In 1990 I remember people were selling rights to their phone lines because it took years to get one and the Philippines was one of those places in the world where we were so behind in terms of basic UN human Index numbers with regards to telephony per 100 people (less than 1!) In basically a decade, we've become leaders in this field (specifically sms) worldwide notonly setting new metrics for use but winning awards for creative ways of using ths and Since the Pinoys are so much into their phones I just figured this thread would be an interesting look at our telcos and other mobility issues like wifi (in malls coffeeshop etc) since it's a very essential infrastructure now. Perhaps even an active look at which buildings are smart enough to qualify. Besides this cell sites are now so ubitquitous I wonder (since they also add to the height of the city skyline and profile) if there are any interesting ones architecturally.

Here's some opening articles which are intersting. This first one shows how dynamic this industry is now the consumer is truly king!

Eclipsing the Sun, circling the Globe
Posted: 1:05 AM | Mar. 11, 2005

Victor Agustin
Inquirer News Service

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A TWIN "25/8" plan offering unlimited call and text messaging will be launched this Friday by Smart Communication in trademark tri-media blitz to counter similar plans earlier launched by Globe Telecom and Digitel Mobile's Sun Cellular.

The "25/8" is apparently a mischievous reference to Sun's "24/7," which late last year launched the first subscription plan offering unlimited within-network calls and text messaging.

Smart marketing brains Anastacio Martirez is confident that "25/8" is superior to the competition since Smart has allocated a dedicated, separate network to handle the expected surge of both voice calls and text messages and, at the same time, protect the network quality for the post-paid subscriber base.

For P115, any Smart-branded pre-paid subscriber can make unlimited phone calls to any Smart phone for 10 days, even to those overseas. A cheaper P60 plan would offer unlimited "texting," but no free calls, for six days.

The twin plan is also available to post-paid subscribers as an extra service.

In contrast, Sun offers a P100 unlimited phone and text plan that is good for seven days, while Globe offers a P300/30-day plan, also for unlimited phone and text service.

Smart, in separating the phone and text plans, thinks it is counter-intuitive for subscribers to still type and send short text messages when they can make unlimited phone calls any time.

The small print is that "25/8" subscribers will be told upon sign-up that the phone calls will be limited to five minutes each, apparently to ensure that the network will not collapse with the expected surge in "telebabad" [extended] calls, as apparently had happened to Sun, especially during peak hours.

Smart's various brands have a combined subscriber base of 20 million, as against Sun's 1.3 million, and to ensure consistent service, "25/8" subscribers have to text first the number they would want to call, with the computerized network calling back after routing the call request through the pre-paid network to establish the connection. + Martirez said Smart was simply responding to market's demand for "bucket pricing," where subscribers who want better, instant connection, may pay for premium service like business-class passengers.

"Those who are willing to queue and pay less may opt for the economy class," he said.

Man we're in the wrong business!

BROKER CALL
PLDT net profit seen at P29B in 2005--ATR
Posted: 4:31 PM | Mar. 11, 2005

Erik de la Cruz
XFN-Asia

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ATR-KIM ENG Securities Inc. said it expects Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) to book another record net profit of 29 billion pesos this year, supported by an improvement in its fixed-line operations.

It said PLDT's interest payments and foreign exchange losses should also be lower this year as it continues to cut its debt.

PLDT posted a record net profit of 28 billion pesos for 2004, including one-off gains. It soared from a restated 2003 net profit of 2.12 billion pesos, on continued robust earnings in its mobile phone segment.

PLDT expects net profit this year to reach 27 billion pesos.

In a research note, ATR-Kim Eng said that with PLDT's huge capital spending on network expansion this year, the carrier should be able to accommodate increased phone usage resulting from new pricing schemes.

PLDT earlier said it would devote 18-20 billion pesos to capital expenditure this year, half of which would be for the cellular business and the other half for fixed-line operations. Previous capex budgets were channeled mainly to the wireless segment.

Smart Communications Inc., a wholly owned unit of PLDT, and Smart unit Pilipino Telephone Co. (Piltel) are launching on Friday promotional charges for calls and SMS or text messages within their networks.

Competitor Globe Telecom Inc. launched a promotional pricing scheme ahead of Smart and Piltel. But it was Digital Telecommunications Philippines Inc.'s Sun Cellular service which ignited a price war when it began offering attractive rates as early as October last year.

PLDT has also been offering a similar pricing scheme to its fixed-line customers.

"From a top-line perspective, revenue stream would stabilize, as ARPUs (average revenue per unit) now become more predictable with subscriber growth becoming key for (PLDT earnings) growth," ATR-Kim Eng analyst Martin Enrile said.

"The challenge now is to see whether the current network and near-term capex schedule can be maintained in view of higher anticipated usage."

He sees Smart's net profit this year breaching 27 billion pesos.

(one dollar = 54.2 pesos)

Even Cebu is setting up smart buildings with telephony.


First wi-fi hot zone set up in Cebu

Posted 09:43pm (Mla time) Feb 25, 2005
By Neil Iosif Ilagan
Cebu Daily News



CEBU-based company ASA Enterprises has just set up the city’s first wireless Internet zone.

ASA launched the Dominion Wireless Broadband Access at Mango Square Mall Friday last week -- Cebu’s first wireless-fidelity (wi-fi) zone, more popularly known as “hot zones.”

This means that owners of wi-fi-compatible gadgets like laptops, personal desk assistants, mobile phones, and even personal computers can now access the World Wide Web without a telephone or cable connection.

These hot zones cover a large area, unlike wi-fi spots powered by other telecommunications companies limited to certain establishments like malls.

There is a demand for faster and cheaper wireless Internet access in Cebu, said Jed Fidellaga, Dominion special operations manager.

He said that their goal is to make the entire Metro Cebu a hot spot, with the city as the starting point.

Now Dominion services, which can be used for free until March 31, covers a big part of uptown Cebu.

"We
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want the Cebuanos to enjoy 24 hours of cheaper, but definitely faster than DSL, seamless Internet access," Fidellaga said.

ASA is negotiating with telecommunication firms to use ASA wi-fi facilities.

By the way the tallest structure we have in the Philippines to my knowledge was supposed to be Channel 2's telcom tower, we should include any communication tower here too, maybe someday we'll have our own eifel tower (kamusta ka va!)

well.. we probably wouldn't know much about these telecom towers due to the tight security reasons.. commies love to burn these towers don't they? But since you said tallest structure then it must be more than 259m;)

kasi daw yung mga soldiers nating text messaging or something mobile related ang communications nila.. well that's what I'm told:D

ca va?
we were talking with my worksmates about this several minutes ago. i for routing ko kaya? haha...

thanks for putting up this thread. i've been wanting to see one here on SSC Pinas.

our sms-based applications are wayyyy more advanced than what they have here in the US. but then, we should also consider the fact that what drove our local telcos to innovate such high standard applications is to augment the low internet penetration in the philippines. it's cheaper for us to use sms than go to an internet cafe. plus, internet isn't just available in far-flung areas in the country, whereas the mobile network has already covered pretty much the whole philippines.

also, what i would want to see is for our fixed-line sector to flourish. i read somewhere that we still have one of the highest rates compared to our asian neighbors.

by the way, i am using a Globe sim here in california so my family, gf, and friends can send me sms using the local rate (Php 1/sms) so it's cheaper:D

Just in case you were curious, this is my understanding to be the tallest structure in the Philippines, I don't even know where it is.


NET 25 is the UHF television station of Eagle Broadcasting Corporation (EBC), a pioneering broadcast institution in the Philippines. NET 25 reinforces EBC's national network of five AM stations and an FM station located in major urban centers of the country. The network is poised to offer Filipino viewers a new era in television programming.
Vision and Mission

The station started its broadcast operations last July 27, 1999 and was officially launched in a multi-media exhibit dubbed Destination: PLANET 25 last April 23, 2000. The network's vision is to become the premiere values-oriented broadcast communications network. Its mission is to inform, entertain and educate the public by providing high-quality values-centered programs that enrich life.

