EasyCall

EasyCall, formally EasyCall Communications Philippines, Inc. and commonly abbreviated ECP, is a Philippine telecommunications company whose best-known business was nationwide paging during the 1990s. The company was established on September 25, 1989, under the name Francisco N. Cervantes, Inc. It entered a period of expansion as paging became an important mobile communications service before the widespread adoption of cellular phones and text messaging. In 1992, the company became publicly listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange and adopted the EasyCall name. Its principal paging competitor was PocketBell. The two providers were described as holding broadly comparable positions in the Philippine paging market, with each claiming a share in the range of 50 to 60 percent. EasyCall distinguished itself through the geographic reach of its network: at its peak, it operated 16 paging sites across the Philippines, with network capacity for approximately 300,000 subscribers. Paging was EasyCall’s defining service during the company’s most visible period. Customers used pagers to receive short communications before mobile phones and short message service became broadly accessible. The market environment changed rapidly in the late 1990s as mobile-phone ownership grew and SMS became a convenient, inexpensive substitute for many paging use cases. EasyCall responded by reducing and ultimately discontinuing its paging operations. Provincial paging services, apart from Cebu, ended in March 2002, while operations in Metro Manila and Cebu were terminated in November 2002. The company’s remaining subscribers were absorbed by Island Country Telecommunications, whose paging operation used the Jaspage name. EasyCall had begun diversifying before paging was phased out. It entered contact-center outsourcing in 1999 and added information-technology services in 2000. These moves shifted the business away from dependence on a legacy communications technology and toward business-process and technology services. In 2001, EasyCall was acquired by the Transnational Diversified Group. After the end of paging, the company continued pursuing telecommunications and related information-technology activities, including broadband services introduced in 2015. EasyCall’s history illustrates the rapid technology transition from paging to mobile messaging in the Philippines. Its former paging network was significant because it extended beyond the major urban market and reached customers throughout the country. At the same time, the company’s later diversification shows an effort to preserve a telecommunications-related business as paging lost relevance. Publicly available reference material identifies EasyCall primarily through this historical evolution—from a listed paging operator, to a diversified outsourcing and information-technology provider, and later to a business offering broadband and other telecommunications services. Detailed current information about its management, consumer-facing product portfolio, website, and present operating scale is not established in the supplied reference material.

EasyCall Communications Philippines, Inc., known as EasyCall, was established in the Philippines on September 25, 1989, under the corporate name Francisco N. Cervantes, Inc. The business developed during a period when paging was an important form of mobile communication. Before cellular phones and text messaging became widely used, pagers allowed customers to receive short messages while remaining reachable outside a fixed telephone location. The company went public in 1992 and was listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange. At the same time, it changed its corporate name to EasyCall, the identity by which it became known in the market. Its main competitor in paging was PocketBell. Both companies claimed a substantial share of the Philippine paging industry, with reported claims ranging from 50 to 60 percent. EasyCall’s network had unusually broad geographic coverage for the period. At its peak, the company operated 16 paging sites across the Philippines and had capacity to serve approximately 300,000 subscribers. The technology environment changed in the late 1990s. Mobile phones became more common, and SMS offered a faster and more flexible way to exchange short messages. This reduced the practical value of pagers and placed pressure on paging operators. EasyCall started contact-center outsourcing in 1999 and expanded into information-technology services in 2000, indicating that diversification began before the paging network was fully retired. Transnational Diversified Group acquired EasyCall in 2001. The following year marked the end of the company’s paging era. EasyCall stopped its provincial paging service, except in Cebu, in March 2002. It then closed its Metro Manila and Cebu paging operations in November 2002. The company’s subscribers were absorbed by Island Country Telecommunications, which operated a paging service called Jaspage. After paging, EasyCall focused on other telecommunications and technology-related activities, including contact-center outsourcing and information technology. It later added broadband services in 2015. The available historical record does not provide enough information to describe the company’s current management, detailed financial performance, current subscriber base, or present corporate structure beyond its association with Transnational Diversified Group. EasyCall is therefore best understood historically as a Philippine communications operator that moved from a large paging network into a more diversified technology-services and telecommunications model.

