Chikka.com not operating illegally, says NTC official

CHIKKA.COM, a Philippines-based company operating a computer-to-mobile phone messaging service, is not operating illegally as a value-added service provider, a National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) official told INQ7.net last week.

NTC deputy commissioner Jorge Sarmiento said the company clarified during a meeting with the agency last week that it was mainly an application service provider for local mobile phone operators.

“They're not offering service to the public. They're selling it to telcos,” Sarmiento said.

The NTC ordered local operators two weeks ago to stop charging mobile phone subscribers who use the Chikka.com service.

Sarmiento said the NTC has received increasing complaints from subscribers who claimed that they were being charged for sending text messages from a PC to a mobile phone.

Chikka provides free PC-to-mobile phone messaging. However, mobile subscribers are charged when they reply back using their handsets.

“We got this impression that people were being charged whenever they sent a text message from their computers to a mobile phone subscriber. The order was not meant to stop Chikka service. We just ordered telcos to stop charging,” Sarmiento said Thursday.

In a separate interview, Junie Agcaoli, director for corporate communications of Chikka.com, confirmed the NTC's decision.

“We did explain to them and we were able to clarify that we're like sub-contractors for telcos,” he said.

Chikka's PC-to-mobile phone service is currently being offered under different brand names by local operators.

Agcaoili said the NTC order did not disrupt its service but the company did receive a lot of inquiries after it was implied that they were allegedly operating illegally as a value-added service provider.