The station is dedicated to the growth and revolution of the new media era. It is created as a community and a resource - a center of values where its best practices can be explored and where vision and innovation are shared to build new opportunities that enrich life.

Capable of 120 kilowatts of transmitter power (for a total of 7,896 kilowatts ERP), NET 25 boasts of the Philippines' first trilon TV tower that soars to an impressive 907 feet above sea level. This makes it one of the tallest and most imposing structures in Metro Manila. A state-of-the-art JAMPRO 48-panel antenna and two 60 kw ACRODYNE transmitters complete the tower package. NET 25 also boasts of an all-digital production facility complete with studios and editing suites for in-house and post-productions.

saw this feature in TV Patrol World last night (or was it the night before?) that a group of Ateneo (tama ba?) students invented this gadget that will translate text messages to the braille system so blind people don't need to ask someone to read their messages for them any more. the report said the gadget was for their thesis project. isn't that great :okay: it looked a little bulky though. it's supposed to be portable but it looked quite big for one to keep in his pocket. but still, it's very useful to blind mobile phone users :)

That's actually a very good idea. I don't see why size would be much of a problem since from my understanding, braille would require hardware and mecanical parts so I wouldn't expect these gadgets to be too small.

pare it was a group of DLSU students.. :P

explain nyo naman sa akin kung ano ibig ipahiwatig ng commercial ng Touch Mobile. Di ko na gets kasi puro construction boys may hawak ng cellphone kasama si cesar montano tapos sumisigaw ng power of the people. Ano ba naman yon. Kung ako wala pa cel di ako mag susubscribe sa kanila the commercial is not convincing.

pare it was a group of DLSU students.. :P

thanks for the correction :)

I guess it's obvious that Pareng Stephen is a Lasallite:)

I heard about that news too. I wonder if it's already out in some form in the market or if it's still just an idea. The other mobile providers were saying that if you were blind just talk on the phone. But of course here in the Pinas we prefer sms even if you had unlimited phone time due to the style of communication. (Madaming pacute and nonsense the bati pero ok lang sa atin).

On another note I heard that the whole Greenbelt or Ayala Center was a mobile hotzone? Can anyone confirm this? In fact it may be usefull if somebody posted where the hotzones in Manila are right now. I only know about the coffee places but it must spread out already.

hehe.. i am a lasallite but i dont have any prejudices to ateneans.. we're all filipinos.. :D

i know that they were featured in a news program last week.. i think that there were several companies that were trying to find a way to mass market the product.. i wish them well..

I just read in another thread that they're building a new telecom tower in Cubao. Anyone care to post pictures or info on this. Is this for TV, cell Phone, etc.

by the way, i am using a Globe sim here in california so my family, gf, and friends can send me sms using the local rate (Php 1/sms) so it's cheaper:D
bakit un text ko sa kaibigan ko na anjan din sa California ang laki din ng charges? whereas sabi nya dapat PhP1.00 lan bayad ko? e nun dumating billings ko, nasa 100 pesos plus. thrice lan ata ako nag-text sa kanya. :?:

btw, galing naman ng mga students na un. :cheers:

@ncbmandy, once ko pa lan napanood un commercial na sinasabi mo. may kausap pa ako nun kaya hindi ko inintindi kung anuman un. :sleepy:

Its depends. Globe Postpaid = PhP15.00/txt to US I think. Globe Prepaid = PhP20.00/txt to US I think. If I recall correctly.

explain nyo naman sa akin kung ano ibig ipahiwatig ng commercial ng Touch Mobile. Di ko na gets kasi puro construction boys may hawak ng cellphone kasama si cesar montano tapos sumisigaw ng power of the people. Ano ba naman yon. Kung ako wala pa cel di ako mag susubscribe sa kanila the commercial is not convincing.


the commercial wants to emphasize that even those low-income people can now subscribe to their product.. a P1.00/minute call .. and sa maniwala kayo't sa hindi, halos lahat ng mga construction workers now a days e may hawak-hawak nang cellphone.. :)

pag naka international roaming tinitext mo, dapat Php 1.0/text lang. im texting a Smart Prepaid sa AUS at SG, ok naman. ewan, or di ko lang kaya na check balance ko?

by the way, DLSU students are real good in tech...pati robotics. they were once featured sa activity center ng Glorrieta. lahat mga lasalista. mrami ata Chinese. saludo ako sa kanila. world class capabilities.

late daw un ibang billings ng globe sabi nun nagtanong ako. like puedeng hindi nakasama un billings ng text two months ago. anong silbi nun cut-off every month?

late daw un ibang billings ng globe sabi nun nagtanong ako. like puedeng hindi nakasama un billings ng text two months ago. anong silbi nun cut-off every month?

don't they allow you to check your bills online?

about yung text rate, tama si Francis. pag naka-international roaming yung itetext mo, Php1/sms ang rate. pero pag direct na international number (in my case US phone number) ang itetext mo, Php15/sms.

In spite of cell success still room for improvement.


Senate committee warns cellphone companies over consumer complaints

The Senate public services committee yesterday threatened to seek the revocation of mobile phone companies' franchises if these firms do not address consumer concerns.

Committee chairman Joker P. Arroyo said four issues should be resolved: the forfeiture of unused prepaid card values, costly per-minute charging, spam messages through text, and the high incidence of cellular phone thefts because of the lucrative market for secondhand units.

"Your franchises are subject to review or repeal when Congress says so. There have been many complaints against telephone companies. Don't think that because you have a franchise, you are safe," Mr. Arroyo said during the hearing yesterday.

Telco lawyers present during the hearing made no comment to Mr. Arroyo's statements.

The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), meanwhile, said consumer complaints are being addressed by the agency.

NTC Commissioner Ronald O. Solis said circulars have been issued to address the first two issues but these were put on hold due to court-issued temporary restraining orders pending the resolution of cases filed by mobile phone companies.

At present, Globe Telecom, Inc. sets a 15-day limit for its P100-denominated prepaid card, and one month for its P250, P300, P500 and P1,000 prepaid cards. Smart Communications, Inc., meanwhile, sets a 60-day limit for its P300, P500 and P1,000 prepaid cards and a three-day limit for a P30 autoload, six days for a P60 load, 12 days for P115 and 30 days for a P200 load. The mobile phone companies also charge calls per minute even if calls last less than one.

The NTC chief said there is no way to prevent the sending of spam advertisements and promos and that the high incidence of cellular phone thefts is partly being addressed by blocking the mobile phone unit.

Mr. Solis said the NTC is working on a competition policy framework which includes a review of the present mobile phone service rates.

"We are in the process of discussing with economic experts and academicians on what competition policy framework to adopt, including just rates. We are looking at the best practices abroad," he said.

Sen. Ramon B. Magsaysay, Jr., meanwhile, proposed pulse rate charging to replace the present per- minute charging to lessen the cost of calls.

A six-second call consists of one pulse, thus a one-minute call consists of 10 pulses.

Mr. Arroyo said he was satisfied with the explanation of the NTC but he noted that mobile phone service providers should do their duty to protect their consumers.

"It is the job of telecommunication companies to provide protection to its consumers," he said, adding that another hearing will be conducted to determine if the Public Telecommunications Act should be amended to provide concrete solutions to the four issues.

Buti na lang confiscated ni mama yung phone ko so wala akong problema sa mga 'yan. yehey :D
Kaso wala naman akong phone, so... wahhhh :cry:

Ok, some shameless plugging here since it's on topic for this thread. :)

For the latest news and interesting views on cellphones and other mobile technology, please pick up a copy of m-ph (mobile philippines) magazine. It's available at all National Bookstore outlets and other magazine stands. You get a lot of information for only P80. Yours truly is a humble editor of said publication. The March issue is already out (Kitchie Nadal on the cover) but the February issue should still be available in some stores.

is there a web site for m-ph? :D

Ok lang iyung plugging within the thread naman ang topic.

