MANILA, 29 November - Contrary to perception that international call business of telecommunication giants is raking huge profit, the business is no longer that lucrative. The reason is the high rate.

This is where a new company cashes in to lower down call rates.

Swiftel Datacom, Inc, during a press presentation yesterday, launched and presented its Swiftel global messaging system (GMS), the convergence of the different voice, data and fax communication.

Bernarnd Asperin, president and chief executive officer of Millenium Holdings Inc., the mother firm of Swiftel, said their main target are the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).

"Through GMS, we can send virtually any data or message and have the data or message received by someone using a different device or service, anytime and wherever he may be," Asperin said.

Among its telecommunications service, the company has a pre-paid card, which works like the Fonkard of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co.

Subcribers of the card can call or text anyone in Macau, Indonesia and Hong Kong and will be charged only P7.50 for every message sent, and for every voice call lasting one minute or less. The pre-paid card works in both landline and cellphones.

Swiftel hopes to expand its operations gradually to cover other countries where there are many OFWs.

Current rates by local telecommunication companies range between P15 for every text message sent to a subscriber abroad, and P20.50 per minute for every voice call.

Pre-paid card holders will be charged the regular P1 rate for every text message sent and the regular rate for landlines.

"It's a very cheap alternative of communicating. That's why this is very viable for OFWs, or anyone in the Philippines who want to call anyone abroad. OFWs are a very lucrative market, with a high level of disposable income and limited access to cheap communication," he assured.

"Aside from Macau and Hong Kong, we'll also be branching out soon in Taiwan, Malaysia, some countries in the Middle East, and a number of cities in the United States. We don't need to partner or make any arrangement with local telcos because we use our own lease lines. We have our own networks."

Text messaging has become widely used in the Philippines, including those in far-flung provinces. There's even a joke spreading around that even farmers and fish vendors do send text messages in between their work.

Despite the decrease in free calls offered by most companies, texting remains far more popular, especially among the young.