MANILA, Philippines — Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) recently garnered 4 nominations at the 17th Global Mobile Awards of the GSM Association (GSMA), the umbrella organization of 800 mobile operators and 200 companies in over 220 countries. Smart is the only Philippine telco to make it to the finals.

Smart’s nominations include Hapinoy Store as Smart Money Center for Best Mobile Product or Service for Women in Emerging Markets and Smart Communications for the Strengthening Disaster Preparedness of Southern Leyte through SMS technology for Best Use of Mobile in Emergency or Humanitarian Situations.

Also shortlisted are Smart’s CSR program for the environment Kabalikat sa Kalikasan (Your Partner in Environmental Protection) for the Green Mobile Award and its SHINE (Secured Health Information Network and Exchange) for Best Mobile Health Innovation.

Already, Smart’s Alternative Power for Cell Sites program won the first Green Mobile Award in 2009 in Barcelona, Spain.

Before that, Smart Load was named the Best Mobile Application or Service for the Consumer Market in 2004 and Smart Money as the most innovative GSM wireless service for customers in 2001 in Cannes, France.

The Global Mobile Awards is the most highly sought after awards in the global communications industry.

Established in 1996, the Awards attract entries from across the world and are judged by a panel of independent experts.

They are presented at the Mobile World Congress, the mobile industry's annual gathering of around 60,000 senior industry leaders, executives, media, analysts and influencers.

This year’s awards drew 600 entries, of which 158 have been shortlisted. Winners will be presented on February 28, 2012 at the GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.

More than 170 independent analysts, journalists, academics and subject matter experts throughout the world participated in the judging of the 2012 awards.