Chikka, short for Chikka Text Messenger, was an Internet-based

instant messaging Instant messaging (IM) technology is a type of online chat allowing real-time text transmission over the Internet or another computer network. Messages are typically transmitted between two or more parties, when each user inputs text and trigge ...

application that supports free

SMS Short Message/Messaging Service, commonly abbreviated as SMS, is a text messaging service component of most telephone, Internet and mobile device systems. It uses standardized communication protocols that let mobile devices exchange short text ...

text messaging Text messaging, or texting, is the act of composing and sending electronic messages, typically consisting of alphabetic and numeric characters, between two or more users of mobile devices, desktops/laptops, or another type of compatible compute ...

between online users and offline mobile subscribers. Chikka was released by Chikka Philippines, Inc. in the early 2000 and eventually established its connection with the country's network operators

Smart Communications Smart Communications Inc., commonly referred to as Smart (and officially stylized/ self-styled as SMART), is a wholly owned wireless communications and digital services subsidiary of PLDT Inc., a telecommunications and digital services provid ...

(2001),

Globe Telecom Globe Telecom, Inc., commonly shortened as Globe, is a major provider of telecommunications services in the Philippines. The company operates the largest mobile network in the Philippines and one of the largest fixed-line and broadband networks ...

(2002) and

Sun Cellular Digitel Mobile Philippines, Inc., doing business as Sun Cellular (or simply known as Sun), was a wholly owned subsidiary of Digital Telecommunications Philippines (Digitel), which in turn was owned by PLDT and is one of the Philippines’ large ...

(2004). With up to billions of messages being exchanged between online and mobile communities worldwide through Chikka, it is probably the world's first commercially successful integration of web and mobile utilities. Headquartered in

Pasig Pasig, officially the City of Pasig ( fil, Lungsod ng Pasig), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 803,159 people. It is located along the ...

, Chikka Philippines powers other services for mobile instant messaging and email accessible via SMS, mobile payment systems utilizing airtime credits, Free-Reply SMS as an option for prepaid mobile subscribers in need of "top-up," mobile-enabled auctions, matchmaking and

social networking A social network is a social structure made up of a set of social actors (such as individuals or organizations), sets of dyadic ties, and other social interactions between actors. The social network perspective provides a set of methods for an ...

as well as text, voice and visual mobile content. The company's services were available to over 45 mobile carriers in fourteen countries including the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

Hong Kong SAR Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. In 2018, Chikka shut down.

Etymology

Pronounced as it is spelled, Chikka (\’CHI-ka\, derived from ''chika'') is a colloquial

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

term for '"small talk" or "chatter". As a verb, it translates to mingling easily, or doing anything with ease or in a clever manner. For Chikka, "small talk" refers to the nature of the many text and chat messages exchanged throughout online and mobile communities worldwide.

History

Chikka Philippines, Incorporated, founded in 2000 by Chito Bustamante, Dennis Mendiola, and Alexandra Roxas, is headquartered in

. It operates as a subsidiary of Chikka Holdings, Ltd. The owners of the company wanted to devise a customer service application that would connect Internet-to-mobile communities. In 1999, Chikka began developing Chikka Text Messenger, which combines the features of instant messaging and SMS technology all available and accessible on a regular mobile phone. This application was originally intended for small e-commerce businesses that catered to the

Filipino diaspora An overseas Filipino ( fil, Pilipino sa ibayong-dagat) is a person of full or partial Filipino origin—i.e., people who trace back their ancestry to the Philippines but living or residing outside the country. This term generally applies to b ...

for the delivery of goods to the Philippines. It was designed to withstand SMS volume in a country sending 30 million messages daily, which made it "Text Capital of the World" in 2000. Chikka was founded as a

.com The domain name .com is a top-level domain (TLD) in the Domain Name System (DNS) of the Internet. Added at the beginning of 1985, its name is derived from the word ''commercial'', indicating its original intended purpose for domains registere ...

during the tail-end of the

dot-com bubble The dot-com bubble (dot-com boom, tech bubble, or the Internet bubble) was a stock market bubble in the late 1990s, a period of massive growth in the use and adoption of the Internet. Between 1995 and its peak in March 2000, the Nasdaq Compo ...

in 2000. A year later, Chikka Messenger was launched. Chikka beat world players in creating an effective mobile instant messaging application, one that would marry SMS. Chikka's solution and subsequent hold on the market was such that prevented many more global players from gaining ground in the "SMS Capital." The Chikka Text Messenger (CTM) was capable of translating

functionalities such as presence detection (knowing which users are online), into SMS-enabled mobile phones. Effective anti-spam and privacy features were also built-in to assure primary customers in the network operators. Users would log-on to Chikka using their mobile phone number and enjoy free instant messaging from a PC and continue to receive messages on their mobiles even when offline. Such features are the subject of patent filings worldwide. By the third quarter of 2002, Chikka Asia, Inc. had already launched multiple services that allowed it to seize market leadership in the local Value-Added Service (VAS) SMS market in the Philippines, especially on various corporate promo applications and SMS-based games. In 2008, CEO Dennis Mendiola handed down CEO duties to Chito Bustamante, so as to focus on Product Development as Chikka's new Chief Imagination Officer. The company began taking steps towards an IPO or some other liquidity event for its investors. Apparent shareholder strife was revealed, when the raw findings by external auditor SGV, the Philippine partner of

Ernst & Young Ernst & Young Global Limited, trade name EY, is a multinational professional services partnership headquartered in London, England. EY is one of the largest professional services networks in the world. Along with Deloitte, KPMG and Pricewaterh ...

of unliquidated cash advances by management of Chikka were leaked to Philippines media via a malicious "white paper" carrying the rumor. Vindication for Chikka's Management ultimately came in 2009 when leading Philippine Telecommunications

wholly acquired the company, keeping management intact to the present, with Chito Bustamante as CEO and Dennis Mendiola as de facto head of Product Development, even as he was appointed Chief Web and Internet adviser to Smart's Wireless Consumer Division. On March 7, 2018, Chikka announced on their social media accounts that they are shutting down their service on March 31, 2018.

