situation to experience almost everyday. Couple that with data that expires after a certain amount of time, and one is now experiencing a costly as well as a time-sink frustration.
With certain proposals such as implementing mandatory data roll-over for one year as well as a senate panel where one goal is to remove expiring data altogether on radio silence for at least over a year, it's fortunate that the telecommunications companies are releasing these services anyway. After all, no matter how niche a service might be, there is still a market for it.
High hopes
I may buy the Magic SIM, but with that offering being similar to GOMO's, which I do have and currently use, it may be a far-away point, that is if it's still available by then. The limited-edition tag that's pointed out by news articles and tech blogs does worry me in the sense that it's either a one-off product - though unlikely given the costs and marketing of it - or a seasonal product like the Jollibee Tuna Pie or the Fish and Chips of McDonald's. But what I hope happens is that the market offerings for non-expiring data expand even more. It was incredulous that we even got a non-expiring data service in the first place with GOMO, so Smart following behind the trail is to be expected. Even the newest telecommunications player DITO, though not offering non-expiring promos, is offering unlimited data for 30 days, which is a step forward to offering non-expiring ones in the future.
All on costs
Time to reiterate this line again: it's still all about the costs. It's non-expiring, it has plenty of data, but it costs ₱399 to buy. It's ₱100 more than GOMO's offering which provides 25GB (though it's 30GB for the first time), but I still consider an expensive initial investment. It's a great tool for the ones among us that need the internet up at all costs to do our work, but with the steep initial payment to get the service, it becomes a "spend it until it runs out" type of situation, which would depend from person to person. As always, research one's needs first and see if a data-only plan works for the situation. If the texts and calls are required, then another plan which doesn't have as much internet data would likely work better.
A good outlook
The offerings just keep getting better and better, and us consumers are better off with it. Though what is better if voice our needs better on what we need, be it non-expiring mobile internet plans, more landline minutes, or more data allotment for the postpaid plans. If the demand is there, it will eventually come, instigated by a new competitor or an existing one. If enough people buy the SIM and purchase the data plan associated with it, maybe we'll even see a regular release of the SIM. Only then it would be a true all-season GOMO competitor. Right now, even it it doesn't look to desirable, a limited-edition run seems to be a safer business bet. Here's to hoping that we get more offerings like this. And who knows, maybe I'll even buy it and make a possible review.