First of two parts

BEFORE I get started with today's topic, please indulge me as I air a public service complaint. It is approximately 11:45 a.m. on September 27 as I write this; it is the middle of a business day and payday for many people. It is an extremely inconvenient time for all cellular and internet service to be suddenly knocked offline, yet if you are a subscriber of Smart Communications, as I am, that is exactly what is happening right now. And what's more, this is the second time this month that Smart has experienced a major failure. The first time, most users in Metro Manila had to endure a communications blackout lasting about eight hours, which was caused, Smart said, by a problem with the power supply in one of their facilities.