Oh I know your magazine, I've bought and read a few copies. My friend and I were discussing how your magazine can make money kasi ang lakilaki , daming papel tapos ang mura mura, and there are tons of competitors. Good luck to you.

T - Maki chikka ka na lang!

A little OT pero sino publisher ng MPh?

Ok, here's our website. m-ph online (http://blog.m-ph.com)

m-ph is published by Hinge Media. We also publish The Reviewer Magazine and PC Mag Philippines, among others. As to what I do exactly at m-ph well, I'm sort of mostly in charge of looking over, fixing up, and improving all the magazine copy, which includes the titles, intros, and article text.

JudeD, thanks! great web site.

bustero, yeah i do have Chikka :D

Ok, some shameless plugging here since it's on topic for this thread. :)

For the latest news and interesting views on cellphones and other mobile technology, please pick up a copy of m-ph (mobile philippines) magazine. It's available at all National Bookstore outlets and other magazine stands. You get a lot of information for only P80. Yours truly is a humble editor of said publication. The March issue is already out (Kitchie Nadal on the cover) but the February issue should still be available in some stores.

on a side note... how come the Bayan Wireless event (sponsored by M-PH) http://buhaywirelesstour.m-ph.com/ didn't push through at UST last March 2-4?

some visitors came by then, holding a printed advertisement of that event at the Phil. Daily Inquirer...?

we're just curious since we weren't informed that we were a venue... but in any case, I suppose, we'll be interested in hosting that event in the future...

Smart's unlimited call and text promo hits snag

Posted 08:45pm (Mla time) Mar 16, 2005
By Erwin Lemuel Oliva
INQ7.net



"Due to overwhelming response, we can't complete new registrations at this time. Pls try the UNLIMITED TEXT promo, text 258 & send to 883."

This was the text message Smart subscribers got this week after attempting to subscribe to the operator’s unlimited call promo launched last week.

Dubbed 25/8, the promo is Smart's version of Sun Cellular 24/7’s unlimited text and call promo, which proved a runaway success. Open only to pre-paid subscribers, Smart's 25/8 also became a hit among
its subscribers, numbering over 20 million.

Smart officials however admitted that the promo has hit some snags, evidenced by customer complains on difficulties of registering for it..

"Customer response [was] very strong. But we are coping. Please remember that subscribers have a choice between the regular and budget services and that the overall network is fine," Ramon Isberto, head of Smart's public affairs, told INQ7.net when asked to comment

One subscriber who declined to be
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named said she only got frustrated after attempting to register several times. "Smart suggested that I try the unlimited text promo instead," she continued.

Isberto declined to disclose how many pre-paid subscribers have registered for the promo. "Our numbers [are] still commercially sensitive. [We will disclose them] in good time," the executive added.

But the Smart spokesperson admitted customer complaints have reached them. These are however "scaling down now as subscribers become more familiar with [the] service…complaints are less than before. There is a lot of interest in the service. Remember this is our budget service," Isberto stressed.

The Smart 25/8 promo is made-up of two components.

The first component is that for a month, subscribers can choose to register for the ‘unlimited calls’ promo by loading a minimum of 115 pesos for a 10-day validity period for an unlimited number of voice calls. Or they can subscribe to ‘unlimited text’ for a minimum of 60 pesos for a six-day period of unlimited text.

The other component allows customers to make calls and text messages on a separate network within the Smart service, the Smart 258 network.

To place a call using the Smart 258 network, subscribers are asked to text in the number of the party being called then instructed to send the number to 882. Subscribers will then receive a call from 882, and a call (displaying their number) will be made to the party being called.

The promo is available to Smart Buddy, AMP, Talk'NText and Smart Kid prepaid subscribers from March 11 to April 10, 2005, Smart said in its website.

Just in case any of you guys have idle properties in the countryside and would like to lease them out on a long term basis for use as cellsites, do post the locations here. I will countercheck with people from the telcos if any of them are expanding in your area. That way, mapakinabangan nyo pa ang idle property ninyo with minimal rent over the next few years PROVIDED that the telcos select your area. :)

Ok, here's our website. m-ph online (http://blog.m-ph.com)

m-ph is published by Hinge Media. We also publish The Reviewer Magazine and PC Mag Philippines, among others. As to what I do exactly at m-ph well, I'm sort of mostly in charge of looking over, fixing up, and improving all the magazine copy, which includes the titles, intros, and article text.

Do you also do anything for Swing magazine?

I have some land in DAvao:):):) (the airport expropriated the land for the airport road we actually have the lights sititng on some of the lots!)and Mabitac Laguna!

Uy ok to ah hopefully I can hear the sound of kaching kaching!

My dad currently has a project to introduce Korean technology that allows voice messaging to be sent like SMS. And the fee would be as much as an SMS. So instead of "texting" you can just said spoken messages. It is different to the current voice messenging that is available. So far Globe is very interested. PLDT is soon to follow... The Korean developer is FeelingK.

I have some land in DAvao:):):) (the airport expropriated the land for the airport road we actually have the lights sititng on some of the lots!)and Mabitac Laguna!

Uy ok to ah hopefully I can hear the sound of kaching kaching!

Will check Mabitac Laguna. Re: Davao, I have some property in Digos, Davao del sur and the telcos mentioned that they have that area covered already. Needless to say, if a remote place like Digos is already covered, I don't think they'd be duplicating coverage for Davao especially in the airport area.

My dad currently has a project to introduce Korean technology that allows voice messaging to be sent like SMS. And the fee would be as much as an SMS. So instead of "texting" you can just said spoken messages. It is different to the current voice messenging that is available. So far Globe is very interested. PLDT is soon to follow... The Korean developer is FeelingK.

...and how different is this technology from the existing MMS?

ty

Telecom price war heats up between PLDT, Globe
By Mary Ann Ll. Reyes
The Philippine Star 03/27/2005

The price war among telecom companies (telcos) continues to heat up as two of the country’s biggest landline service providers have announced plans of further bringing down their fixed line charges nationwide.

Industry leader Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) said it is planning to extend its P10-per-call promo to June 11 as the number of callers, as well as the total number of calls using the service continue to increase since its launch last Feb.14.

This promo has allowed PLDT landline subscribers to call other PLDT subscribers nationwide as well as Smart and Talk ‘N Text mobile subscribers for a flat rate of only P10 per call instead of the usual per minute rate.

Meanwhile, Globe Telecom announced that those who would apply for a Globelines postpaid landline between March 21 to April 19, 2005 will enjoy free Globelines-to-Globelines calls anywhere in the country.

"This means no per minute and no per call charges. This is free nationwide calls for all Globelines postpaid subscribers at no extra charge," Globe officials said.

PLDT retail business group head Butch Jimenez disclosed that requests from their subscribers to extend the promo are leading them to move in this direction. Calls to PLDT’s customer service hotline, 171, have increased from 5,000 calls per day to over 35,000 daily, with most inquiries related to the P10-per call promo.

"With the market’s strong positive reaction to the offer, we are thinking of making this a permanent plan. They like the product’s simplicity and affordable price," he said.

According to PLDT, the big advantage of its P10 per call promo is that it is open to the 20 million subscribers of Smart and Talk ‘N Text plus the two million landline subscribers of PLDT. "That’s 22 million reasons why the competition cannot come close to what PLDT can offer its subscribers," Jimenez stressed.

The scheme has also driven strong demand for PLDT’s landline. PLDT business offices nationwide are reporting a strong uptake in applications for PLDT landlines. PLDT has even offered free cordless phones imported from Europe to new subscribers.

"We hope to end the year with a net station gain, as against a net station loss that PLDT has experienced over the last five years," Jimenez added.

He likewise revealed that provincial cities serviced by other telcos have passed local resolutions encouraging PLDT to enter their city.

