Globe-Brastel to provide affordable calls to OFWs in Japan

MANILA, Philippines – An estimated 250,000 Filipinos in Japan can now avail of more affordable calls through a joint venture of Globe Telecom Incorporated and Tokyo-based Brastel Company Limited.

The partnership is seen to benefit overseas Filipino workers as rates for calls to Globe and TM in the Philippines would be half the cost of other offers in Japan, Rizza Maniego-Eala, Globe senior vice president for international business said in a news conference.

“This partnership with Brastel gives us an opportunity to offer good quality calls, superior rates, and a widely-accessible reloadable card product available in over 44,000 outlets across the said country,” Eala said.

The Globe-Brastel card is available for free at Filipino stores across Japan, Brastel chief executive officer Wilson Kendi Kawai said.

Affordable calls

The denominations of 2,000 yen ($16.98) up to 10,000 yen ($84.88) could be used to reload the call cards, explained George Tatsuki Takata, Brastel general manager for carrier operations and support .

Takata said the average monthly expenses for calls in Japan is less than 2,000 yen.

Reloading the card is easy via the widely-accepted Smart Pit payment gateway at partner convenience stores such as Circle K, FamilyMart, Lawson, and Mini Stop, Eala said.

The reloadable call card can be used to call Globe landlines in the Philippines at 20 yen ($0.17) per minute, as well as Globe and TM mobile phones at 35 yen ($0.30) per minute.

Globe would also maximize the infrastructure of Brastel, the pioneer of reloadable calling cards in Japan.

Brastel was established in 1996 to provide international calling services to over 190 countries and territories around the world.

It is also the pioneer in rechargeable international prepaid cards in the world through Brastel Card that allows customers to instantly add more credit to their cards at 44,000 convenience stores throughout Japan. – Rappler.com

US$1 = JPY117.81