Smart offers unlimited Twitter for papal visit

MANILA, Philippines—Smart Communications will offer unlimited access to Twitter during the four-day visit of Pope Francis to the Philippines from January 15-19.

“With this collaboration, Smart and Twitter aim to allow more Filipinos to get involved and immerse in this historic experience with Pope Francis, who our Catholic nation hold very dear to our heart,” Napoleon L. Nazareno, president and CEO of PLDT and Smart, said in a statement.

SCREENGRAB from Pope Francis’s Twitter account

Nazareno said all 69 million prepaid and postpaid subscribers of Smart, Sun Cellular and Talk ‘N Text may use the mobile application of the microblogging site without worrying about data charges.

He said this would allow more Filipinos to follow the Pope’s Twitter account (@Pontifex), send wishes and prayers to the Pope using the hashtag #DearPopeFrancis, and get real-time updates on the much anticipated apostolic and state visit of Pope Francis in the Philippines.

“In the same way Pope Francis has embraced Twitter with his official account @Pontifex to reach out to more Catholics all over the world, Filipinos may use this very same platform on their mobile devices to see events unfold and join heartfelt conversations–whether they are physically present in the event or not,” Nazareno said.

Smart advised its subscribers to maintain at least P1 load balance every day or be subscribed to any plan, promo or bundle to enjoy the free service.

Twitter has over 284 million monthly active users worldwide, 80 percent of which are on mobile Twitter. NC

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