MANILA, Philippines, September 30, 2008 – The Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. has come up with an innovative inquiry service called AskPLDT that will allow postpaid landline subscribers to quickly get important information for free.

Another first from PLDT, the new service called AskPLDT 101-811 enhances the landline by giving more than just directory numbers. By just dialing 101-811, subscribers can have important info on hospitals, churches, restaurants, hotline numbers, as well as travel info, weather, public advisories, foreign exchange rates, and more.

AskPLDT 101-811 also has the latest on fun and entertainment info. It will also have the following on hand: daily updates such as breaking news, daily horoscope, jokes, thought for the day; latest happenings such as PLDT promos and events, shopping mall sale events, latest shopping trends; news and entertainment such as sports news and TV and movie schedules; and even home and lifestyle tips such as cooking recipes, do-it-yourself tips, school tips, first aid tips, car maintenance, etc.

“The service is automatically available to all PLDT postpaid landline subscribers,” said Consumer Sales and Marketing Group Head Eric R. Alberto.

“We found out that our subscribers mostly looked for the latest sales and promos, showbiz news, house tips, public advisories and emergency numbers. AskPLDT is our answer. It’s our way of giving them another reason to be glad that they have a PLDT landline.”

AskPLDT is equipped with voice recognition so that the caller can simply say what info he needs. It’s the first of its kind for the home landline from PLDT. Listening to automated spiels or going through a long menu list of options will no longer be necessary.

A subscriber just has to pick up the phone, call AskPLDT 101-811 and say what he needs. For example, when he needs to know about movie schedules, he can just say “movie skeds,” and the system will automatically recognize the voice and question, and instantly give an answer.

There are also recorded voice instructions that are simple to follow: Press “1” for restaurants, Press “2” for movie schedules, etc.

The service will also have a “key word” search feature. This will allow subscribers to search for information by just typing in the first few letters of the topic using the alphanumeric keypad of the phone, similar to texting.

“If you’re looking for Jollibee, for example, you can just type J-O-L and the system will give you the list of establishments whose names begin with J-O-L,” said Alberto. “It’s simple and easy to use.”

“We feel that the horoscope, entertainment news, jokes, etc. will also give our subscribers some form of entertainment when they pick up a phone. The service primarily targets busy moms and the goal is to empower them by providing all the information their family would need. So in a sense, the landline is a lot more intelligent now,” added Alberto.

While AskPLDT targets the stay-at-home moms, Dads and kuyas can also get their fill of info from AskPLDT 101-811 as well. Car maintenance tips, household maintenance tips and even sports news are available.

With the wealth of useful and even entertaining information in the AskPLDT service, the Company hopes to make a difference in how its subscribers access information using their landlines.