Smart 3Gfrom Php10/30mins to Php1/min

Smart is offering a new prepaid mobile internet plan — at one-peso-per-minute rate. That’s basically Php60 per hour, way more expensive than their current offering which is Php10 per 30 minutes or Php20 per hour.

The move to offer Php1 per minute might have been prompted by mobile users who connect in quick intervals to sites like Twitter, FourSquare or Facebook.

So instead of paying Php10 just to update and check-in with FourSquare, you may be just spending Php1 or Php2 which is just a minute or two — enough time to fire up FourSquare, check-in and log out from your 3G connection. It really depends on the case use.

Smart has not yet indicated how you choose between the two bucket pricing — Php1/minute or Php10/30 minutes (or even the Php50 per 24 hours UnliSurf) — but I guess users will ultimately have more options when connecting to 3G internet.