Filipino mobile operator Smart Communications scooped three awards at this year’s GSMA Asia Mobile Awards, which were announced last night. The operator won in the Best Mobile Advertising or Marketing category for its ‘AXE on Phone’ campaign with Unilever, Best Mobile Money Service for Smart Money’s expanded mobile-based security feature for online purchases, and the Mobile Money for the Unbanked award for its Smart Islands Activation Program (IAP). Other winners included Gameloft (Best Mobile Game), SingTel (Best Mobile Music Service), Telegent (Best Mobile TV), Orascom Bangladesh (Best Mobile Enterprise Service), Geodesic (Best Mobile Internet Service), Grameenphone and Huawei for ‘Building a Greener Mobile Network’ (The Green Mobile Award) and Nokia’s N97 Mini (Best Mobile Broadband Device).

This year’s awards attracted more than 100 entries from operators and vendors in the mobile industry that provide products and services that are commercially available in at least one Asian market. For the first time, this year’s winners will also be shortlisted for the Global Mobile Awards, which take place next year at the GSMA’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Meanwhile the winners of the Mobile Innovation Grand Prix – APAC Tournament were announced as Altobridge and Sentry Wireless, both based in Ireland. The winners will compete for the Mobile Innovation Grand Prix title, part of the GSMA’s Global Mobile Awards, at the Mobile World Congress next February.