Net Phoning for the Dial-Up Set

Iria · Jul 10, 2006, 05:03 PM

Source: Business Week
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Dina Bonnevie is no household name in the U.S. But to millions of Filipinos, she's Angelina Jolie, Oprah, and J.Lo rolled into one. Dina, as fans know her, has starred in dozens of movies, recorded a gold album, and hosted her own daytime talk show in the Asian archipelago. She has also endorsed products ranging from Pepsi to toothbrushes.

So when Fusion Telecommunications International set out to market its new Internet telephony service, efonica, to the world's 91 million Filipinos, including 7 million expatriates, naturally the company chose Dina as a spokeswoman.

The Dina endorsement deal underscores efonica's aim to set itself apart in the crowed market for Voice over Internet Protocol phone services. At a time when VoIP service providers are courting mainly broadband-connected customers in the U.S., Europe, and parts of Asia, efonica aims to provide low-cost IP-based phone services to residents of countries that have scant access to high-speed Internet, while wooing those nations' expats eager to stay connected to home.

Jul 10, 2006, 05:03 PM	#1
Iria DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 7,275 Rep Power: 89	Net Phoning for the Dial-Up Set Source: Business Week ___________ Dina Bonnevie is no household name in the U.S. But to millions of Filipinos, she's Angelina Jolie, Oprah, and J.Lo rolled into one. Dina, as fans know her, has starred in dozens of movies, recorded a gold album, and hosted her own daytime talk show in the Asian archipelago. She has also endorsed products ranging from Pepsi to toothbrushes. So when Fusion Telecommunications International set out to market its new Internet telephony service, efonica, to the world's 91 million Filipinos, including 7 million expatriates, naturally the company chose Dina as a spokeswoman. The Dina endorsement deal underscores efonica's aim to set itself apart in the crowed market for Voice over Internet Protocol phone services. At a time when VoIP service providers are courting mainly broadband-connected customers in the U.S., Europe, and parts of Asia, efonica aims to provide low-cost IP-based phone services to residents of countries that have scant access to high-speed Internet, while wooing those nations' expats eager to stay connected to home.