Individual subscribers from competing telcos nationwide are likewise requesting for connections to PLDT to avail of the P10-per-call offering.

But while PLDT is aggressively pushing its P10-per call promo, sources within the PLDT group say they will file a complaint against Globelines’ offer of free NDD "forever."

"How can they offer it forever if their NTC (National Telecommunication Commission) approval is only until March 30, 2005. That is blatant disregard of NTC rules. They should get approval first before coming out with ads and promises," the source said.

Globelines head Ramon Antonio Pineda said as part of Innove Communications’s thrust to help in nation building, it is opening up its network to its subscribers to make local and inter-province or inter island calls available to everyone and more affordable.

"We are excited about this new offering and we are happy to launch it to the subscribers. We couple our investments in advanced telecommunications facilities with services like these to be able to bring about products that will prove to be beneficial to the industry and especially to the Filipino consumers," Pineda said.

Globelines marketing head Jose Antonio Mapa Jr. said what makes Globelines to Globelines Toll-Free NDD Call Promo different is that it is simple and easy to use and avail. For current Globelines postpaid subscribers, all they have to do is call the customer care hotline numbers for Luzon and Visayas and Mindanao to start toll-free NDD calls.

They added that what sets the Globelines promo apart is that this is a continuing offer. New and existing Globelines postpaid subscribers who avail of the toll-free promo will enjoy the service for the duration of their subscription.

"Globelines is the first telecommunications company to open up its communication lines nationwide and do away with the NDD charges. Expect more pioneering services from us with the interest of our customers always our top concern," Mapa said.

He added: "This new innovative offering would mean more opportunities for subscribers to enrich their lives as well as their businesses. It is a great time to be with Globelines now and things just keep getting better for our subscribers as we continue to be creative with our service offering."

Globelines, Innove’s residential and business brand, pioneered the One Province One Rate in 2002 and came up with the Cebu Enhanced One Province One Rate last Dec. 13, 2004.

source: http://www.philstar.com/philstar/News200503270701.htm

http://www.mb.com.ph/INFO2005033031439.html

Alcatel sees RP broadband market to double in 2005


By edison d. ong


There is money to be made in broadband communications technology this year.


Alcatel, a provider of communications solutions to telecommunication carriers, Internet service providers and enterprises, sees great opportunity for its vision of User-Centric Broadband in the Philippines.

In fact, its officials say they believe the Philippine telecommunications industry can duplicate its phenomenal success in the mobile communications market in the area of broadband communications.

"With the right strategy, as demonstrated by major telecom players such as Globe Telecom, Smart and Sun Cellular, broadband may yet be the next engine of growth for business in the country," an Alcatel paper, "Pushing a vision for broadband in the Philippines" stated.

It continued, "The consumer and business markets may just be looking for the next ‘killer application’ to latch onto…. Alcatel sees the broadband market in the Philippines doubling in size in 2005."

It said this kind of growth can be achieved "by leveraging segments such as business process outsourcing, gaming and other consumer applications, and e-government as drivers of broadband growth."

It added that the large number of Filipinos overseas will also bed a strong driver of broadband growth.

Christian Reinaudo, Alcatel Asia Pacific president, outlined four moves it is undertaking to win more business deals in 2005.

First is to deepen relationship with Alcatel customers and offer breakthrough services to endussers.

Second is to gain successes in new technologies e.g. 3 G, WiMAX, Next Generation Network or NGN; and to develop relevant business cases for emerging technologies.

Third is to demonstrate added-value in the noncarrier business.

Fourth, offer aggressive price levels.

Alcatel, which has a dominant position in the DSL (digital subscriber line) infrastructure space with a 38 percent global marker share, is hoping its strength in the provision of leading-edge broadband solutions, will deepen its leadership in the broadband arena in the Philippines.

The company believe it can give customers the simplified communications experience they want, which can eventually lead to the realization of Alcatel’s vision of User-Centric Broadband communication and access to all information using only one authentication method, from any device and from any location.

To achieve its global and regional objectives to fortify its market share, Alcatel is looking at a mixture of strategy, timing and a strong partner base.

Alcatel, a dominant DSL equipment company in the Philippines with over 50 percent of the market, and a global share of 38 percent, has credibility among other players in the converging technology verticals.

Alcatel’s latest partnerships are with software giant Microsoft in the United States and semiconductor firm Intel Corporation.

Last February 2005, it partnered with Microsoft for the provision of IPTV or television over the Internet.

"We believe we set the standard for this solution," said Reinaudo.

With Intel, it is ramping up its mobile WiMAX solutions partnership to make cost-effective nomadic broadband services a reality. WiMAX is an emerging set of standards aimed at providing broadband connectivity over wireless networks. Anyone entering a WiMAX hot zone with a WiMAX-based laptop as broadband connectivity to the Web.

He said Alcatel is developing the network solution, while Intel develops the chipset , e.g. Centrino "mobile" technology. The commercial network deployments will begin mid2006

ayoko sa gamit naming cell now (Ericsson) kc hindi user-friendly. kc pag may ibang makiki-text, ako pa pinagta-type kc hindi nila alam gamitin. kapag hindi ko naman ipinag-type, nawro-wrong send. grrr!

I've ben using ericson or sony for 3 years now and sanay na sanay na ako. I actually find Nokia not so friendly anymore.Anyway the point I think is that sanayan lang.

i agree.. sanayan lng yan.. well i own a SE P800 and have been using it for 18 months already.. so nde na rin ako sanay mgtext.. mas sanay na ko mgsulat.. and i find it more convenient.. less temptation to text while driving too!

im a SonyEricsson user too. i never used nokia or other brands, gaya ng sabi nila sa taas, sanayan lang. i have a k700 right now :D

stephen, y dont u get the P910? :D

i use chikka for texting and PLDT P10.00 lang for my calls... while i use my Nokia only to recieve sms or calls and mainly for... GAMES!!! :D

Don't you folks notice that cellphones aren't just cellphones anymore, they're turning out to be mini computers! I still prefer to talk to the person rather than sending them a text message, but I do send text messages to my relatives in the Philippines since it's way cheaper than calling them direct! :)

CNN
Wednesday, April 27, 2005 Posted: 11:39 AM EDT (1539 GMT)

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (Reuters) -- Nokia unveiled new premium phones on Wednesday that included one with an MP3 music player that it said will outsell Apple's iPod and a camera phone that it forecast will surpass Canon, the world's top digital camera maker.

The world's top mobile phone maker expects its new luxury "Nseries" handsets, which feature built-in hard drives and high-quality camera lenses, to boost sales by differentiating it and increasing its industry-leading margins.

Chief Executive Jorma Ollila said Nokia would sell 25 million smartphones -- handsets that offer limited PC-type functions like e-mail, more than double the 12 million it sold in 2004.

He also said at a company event in Amsterdam that the company expected to ship 100 million camera phones in 2005, and that Nokia would sell 40 million phones with MP3 digital music players this year, compared with 10 million in 2004.

By comparison, Apple said it sold 5.3 million iPods in the first three months of 2005 while Canon was the top seller of digital cameras in 2004, with 17 percent of the global market of 74 million units, according to research firm IDC.

Nokia unveiled its N91 multimedia phone, which will have a 4-gigabyte hard drive that can store thousands of music files. The phone, which will also run on high-speed 3G and wireless LAN networks, is due out by the end of the year.

Nokia said its other new phones, the N90 and the N70, will have two-megapixel cameras with high quality Carl Zeiss lenses. The N90 will be in shops in the second quarter at a price of around 600 euros ($784), while the N70, also a 3G phone, will hit the shelves in the third quarter. Apple's original iPod retails for about 319 euros in Europe while Canon's cameras start at less than half the cost of the N90.

"Who would have thought that Nokia would be the biggest MP3 and digital camera maker?" said Anssi Vanjoki, the head of Nokia's multimedia devices.

The company launched the new N-series sub-brand to make the new phone line-up stand out as luxuries specifically designed for high quality photos, video and music.

