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MANILA, Philippines?Imagine being able to have a video teleconference with your relative abroad, with clear reception, in real time, and best of all, for free.
This is made possible by Abot Tanaw, a free social networking system which seeks to provide free video teleconferencing for the eight million overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) abroad and their dependents in the Philippines.
The concept of Abot Tanaw started from a conversation between Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation chief Ephraim Genuino and businessman and Abot Tanaw chief executive Kim Go, who both wanted to make the conversations between OFWs and their relatives more personal.
?Hearing the voice is good but nothing beats looking at a face while talking,? said Geniuno, senior adviser of the Abot Tanaw company.
?We came up with Abot Tanaw with the well-being of our hardworking OFWs in mind. Our service is a tool for connecting them with their families and we?ve integrated telecommunications and social interaction through a venue where they could get in touch,? Go said.
Though similar services like chatting and video conferencing using a webcam are available on the Internet, Genuino said that these ?are too complicated for many of our OFWs and it is too public.?
OFWs and their dependents need only to register and become an Abot Tanaw member for them to avail of the free service, Genuino said.
Making use of the most advanced telecommunications technology which was developed by Cebu-based Filipino company Next│ix, Abot Tanaw allows OFWs to talk to their relatives and see them through real-time video streaming.
?The Philippines is the pioneer country which made use of this type of technology and used it on a global scale. Other countries have a similar technology but they only use it within their country,? said Abot Tanaw information technology director Roberto Suson in an interview.
Abot Tanaw gives the first five minutes of the conversation for free and charges for the succeeding minutes, Genuino said.
However, Suson said the company is still determining the exact rates but guaranteed that it will be affordable for the OFWs and their dependents.
He added that Abot Kamay makes use of a fully-automated system which is hassle-free and ready to use.
Since the service is for free, one may wonder how Abot Tanaw will be able to fund their company.
Based on the concept of ?Freeconomics and Freemium,? funds to sustain the free service will be sourced from advertisers whose ads will be streamed on the LCD video screen before each call.
?The ads are also strategic in terms of which type of end-users the sponsors are targeting. If the sponsor wishes to capture gender-based market or a specific age bracket, Abot Tanaw can easily specify which users are able to view which kind of ads,? Go said.
The Abot Tanaw was launched Wednesday at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City with a simultaneous launching in Hong Kong, where the first Abot Tanaw hub abroad was set up.
During the launch, some OFW workers in Hong Kong were allowed to test the telephones and they were very pleased with the service.
?Nakakatuwa po kasi syempre accessible siya, saka di lang siya basta tawag, makikita mo kausap mo (It?s fun that we not only hear them but see them),? said Mary Rose Sampilo, who was able to talk to her mother Connie in Hong Kong.
?Mas makakapagusap kayo ng malinaw. Masasabi na lahat, not just na tawag lang. Makikita na niya yung improvement sa iyo (The conversation is clearer. My mother was able to see the improvement in me),? Sampilo added.
She was able to find out about Abot Tanaw?s service through her mother, who was informed about it by the Philippine consulate general in Hong Kong.
?Maganda po ito, dati sa webcam lang kami nagkakausap. OK po ito, malinaw yung video at yung pag-uusap malinaw naman. Sa web, delayed kasi (This is better than the webcam we used before. The video and the conversation are clear here unlike in the web which is delayed),? said Nino Fajardo, who was able to talk to his elder sister Jessa, who works for the Philippine consulate general in Hong Kong.
So far, Hong Kong is the first to have a fully functioning Abot Tanaw hub outside the country while other hubs in Singapore, Macau, and Dubai are being set up, Suson said.
He said they are starting with the Asian countries because they are nearer and therefore more convenient.
?Most Filipinos who leave go to Hong Kong first,? Suson noted.
Meanwhile, all five Abot Tanaw hubs in the Philippines are very accessible and are located in SM Pampanga, SM Mall of Asia, SM North, SM Cebu, SM Davao, Suson said.
?So, you can see, Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao are covered and from there we just do the network,? Suson added.
With this, Abot Tanaw aims to bridge the distance between OFWs and their families while maintaining a profitable business.
