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This will be a disappointing news to Philippine mobile users as the Philippine National Telecommunication Office ordered the temporary suspension of unlimited text messaging and voice calls starting next week to prevent network abuse during Christmas and New Year when text messaging and voice calls are expected to double.

The Philippines is known to be the text messaging capital of the world with an estimated subscriber base of close to 60 million divided among major telecommunication players like Globe Telecom, Touch Mobile, Smart Communications, PLDT, and Talk ‘N Text.

Unlimited night calls from Globe Telecom and Touch Mobile will not be in effect from December 23, 2008 starting at 11 in the evening up to 6 in the morning of December 25, 2008. This arrangement will also be in effect starting 11 in the evening of December 30, 2008 up to 6 in the morning of January 1, 2009. Smart Communications will also impose same suspension starting December 23.

Globe was also given the right to terminate calls for an unreasonably prolonged length of time.

Despite the order, telecommunication companies are preparing for the surge of text messages and voice calls during this time of the year. The country’s 65 million mobile phone users send an average of 700 million to a billion text messages a day.