"Nokia is (already) a symbol of mobility. We're introducing a completely new brand. (to make) a distinction to define a completely new category, which is multimedia," Vanjoki said.

The new brand will help Nokia's camera and music phones distinguish itself from rivals, said Charles Dunstone, chief executive of Carphone Warehouse, in a video showed at the event. Samsung has already unveiled camera phones with higher resolution than Nokia's as well as a hard disk-based music phone, while Sony Ericsson will launch a Walkman phone after the summer holidays.

As phone subsidies from operators come under pressure due to cost cuts and aggressive price competition by virtual mobile operators, the new sub-brand may also convince consumers that they can pay more for their mobile phones, because they are buying a phone as well as a full-fledged music player and camera, Vanjoki said.

"Now there's no need to take a separate camera with you to make pictures," he said as he pointed to the Zeiss lenses also used in high-quality standalone cameras.

The hard disk-based music phone would have been launched sooner but Nokia is still working with Microsoft and its online partner OD2 to develop a music download service for mobile devices, Vanjoki told Reuters in an interview.

"But it will be this year. We're not going to miss Christmas," he said.

Nokia is also confident there will be an open standard for digital music protection, which it intends to use in its phones. Nokia does not want to use a proprietary format from Microsoft, despite an ongoing argument between the mobile phone industry and a handful of patent holders of key anti-piracy technology, he said.

"I think there will be more discussions, but it's starting to look better," Vanjoki said, referring to a more modest royalty payments proposal that was tabled by the patent holders two weeks ago.

Last week, Nokia pared back its expectations for sales of third-generation phones, which Vanjoki attributed more to the high price of video and other data services rather than the design of the phones. "It's expensive," Vanjoki said.

His multimedia division, which turned to profit in the first quarter, has recently transferred its first two models to the Nokia Mobile Phones division, which deals with volume production of mainstream devices, and this will happen more often in the future, Vanjoki said.

It also means that Nokia's Multimedia unit will stay on the cutting edge of technology and innovation, which will bring more risk, he said. "Not everything works," he warned.

whooww! pero sayang can't afford ako nyan.

wow looks cool!

im a SonyEricsson user too. i never used nokia or other brands, gaya ng sabi nila sa taas, sanayan lang. i have a k700 right now :D

stephen, y dont u get the P910? :D

I have a K700 too:) Its a great phone. My only complaint is that it lags sometimes.

I think we're texting too much !!!! Sobra na ang kita nito:)



PLDT sees another banner year
By Mary Ann Ll. Reyes
The Philippine Star 06/15/2005

Telecommunications giant Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) is expecting to register another banner year in 2005 as its core earnings trend toward the P27-billion mark, the company’s top official said yesterday.

PLDT chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan said results for the first five months of 2005 have shown core earnings trending toward P27 billion or higher this year, compared to last year’s core profitability of P25 billion.

PLDT’s profit last year was the biggest in the company’s 76-year history and the largest ever reported by a Philippine corporation.

Pangilinan said he expects second quarter 2005 earnings to surpass that of the same period last year as well as in the first quarter period, as the company targets an income level in excess of P30 billion within the next few years.

He attributed the favorable second quarter results largely to the increasing cellular phone revenues, however modest, as well as a cap on expenses. Pangilinan added that recent investments, such as the ePLDT call centers and data centers, are already bringing in profits.

He said PLDT’s prospects in the coming years remain promising but will be shaped by four emerging trends.

First is the increasingly intense competition, particularly with the likelihood of new players entering the industry on the 3G (third-generation) platform, voice over-Internet protocol (VoIP) and broadband spaces.

Second is the arrival of new and transformational technologies, especially in broadband, which Pangilinan said will alter the business models currently in place.

"On the one hand, these disruptive technologies would bring with them the advantages of larger capacities for voice, data, and video services, at lower incremental cost per subscriber, enabling PLDT to offer a new generation, bundle of products and solutions at lower cost. But on the other hand, we could see the disadvantages of lower prices and consequent pressure on our margins in the future," he noted.

PLDT’s top executive also pointed out that the gradual maturity of the company’s current businesses that are based on existing technologies are beginning to restrain prospects for growth, citing the more modest projections for the cellular industry following several years of spectacular subscriber growth.

PLDT president and CEO Napoleon Nazareno noted that the mobile industry as a whole is expected to attain moderate growth rates this year. This is because the industry has already built up a large base, with cellular penetration rate nearing 40 percent.

"As a result, the huge percentage increases of the past will be difficult to replicate," he said.

Another trend is the rising importance of an integrated and converted telecommunication company (telco) that is able to offer new generation voice, video, and data products and services, on a new and converged telecoms network.

Pangilinan said telcos whose business rests on a single platform are likely to diminish in both strength and relevance because the market in the future would favor those telcos that offer richer, broader, newer, more innovative products, solutions and services all at cheaper prices.

To prepare for the expected pervasive changes, Pangilinan said that the company will respond in three ways. First is by fortifying PLDT’s financial position to ensure that it will have the resources to invest in new generation network, focusing in achieving target core earnings and cash flows. Second is by converting the wireline networks from being voice-based to data-based and the wireless network from 2G to wireless broadband, both using as its core an Internet packet-based new generation network.

"In the future, voice will become cheaper as delivery pipes expand and data requirements of corporations and individuals increase as broadband gains more traction. Video services will also begin to intrude into our business gradually but significantly. One day in the future, media and telco will fuse," Pangilinan stressed.

The third strategy is through a higher level of coordination and cooperation among the wireless, fixed line, and information and communications technology groups of PLDT to achieve the benefits of an integrated network and a convergent business model.

Pangilinan added that PLDT’s challenge in the medium-term will be how to maintain the company’s growth momentum in the face of a maturing market whose dynamics rely on existing technologies.

"In the longer term, our challenge is finding growth offered by new technologies. Both these challenges will be made more formidable by tougher competition," he said.

During the company’s annual stockholders meeting yesterday, re-elected to PLDT’s board yesterday are Pangilinan, Nazareno, Antonio Cojuangco, Helen Yuchengco-Dee, Ray Espinosa, Corazon dela Paz, Albert del Rosario, and Sadao Maki and Shigeru Yoshida representing Japan’s NTT. The independent directors, on the other hand, are Fr. Bienvenido Nebres, Teresita Sy-Coson, Pedro Roxas, and Oscar Reyes.

Pangilinan likewise disclosed that the dividend pay-out this year will be at 30 percent of earnings, 40 percent next year, and 50 percent in 2007. The company expects consolidated net debts to go down to $1 billion by the end of 2006 from $3 billion a few years ago.

Mobile phones help alleviate poverty in Philippines?

Shibuya Epiphany, Technologies of Cooperation
Posted by Howard

There is no technological fix for poverty -- at least not without social, political, and economic measures, as well. But this experiment in the Philippines might be a sign that the ability to organize simple collective action (like group buys for basic commodities, or the ability to shop for the best price) via mobile telephone could be one useful tool in helping the poorest of the poor make it through the day (Thanks, Ryan!):



Finding that his family has run out of its supply of rice, Nestor Santos (not his real name) pulled out a cellular phone from his pocket, keyed in the order and promptly sent it via short message service (SMS) -- better known in the Philippines simply as "texting" -- to his order taker.

A few hours later, the ordered sack of rice to be shared by Nestor and his neighbors arrived.

This account may sound like just another technology-assisted lifestyle story, except for the fact that Nestor collects garbage for a living, and lives in a former dumpsite that still has a huge mound of compacted decades-old filth -- and a much-reduced stench outsiders still find overpowering -- to remind residents of their even sorrier past.

As before, he and his family of six live by the day. They are just one of the 2,520 families eking out a living of sorts in Smokey Mountain -- a huge slum located in Tondo in western Metro Manila that gained international notoriety from the '70s to early '90s as a blatant symptom of something terribly wrong with the way the country has been run by various administrations.