1. 2015Broadband services introduced

   EasyCall began offering broadband services within its post-paging telecommunications portfolio.

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2. 2002Paging business discontinued

   EasyCall ended provincial paging outside Cebu in March and closed its Metro Manila and Cebu paging operations in November.

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3. 2001Acquisition by Transnational Diversified Group

   Transnational Diversified Group acquired EasyCall during the company’s transition toward diversified telecommunications and technology services.

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4. 2000Information-technology services added

   The company expanded its service portfolio to include information-technology activities.

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5. 1999Entry into contact-center outsourcing

   EasyCall began its contact-center outsourcing business as part of its diversification beyond paging.

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6. 1992Public listing and rebranding

   The company went public, became listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange, and adopted the EasyCall name.

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7. 1989Company established

   The company was established on September 25, 1989, as Francisco N. Cervantes, Inc.

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A Philippine telecommunications and technology-services operator that built its reputation through nationwide paging and later diversified into outsourcing, information technology, and broadband as mobile messaging displaced traditional paging.

• Paging servicesTelecommunications

  EasyCall’s signature business was a paging network serving customers across the Philippines. At its peak, the company operated 16 paging sites with capacity for approximately 300,000 subscribers. Paging was especially important before mobile phones and SMS became widespread. The service was gradually withdrawn in 2002 as customer demand shifted toward mobile messaging.

• Contact-center outsourcingBusiness process outsourcing1999

  EasyCall entered contact-center outsourcing in 1999 as an early diversification move away from a business centered on paging. The available reference material does not specify the company’s particular client sectors, locations, service volumes, or current scale, but identifies outsourcing as one of the telecommunications operator’s post-paging activities.

• Information-technology servicesInformation technology services2000

  The company added information-technology services in 2000. This expansion formed part of EasyCall’s effort to build businesses less dependent on the declining paging market. Specific products, platforms, implementation services, and current availability are not identified in the supplied sources.

• Broadband servicesInternet access2015

  EasyCall began offering broadband services in 2015, extending its activities into internet connectivity after the discontinuation of paging. The reference material does not provide technical specifications, consumer plans, coverage details, or current product status.

• 2002Phase out paging servicesStrategy

  The growing adoption of mobile phones and SMS in the late 1990s weakened the market for traditional paging.

  What changed. EasyCall closed provincial paging operations outside Cebu in March 2002 and ended its remaining Metro Manila and Cebu operations in November 2002.

  Aftermath. Subscribers were absorbed by Island Country Telecommunications, which operated the Jaspage paging service. EasyCall redirected its business toward outsourcing, information technology, broadband, and other telecommunications activities.

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• 2001Acquisition by Transnational Diversified GroupM&A

  EasyCall was transitioning from a paging-centered business toward broader telecommunications and technology services.

  What changed. Transnational Diversified Group acquired EasyCall.

  Aftermath. The company continued its diversification after the acquisition, including activities in outsourcing, information technology, and later broadband.

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• 2015EasyCall adds broadband services

  EasyCall began offering broadband services as part of its post-paging telecommunications and technology activities.

  Product launch
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• 2002EasyCall ends provincial paging services outside Cebu

  EasyCall discontinued its provincial paging operations, except for Cebu, as the company began winding down the paging business in response to the growing adoption of mobile phones and SMS.

  Product generation
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• 2002EasyCall completes the phaseout of paging operations

  Paging services in Metro Manila and Cebu were ended in November 2002. Subscribers were transferred to Island Country Telecommunications, which operated the Jaspage paging service.

  Product generation
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• 2001EasyCall is acquired by Transnational Diversified Group

  Transnational Diversified Group acquired EasyCall during the company’s transition away from reliance on paging.

  M&A
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1. EasyCall