Docomo relaunches Gualo Rai branch

Docomo Pacific officials led by CEO/president Jonathan Kriegel, right, and Gov. Ralph DLG Torres join Docomo Pacific general manager Dino Manning in cutting the ribbon to the renovated Docomo Pacific Gualo Rai branch. (Bea Cabrera)

Docomo Pacific relaunched its Gualo Rai branch last July 3, not only doubling the space size, but also enhancing the living room experience with counches where customers could lounge and items on display that customers could touch and play with.

The relaunch was attended not only by Docomo Pacific officials led by CEO/president Jonathan Kriegel, but also by CNMI lawmakers and guest speaker Gov. Ralph DLG Torres, who arrived the day before from Montana where he attended the Western Governor’s Association meeting.

Dino Manning, general manager for Docomo Pacific CNMI, boasted of the features of the new Gualo Rai store.

“This is a very different store from the previous one. We have opened up the space where we made it inviting, people can relax because of the long couches, people can roam around and look at our products,” Manning said, “and we have installed counters where customers can have a discussion about Docomo Pacific’s services, sign up, or come in for repair and payment. Here, every chair and desk you see around will have a person sitting behind it, ready to help the customers.”

One notable feature of the relaunched store is that all Docomo Pacific products, phones, and other gadgets are not merely for display “because we want the customers to touch everything that is here” similar to the Docomo Pacific branch in Susupe.

Also, “we doubled the size of the store. We are now looking at a floor area of 2,000 square feet so we can put and accomodate all the customer’s needs in one place,” Manning said.

This makes the Docomo Pacific Gualo Rai branch its largest store in the CNMI.

The store was remodeled in anticipation of a surge of Docomo Pacific services in the Commonwealth, as Docomo Pacific’s undersea cable, ATISA, is set to go online.

Kriegel said, “Everybody will get the chance to go around to our demo sites in the store and try out our triple digit internet speed. You will be able to see an internet speed of 100 megabit per second so you can see what is it like to try download a full movie or stream a video. We look forward to bringing that to the homes of consumers and to businesses.

“This will make it the CNMI’s widest 4G LTE coverage, which means more coverage, more access to data anytime and anywhere. This experience will be consistent for you at all times of the day,” Krigel added.

He pointed out that ATISA is now open for businesses. “ATISA has come to life and we are offering businesses access to the global internet.”

ATISA’s first customers are the Commonwealth Port Authority at the Francisco C. Ada-Saipan International Airport, the Susupe fire station, the Aquarius Beach Tower Hotel, and the Aqua Resort Club “who are experiencing the benefits of faster access to the global internet. We would love to serve other business and we are ready for you now.”

In August, Docomo Pacific will open up various services to consumers such as fixed line services, the internet, home telephone, and the cable TV with Tivo.

“The Tivo experience will bring high definition television, along with what the world’s television experience that combines cable TV channels with all the best internet services like Netflix, Hulu, YouTube into one experience. You can search once and have all the results show in one place and then you can record up to six shows simultaneously,” Kreigel said.

Faster and better internet service and coverage does not mean higher price.

“Our commitment even from the start is to make sure that the CNMI pays no more for any of our services than the people in Guam. It is what we call the One Marianas approach, which means there is no premium to being a consumer anywhere else. We treat all as one. Our prices are available in the Guam website and that is the price that our consumers will pay here,” Kreigel added.

Torres knows the importance of technology and the potential that awaits the CNMI.

“It is an honor that we have Docomo Pacific to be part of our lives and community. The government and Docomo Pacific has a good partnership through continuous communication and updating. With the investments we have here in the CNMI, intellectual technology is not a luxury, it is a need and this is how we communicate around the world.”