Transformed into a low-cost housing area for poor families in the mid-'90s during the Ramos Administration, Smokey Mountain still has a mountain of garbage -- and the pervasive smell -- to show what it used to be.

Today, 21 buildings brimming with families sorround the three-storey-high garbage hill, on which they used to build their shanties.

And for Nestor's family of six, some things never change -- like having to live on just a kilogram of rice for an entire day, and to contend with a cloud of noxious gases from the garbage mount that can blanket the entire community.

This time, however, there is one glaring difference: these impoverished families have started using technology to get by each day on slightly better terms.

Using a simple GSM cellular phone to buy basic goods like rice, cooking oil, dried fish and detergent, their order takers-cum-purchasing coordinators haggle for the lowest price among factories and wholesale suppliers in Bulacan just north of Metro Manila, as well as in Pampanga and Bataan, Central Luzon.

Wimps

Vol. XIX, No. 5
Tuesday, August 2, 2005 | MANILA, PHILIPPINES
Corporate World

BY KERLYN G. BAUTISTA, Reporter
Globe backtracks on unlimited text service tack amid weak net

In a bid to shore up revenues and woo new subscribers, Globe Telecom, Inc. is launching this month an unlimited text messaging service, which the Ayala-led telco had once said would not be a sustainable offering since it could reduce the quality of mobile services due to network congestion.

Globe has already secured the go-ahead of the National Telecommunication Commission (NTC) for the promo on sending unlimited short message service (SMS) or text messages.

The 30-day Globe Prepaid and Touch Mobile’s Unlimited SMS Promo, will hit the market not later than Aug. 8.

Globe is expected to report weak second-quarter net addition of subscribers and revenues as a result of increasingly competitive mobile market and smaller consumer spending.

In the first quarter, Globe said revenues grew by a slower 5% to P13.5 billion.

TARGET

Although Globe said wireless subscriber base grew 42% to 12.9 million in the first quarter ending March, it still missed the 13 million targeted by end-2004. Average revenue per user also declined as the company expanded operations in the provinces.

In a ruling, NTC approved Globe and Touch Mobile’s within-network unlimited text promo. The promo would allow Globe prepaid, Touch Mobile, Globe Gizmo, and Globe Prepaid Traveller’s subscribers to send unlimited text messages to other Globe subscribers for P15 within one day and P30 within two days.

To register, subscribers should have at least P16 and P31 load. They should text ALLUWANT to 2870 to join the promo, which will be activated 24 hours after registration.

The expiry period for unlimited text messages is independent from the expiry of the remaining regular load.

Globe, a joint venture of Ayala Corp. and Singapore Telecom, expects consumer spending on telco services to sag this year as inflation is seen to rise to 8% by yearend.

Globe was down P10 or 1.19% at P830 in yesterday’s trading.

Bayantel to offer mobile service
By Mary Ann Ll. Reyes
The Philippine Star 08/02/2005

Lopez-owned Bayan Telecommunications (Bayantel) is planning to finally utilize its cellular mobile telephone system (CMTS) license by going into a mobile service that will entail an investment of around P500 million only.

Bayantel chief executive consultant Tunde Fafunwa explained that unlike the traditional approach of spending huge amounts for separate cellular network, there are non-traditional alternatives available to the company to give its subscribers "mobility."

"Yes we are going to launch a CMTS service, although we are hesitant to call it that. What we are going to offer will leverage on our fixed-infrastructure, the IP technology, our wireless local loop as opposed to a separate, dedicated nationwide mobile service," Fafunwa said.

It’s a combined service where certain aspects of it are going to be mobile, which will require and will make use of the CMTS license we have," he added.

Fafunwa said one possible model is giving Bayantel subscribers the added benefit of "mobility" which means that landline subscribers can bring their landlines, just like a wireless handset.

"The traditional method of rolling out a mobile service is having base stations all across the country and having a separate cellular network. We believe there are other alternatives, particularly given how the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) approaches new technologies, with new guidelines firming up on the different ranges for wireless broadband, wireless local loop, and 3G," he said.

The reason for the low levels of additional investments required is the fact that Bayantel’s planned CMTS service will utilize the existing landline network. "A lot of the costs are already there, particularly of the switching or routing based on MTLS, the back-haul is there," Fafunwa explained.

Over three years, the investment needed is estimated at P500 million, to be sourced internally although the company is open o the possibility of entering into a partnership with other firms.

"Everything we’ve done so far has been internally funded, which has been the approach for the past three years. But there is always the possibility that we will find an interested party who wants to join us in a particular aspect of the business or make an investment that supports a particular aspect of the business," he said.

Is anyone using the new wireless broadband service of meridien? Want to find out if it's any good or not. FYI it Php 999 per month for the service.

SONY ERICSSON K600i: SLIM and 3G

By The Admiralty

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v503/Mers/Images/SonyEricssonK600i.jpg

If mobile phone crazy consumers can choose one word to describe 3G, what do you think it would be? Chances are it is unwieldy. Well, Philippine operators haven’t been too keen about the 3G technology, but this does not stop phone manufacturers from introducing 3G phones in the Philippine market.

As for the Sony Ericsson K600i, it is a streamlined handset which Sony Ericsson can bring 3G to the masses - and by the looks of things, the company is well poised to repeat the success of their previous mobile phones, with a carefully balanced mix of features and design.

The K600i is a tri-band / UMTS mobile phone, and is a groundbreaker in design, performance and functionality. In a device that is the same size and weight as existing handsets, the K600i delivers the full performance and possibilities of 3G networks, including high quality video telephony, a 1.3 MegaPixel camera and fast download of compelling mobile content.

With this phone, Sony Ericsson has moved the boundaries of phone design a stage further and delivered a real classic – a sleek, durable, lightweight phone that will appeal to a very wide audience.

The K600i has sleek good looks and an aluminum feel, and is easy to use and navigate around. Sony Ericsson’s latest intuitive dual front camera / phone design makes the handset vertical when it’s a mobile phone and horizontal when it’s a camera. The fully featured 1.3 MegaPixel camera includes an active lens cover for swift activation and extra protection.

For mobile owners getting used to the gripping idea of video telephony, handling video calls is done in just a few clicks with the use of the direct video telephony button. The world of applications the phone delivers, from exciting mobile content to video calling and personal creativity, are always crisp and clear.

The K600i presents a 176 x 220 pixel 1.8" LCD screen capable of displaying 262k colors making it ideal for imaging and multimedia applications. Got to tell, Sony Ericsson has managed to produce some of the best imaging phones on the market to date. With the K600i, they keep the bar high with not only a high MegaPixel camera but also the ability to use the images in MMS messages and to export them via USB.

The K600i effortlessly handles the latest 3D games and color animations. To give mobile users a taste of the level of quality entertainment delivered, Vijay Singh Pro Golf 2005 in 3D from Gameloft is preloaded in the phone. In this true to life golf game, players take on the role of a famous golfer, and play on the most spectacular 18-hole golf courses around the world. Further levels of this game and a host of others are available for download from Sony Ericsson’s Fun & Downloads portal directly to the phone.

High quality audio coupled with an FM radio and the ability to import full track music downloads direct to the phone make the K600i a quality music player and ideal companion for traveling, the gym or simply relaxing. Mobile users who are keen to exercise their creative muscle, a host of personal creativity tools allows users to personalize ringtones, wallpapers, still shots and video footage in new, inspiring ways.

The K600i is fully featured with a suite of business applications that handle personal information management and PC-synchronization via USB, making it the ideal executive work tool, providing business efficiency with high speed access.

The Li-Polymer standard battery gives the K600i 4 hours of talk time and 9 days of standby time. External wireless connections are provided by Sony's robust implementation of Bluetooth allowing the phone to connect to headsets, car kits and Bluetooth-enabled PDA's and laptops. The K600i is also equipped with an infrared port.


