MANILA Electric Co. on Friday announced it will pilot prepaid electricity early next year, a system of payment already in use in South Africa, Indonesia, and most recently in India, Australia and New Zealand.
“What will make Meralco’s implementation different from those countries is our leveraging on the strength of prepaid telecoms in the Philippines,” senior vice president Alfredo Panlilio said.
“The Filipino’s love affair with his prepaid mobile is a powerful vehicle we will ride on, making the Philippine implementation somewhat unique versus the early adopters of the service.”
Manila Electric is controlled by Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., the country’s largest telecommunications firm.
Panlilio said the purchase of Meralco prepaid electricity will be the same experience as mobile credit loading.
A consumer provides the store his subscriber information number and the store loads that number via text. The consumer then gets a confirmation text, his meter is loaded, and electricity is immediately provided.
When the load is running low, the consumer gets a warning text about four days before his or her power is cut off.
Manila Electric says some households may find the prepaid system better than the post-paid one because it will match their income with their expenses.
“We continue to understand our customers better, scan innovations around the world and adapt them Filipino-style to be of better service and relevance here,” Panlilio said.
He says the sharing of electricity costs will also be easier for houses with multiple families. Lessors and lessees are potential customers since the prepaid service eliminates the persistent issue of lessees leaving their bills unpaid.
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