MANILA, Philippines ? While other mobile phone manufacturers are busy selling new mobile phones in the Philippines, Finnish phone manufacturer Nokia is aiming to populate their new mobile phones with applications that allow users to connect to the Internet and download on-demand content.

Demand for feature-rich mobile phones is dependent on downloadable content, which makes the phones more usable for more people, according to Nokia Philippines General Manager William Hamilton-Whyte.

Hamilton-Whyte said there is a trend among Filipino mobile phone users to expand the use of their phone and maximize existing features, particularly those that allow them to access value-added service.

For the mid-market segment, or those that are able to buy Internet-capable phones, users are willing to pay more for mobile phones that offers more than SMS and voice calls.

More users, for one, purchase phones to access applications such as social networking services and blogs using their handsets.

The relative affordability of mobile phones over personal computers and the always-on capabilities make these devices more appealing for accessing value-added services.

?At first, a Filipino would buy a phone for SMS and voice calls. But their lifestyle needs expand and so they move towards buying better phones,? Hamilton-Whyte said.

However, he said the market for such feature-rich phones remained smaller than the larger entry-level handsets. Hamilton-Whyte likened size to a pyramid where entry-level phones are at the bottom while the high-end phones are at the top.

Still, he forecasted the change in the pyramid market as more Filipinos are able to buy more feature-rich phones.

The huge business process outsourcing industry is producing a new consumer base that has higher buying capacity, he said.

BPO are among the fastest growing IT companies in the Philippines. There are currently about 400,000 people working for this industry.

?These are also people who want to stay connected with their friends and families more often because they work at night. They also use their phones to update themselves with the latest news and information,? Hamilton-Whyte said.

The company had previously launched its Ovi online service, which allows users to download or use a variety of applications.