The K600i is a feature-packed 3G MegaPixel phone. And even if 3G is not yet supported in the country, once operators finally decide to support this technology, Mobile users can then enjoy the latest mobile services – video call, media streaming, broadband mobile Internet, and other services and information – wherever and whenever.

Globe Telecom income drops
Aug. 04, 2005

Globe Telecom Inc. reported a 38 percent drop in net income to P4.2 billion in the first half of 2005 from the same period last year as its income tax holiday expired and revenues failed to keep up with the expenses it made to increase its subscriber base.

In a statement, Globe said the subscriber base for its wireless brands, Globe Handyphone and Touch Mobile, grew by 29 percent to 13.6 million at the end of June.

To attract and support this increased subscriber base, Globe raised its marketing expenses by 15 percent and its cell site count by 55 percent to 4,555, increasing its geographic coverage to 90 percent of the country.

Capital expenditures reached P8.7 billion in the first six months of this year.

Globe says the investments were made to ensure its long-term growth prospects, as its increased geographic coverage will put it in a better position to serve the mass market.

“As we navigate this environment and work harder to improve short-term operating performance, we are committed to pursuing a sound, long-term growth strategy,” said Globe Telecom president and chief executive officer Gerardo Ablaza Jr.

“Completing the build-out of a pervasive nationwide network is critical to Globe’s competitiveness. To manage the pressure that this puts on our cost-revenue equation, we need to significantly reduce the lag between the time to roll out new sites and generating revenues from them.”

For its wireline business, a milestone was achieved, the company said, when it registered a positive bottom line for the first time.

This developed after service revenues grew 14 percent to P3.1 billion and wireline subscribers increased 21 percent to over 350,000.

Globe is seeing even better days ahead for this business after it was awarded a nationwide license.

Healthy subscriber growth in both its wireless and wireline businesses notwithstanding, Globe said its profits were affected by the expiration of its income tax holiday last March, which raised its provision for income tax fourfold to P1.2 billion, and by foreign exchange losses after the peso depreciated to P56.177 from P54.747 to the US dollar during the second quarter of the year. (CTL)

^^in contrast, Smart and Piltel seem to be doing really well.

PLDT profit surges 35% to P16.8B in H1 (http://www.philstar.com/philstar/news200508050701.htm)

at may income tax holiday pa ang Globe? I wonder how could they avail of that?

me promo ngayon nag Globe na unlimited text for Php 15/day. Pero some people are using it not for good cause. Me mga text ng text, generic naman. At meron akong kaibigan ginugudtym. Pahamak din minsan ang texting. Kung pede lang mabuhay ng walang phone. Kahit wala ka sa office, parang andun ka, kasi macocontact ka pa rin ng boss mo. =(

Basta ako may phone ako pero nabubuhay ako ng parang walang phone kasi... you already know it diba? :)

Kung pede lang mabuhay ng walang phone. Kahit wala ka sa office, parang andun ka, kasi macocontact ka pa rin ng boss mo.

Ahh....remember the good 'ol days when phones were still connected to a wall socket? Much simpler times back then.... :lol:

Yah, but times are changing. kng nuon cellphones were very much important and a necessity, ngayon parang nagiging luxury na sa iba. Imagine nuon fones are purely for calling, ngayon ang dami nang nagagawa;text,take pictures and videos, listen to music, play games, atbp.

...and take scandal pics and videos, hehe.

^ ehehehe... :rofl:

I refuse to be a slave to the cellphone. If I don't want to be contacted, I won't be.

Nokia sees 50% mobile penetration rate in RP


The country’s mobile phone penetration rate can go as high as 50 percent by year-end from 43 percent in mid-2005, Nokia Philippines Inc. Country General Manager Parikshit Bhasin said.


As of the first half of 2005, the country has 36 million mobile phone subscribers. But "There’s still opportunity for expansion and growth in the Philippines," he stressed, although after 50 percent penetration, any further advance will depend on the economic condition of the market.

"Nokia is still the leader in the Philippine market (in terms of handsets)," Nhasin went on and continues to be among the top five Philippine brands. Hence, "We are taking new initiatives to ensure we retain the number one slot."

Nokia, the top Finnish mobile phone maker, ranks sixth in the top 100 global brands and is the only telecommunications firm in the top 10 list of the most valuable 100 global brands.

Nokia has constantly been part of the top 10 most valuable global brands since 2001. Its brand value increased 10 percent to $26.45 million from the previous year’s $24 million.

In the second half of this year, Nokia has sold a total of one billion mobile phones, with sales growing at 25 percent year on year. It has 33 percent of the world market.

In the Philippines, "Nokia remains as the most stable and the most dominant in the market," Bhasin noted.

"But it’s a challenging market and we are trying to differentiate ourselves from our competitors."

Already, the local mobile phone market is moving towards upgrades from black and white screened phones to color screens, from Short Messaging Service (SMS) to Multi-media Messaging Service (MMS) and camera phones.

In addition, the D and E market is growing, consumers are now more conscious of mobile phone warranty provisions and aftermarket services. They likewise look for enhanced retail experiences.

In the first half of 2005, Nokia introduced twelve new handsets in the country, each designed to address the different segments of the market. It will continue to launch new, user-friendly phones with more state of the art features for the rest of the year.

Nokia continues to strengthen its extensive dealer network and is revamping its Nokia stores to allow consumers to handle the phones and avail of personalized tutorials on the mobile phone features.

This year, Nokia also forged technology agreements with developers, such as Yahoo, Java and Microsoft to bring innovations to the market.

Technologies like MMOG (Massive Multiplayer Online Gaming), Mobile TV, and Visual Radio will also be available for Nokia mobile phones.

Yah, but times are changing. kng nuon cellphones were very much important and a necessity, ngayon parang nagiging luxury na sa iba. Imagine nuon fones are purely for calling, ngayon ang dami nang nagagawa;text,take pictures and videos, listen to music, play games, atbp.

isn't it the other way around?

before = cell phones were luxury items
now = necessity :D

...and take scandal pics and videos, hehe.

I have a camera phone but I seldom (if ever) use it, I'm more interested in the "conference calling" features on it. My old Nokia only has three-way capability, now I have a brand new Sony Ericsson phone that I can call up to four people and talk to all of them at the same time! :okay:

Perhaps what Mers meant was the circumstances when one uses a cellphone. Whereas, before you use cellphones only when there is a necessity or something important, now you can use it for recreational purposes.

I agree with cOkelitrO that where cellphones used to be luxury items, now they are fast becoming necessities. BUT, I still refuse to be a slave to this gadget. I still want to be unreachable when I feel like it. I don't like people clicking away and taking my picture without my permission. It's so intrusive.

In most NY schools, the Board of Education disallowed the use of cellphones within the school building but this is being challenged by parents who feel that they need to be able to access their children even during school hours.

There are jammers that block signals when you're in "dark zones" of a building, maybe they should install that instead. So if you want to make a call, you'll have to step out of the "dark." :colgate:

Vol. XIX, No. 12
Thursday, August 11, 2005 | MANILA, PHILIPPINES
Corporate World

Smart rolls out wireless broadband in Cebu

CEBU CITY -- Smart Communications, Inc. has deployed wireless broadband equipment from the Minglanilla town in the south to the city of Danao up north in Cebu province.

This covers a 38-kilometer area to the north and south of Cebu City. Wireless broadband equipment has also been installed in Medellin, around 120 kilometers north of this city.

"As we speak, we are rolling out on a blanket basis wireless broadband installations in Cebu. I think we have covered from Minglanilla up to Danao already. Maybe you don’t know this, but the air you breathe is now broadband," Smart President and Chief Executive Napoleon Nazareno told participants to the Sun*Star economic forum here yesterday.

He said they hoped to significantly deepen internet penetration. Wireless broadband is the most affordable way for both residential and business clients to gain access to reliable, high-speed internet connectivity, he added.

