Another Finnish telephone manufacturer, Benefon, has joined the Philippines' mobile communications market fray

Another Finnish telephone manufacturer, Benefon, has joined the Philippines' mobile communications market fray as it introduced in the Philippines last Friday its first GSM (Global Standard for Mobile Communications) cellular phone equipped with Global Positioning System (GPS) functions. With fellow Finland-based Nokia already dominating the local mobile phone business, Benefon has been lured in the Philippines due to the country's much-vaunted reputation as "text messaging capital of the world." But unlike Nokia, which is the world's largest manufacturer of mobile phones, less-known Benefon is targeting just the high-end part of the market with its products Benefon Esc!, a personal navigation phone and Benefon Track One and Track Pro, both offering mobile solutions with their combination of GSM-GPS features. Most of the world's biggest telephone manufacturers are present or represented in the Philippines, including Ericsson, Motorola, Siemens, Alcatel, Panasonic, Samsung, and others. Benefon's phones were officially introduced to the local audience last Dec. 7 in Makati City. The Benefon Esc costs as much as the Nokia Communicator. The executive said the Benefon Esc incorporates local customized maps, ranging from the smallest city street to the largest regions of the Philippines. The maps were made by another Finnish firm, Cellmode, which specializes in geographical content development, mobile control and mobile to mobile communications.