Chikka Text Messenger

Chikka Text Messenger is the first

desktop client to support communication with

mobile phones A mobile phone, cellular phone, cell phone, cellphone, handphone, hand phone or pocket phone, sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell, or just phone, is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link whil ...

via

that allows users to send free SMS messages to other users. Users who register their mobile numbers can also receive messages on their phones whenever offline. Other platforms and devices where Chikka is available are: * Web Messenger *

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...

App *

Google Chrome Google Chrome is a cross-platform web browser developed by Google. It was first released in 2008 for Microsoft Windows, built with free software components from Apple WebKit and Mozilla Firefox. Versions were later released for Linux, macOS ...

Extension via Chrome Web Store *

iOS iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...

via iOS App Store * Android via Google Play Store

Affiliates

As Chikka introduced Chikka Text Messenger in 2001, its affiliates launched other pioneering services based on shared patents, technologies and resources. Patented technologies have allowed these affiliated entities to create mobile versions of popular Internet models, specifically online auctions and dating.

Bidshot.com

Bidshot Wireless Services is an online auction site that has also patented mobile-enabled auctions with actionable SMS alerts, wireless item message boards and location-based classifieds. In 2002, Chikka acquired Bidshot Wireless Services, Inc. In the same year, patented technologies allowed Bidshot to successively launch interactive television, mobile-enabled games and polls, SMS marketing promos and made an entry into mobile content. Bidshot today has over 100,000 registered users.

Crushcow.com

Crushcow is a mobile-enabled personal ads and matchmaking site which allows users to create profiles, get alerted on their matches and chat anonymously via mobile phone. The company has also become a provider of love, friendship, and romance-orientated mobile content.

Chikka International

In 2003, Chikka entered into franchising agreements with partners in

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

and in Indonesia that brought its services to major network operators in those countries. It went on to break records for daily VAS SMS volume generated by existing providers, quickly establishing Chikka as a major content provider in these markets. Subsequently, Chikka also signed up with carriers in

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

, Hong Kong and Japan for messaging and celebrity-texting services catering to the overseas Filipino community. In 2005, the Chikka Messenger connected to major US carriers

Cingular Wireless AT&T Mobility LLC, also known as AT&T Wireless and marketed as simply AT&T, is an American telecommunications company. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of AT&T Inc. and provides wireless services in the United States. AT&T Mobility is the thi ...

Verizon Wireless Verizon is an American wireless network operator that previously operated as a separate division of Verizon Communications under the name Verizon Wireless. In a 2019 reorganization, Verizon moved the wireless products and services into the divi ...

, and

AT&T Wireless AT&T Mobility LLC, also known as AT&T Wireless and marketed as simply AT&T, is an American telecommunications company. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of AT&T Inc. and provides wireless services in the United States. AT&T Mobility is the thi ...

, the top three mobile network operators in the United States. Together with

Sprint Sprint may refer to: Aerospace *Spring WS202 Sprint, a Canadian aircraft design *Sprint (missile), an anti-ballistic missile Automotive and motorcycle *Alfa Romeo Sprint, automobile produced by Alfa Romeo between 1976 and 1989 *Chevrolet Sprint, ...

Alltel Alltel Wireless was a wireless service provider, primarily based in the United States. Before acquisitions by Verizon Wireless and AT&T, it served 34 states and had approximately 13 million subscribers. As a regulatory condition of the acquisition ...

and other carriers today, Chikka gained connectivity to 100% of US mobile subscribers. In 2005, a partnership with Times Internet Ltd. (TIL), the new media arm of India's illustrious media conglomerate BCCL, launched the Chikka Messenger to all major operators, to cover 90% of mobile subscribers in India. To provide extensive support to more international partners, Chikka obtained triple ISO certifications for Quality Management, Security and IT Project Management in 2005. Chikka's global headquarters in

is the first Philippine-based company to obtain the triple certifications

ISO ISO is the most common abbreviation for the International Organization for Standardization. ISO or Iso may also refer to: Business and finance * Iso (supermarket), a chain of Danish supermarkets incorporated into the SuperBest chain in 2007 * Iso ...

9001, BS 7799, and BS 15000. In February 2006, the company acquired a

CMMI Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) is a process level improvement training and appraisal program. Administered by the CMMI Institute, a subsidiary of ISACA, it was developed at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). It is required by many U ...

Maturity Level 5, the highest level of certification for processes of I.T. organizations. A CMMI Maturity Level 5 certification puts Chikka along the ranks of the

National Aeronautics and Space Administration The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding th ...

(NASA),

Intel Corporation Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. It is the world's largest semiconductor chip manufacturer by revenue, and is one of the developers of the x86 series ...

, and

Nokia Nokia Corporation (natively Nokia Oyj, referred to as Nokia) is a Finnish multinational corporation, multinational telecommunications industry, telecommunications, technology company, information technology, and consumer electronics corporatio ...

; all of whom benchmark their processes with CMMI's Maturity Level 5. The first quarter of 2007 saw the launch of Chikka Messenger in the

for all major mobile carriers, making the service available to over 70 million mobile subscribers.

References

External links

* Chikka �

* Chikka web client – https://web.archive.org/web/20161220065924/https://im.chikka.com/ Freeware XMPP clients Windows instant messaging clients Online companies of the Philippines Smart Communications Companies based in Pasig