Waze, the extremely popular crowd-sourced navigation app, has forged its first collaboration with local operators through a partnership with PLDT subsidiaries Smart Communications, Sun Cellular, and Voyager Innovations.
Waze combines GPS navigation technology with social networking, enabling users to swiftly identify the fastest and most efficient map routes.
Millions of Waze drivers enable the service to adjust its reports in real time, based on constantly changing road conditions such as heavy traffic or accidents.
Through the partnership, the companies will encourage further expansion of Waze usage in the Philippines through a marketing, promotion, and distribution agreement to Smart and Sun?s more than 73.4 million subscribers.
In addition to special promotions, Smart and Sun will pre-install the Waze application on smartphones bundled under its commercial postpaid and prepaid offerings.
The Waze Philippines map will display Smart- and Sun-branded retail pins to help extend both companies? customer service.
Voyager will serve as a critical partner, working with Waze for technology integration and exchange of map data for both Smart and Sun.
?Waze is one of the most innovative and fast-rising mobile apps in the world and we?re proud to make this available to our subscribers. With our fast-growing smartphone subscriber base, Waze is an exciting addition to the growing number of Smart and Sun?s leading global mobile apps partners,? said Orlando B. Vea, chief wireless advisor of Smart and president of Digitel.
Early this year, Waze was recognized as Best Overall App at the Global Mobile Awards 2013 in Barcelona, Spain. With the Philippines as one of the fast-growing smartphone markets in Southeast Asia, mobile apps and data usage is on the rise.