PLDT public affairs head, Ramon R. Isberto, said they were installing WiFi (wireless fidelity) equipment on over 5,000 Smart cell sites nationwide. The service was launched in Cebu in July. Smart has signed a contract to buy Motorola’s Canopy wireless broadband products for the project.

Meanwhile, Mr. Isberto said they were not likely to provide digital mobile television services in the near future.

"There are no handsets. If ever there will be, these will be expensive. Prices of cellphones are already going down. We need to find revenue streams that will target a large part of the market. We believe wireless broadband will be one of these revenue opportunities that have growth potential," he said. -- Marites S. Villamor

:runaway: Ilan na kaya ang total users of cellphones in the Philippines as of 2005 ?

Did we surpassed the 40 million mark?

I think I read somewhere that cellphone penetration is now at 38M about 47% of the total population..

Gee whiz-- almost half the population. What is the percentage above poverty level?

37% live below p.l.

37% live below poverty level
47% have cellphones

Does this say that cellphones are becoming more affordable and accessible from the top income to the lower middle class or that cellphones have become such a necessity and not just a luxury that owning these gadgets sits high in the acquisition list?

I'd also like to compare these numbers to landline phones per household, mobile phones per household and televisions per household.

having a cell phone isn't a luxury. even some remote tribes in africa have cell phones! hehe

I though like 80% of people have cell phones because even in remote towns in the Phils people are still yaking away and just absolutely everyone has a cell and is texting and stuff.

Let's not forget that of the 87 million how many of these are minors, maybe 30 m (just a guess) below 12 or something. They're not going to be given cells by the parents anytime soon. I think it's better to look at number of households since we share dwellings a lot , multigenerational pa! I think you'lll see the number exceeds the households.

Also compare it to voters list (padded pa iyan ha) I don't even think we have 40 million, meron ba?

Land Line mukhang malabo, it's really small, I don't even think they'll bother to connect them in the future, specially the faraway not dense place. With wireless broadband I have a feeling voip will level the playing field.

TV penetration is quite high, even squatters and hamlets in the province have tv. Kahit walang ilaw sa kanilang barangay may tv. The shell guys who installed all those solar panels said they had to adjust the usage since the households were going to plug their tv sets into the batteries kaya madaling maubusan.

TV penetration is quite high, even squatters and hamlets in the province have tv.
with cable pa. :D

yeah, squatters, with Cable TV, components, videoke machines and other appliances you'll never think they can afford if you look at their rundown houses.
It's really puzzles me how they can get all of those stuff.

37% live below poverty level
47% have cellphones
Does this say that cellphones are becoming more affordable and accessible from the top income to the lower middle class or that cellphones have become such a necessity and not just a luxury that owning these gadgets sits high in the acquisition list?


there are quite a number of low-priced units in the market that makes cellphones affordable for everyone, as in everyone. even the 'tambays' has cellphones (maybe GSM:D) but they have. and also not a few people use two or more units and yes even kids. the fact is cellphones are on a high priority list among filipinos. pinag-iipunan talaga kahit gaano kahirap ang buhay. sabi nga ng iba "kahit walang makain basta may cellphone at pangtext":oh well::sigh:

there are quite a number of low-priced units in the market that makes cellphones affordable for everyone, as in everyone. even the 'tambays' has cellphones (maybe GSM:D) but they have. and also not a few people use two or more units and yes even kids. the fact is cellphones are on a high priority list among filipinos. pinag-iipunan talaga kahit gaano kahirap ang buhay. sabi nga ng iba "kahit walang makain basta may cellphone at pangtext":oh well::sigh:

Now I got what GSM is. Personally I am against prepaid cellphone. Nagiging tool and cause of some crimes. But then again marami magrereklamo pag inalis ang prepaid cellphone.

^^^ i read somewhere that more than 90% of cellphone users in the philippines are on prepaid. quite a lot huh... :)

What's wrong with prepaid? Prepaid allows greater penetration of cellphone technology by removing one primary constraint on people's budgets-- the bonds of a long-term contract. Prepaid allows people to purchase just what they can use and if they can't afford any more minutes or texts, then they go without service for a brief time while they save up some more money. For the richer people who have service personnel in their staff (like drivers), they can give their drivers cellphones with prepaid and give them just enough so that they can call their drivers. If the driver wants to abuse the phone, then he can do so at his own budget and not at the owner's post-paid time.

I don't think prepaid is a cause of crime (how can it be?). The cellphones are easier to steal, yes-- because they can't be tied to a contracted account. But I would also think that prepaid is a cause for the development of small mom-and-pop industries in used cellphones (legit, not stolen). All those stalls in Greenhills that sell used cellphones. Many won't be possible without prepaid.

If only to minimize the incidence of crimes especially cellphone snatching, some of which have resulted to killing, I am against prepaid. I know postpaid scheme will not be popular in the Phil. because of the hassle of applying for one plus the regular monthly bill. But at least, the NTC would have a list of the owners and this can deter crimes, too. In other words, this will somehow promote responsible ownership.

True, prepaid is a cause for development of small businesses such as loading stations, prepaid stores, etc. But some of them engage in illegal acts, too. They do buy and sell of, yes, stolen cellphones and un-blocking the PIN/PUK (forgot what it stands for)
which is also being prohibited by NTC.

very right. walang nagagawa ang NTC. so the phone you bought 6 months ago for 28k, mabibili mo na ngayon sa Monumento at 13K lang. me tawad pa.
ano nga ba ang PUK? PIN is personal identification number.

Wikipedia Ayun! Personal Unlocking Key aka Personal Unlocking Code

pag naka international roaming tinitext mo, dapat Php 1.0/text lang. im texting a Smart Prepaid sa AUS at SG, ok naman. ewan, or di ko lang kaya na check balance ko?

by the way, DLSU students are real good in tech...pati robotics. they were once featured sa activity center ng Glorrieta. lahat mga lasalista. mrami ata Chinese. saludo ako sa kanila. world class capabilities.


tama~!....here ijn AUS im using a Globe its on roaming to

VOIP VOIP VOIP


Vol. XIX, No. 18
Friday, August 19, 2005 | MANILA, PHILIPPINES
Corporate World

BayanTel to add more users with launch of VoIP offering

Bayan Telecommunications, Inc. (BayanTel) is expecting to add 25,000 DSL subscribers next year from 8,000 by yearend as it introduces voice over internet telephony or VoIP into the residential market segment.

BayanTel said it will be offering VoIP at P499 pesos a month. The service also comes with a "free" router that connects a regular phone to internet at high-speed DSL connections.

With the Bayantel VoIP offering, internet-based calls to the US, Canada, and Southeast Asia will be charged at 0.06 US cents a minute or 85% cheaper than IDD rates in landlines.

Diversifying into residential VoIP business is Bayantel’s response to landline-based price wars earlier launched by Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., Globe Telecom, Inc., and Digital Telecommunications, Inc.

Joevel Rivera, BayanTel vice-president for product development, expects net additions of subscribers to come from the huge residential market.

Majority of about eight million families of Filipinos working overseas who constantly keep in touch through expensive phone calls are expected to move to VoIP.

Mr. Rivera added that no substantial investment is needed to offer VoIP to residential users.

The offering will be based on internet that has long been overlaid in the market since 1994.

Bayantel’s VoIP offering will ride on the growth of its DSL business that is currently growing at "triple digit figures."

The Lopez-led company said it has 8,000 DSL users to date, up from 3,000 in the same period last year. By 2006, it said user base will balloon to 25,000 with VoIP.

VoIP is an internet-based communication technology that has been touted to drive down monthly telecommunication charges. Local telecom costs run as one of the highest in Asia at $22.38 for businesses and $10.74 for residential users.

With VoIP, the regulator expects international calls to drop by 75% to 10 cents a minute from 40 cents a minute. The players in the deregulated telecom industry will define prices for non-international VoIP calls. -- Kerlyn G. Bautista

The Price Cutter
By Lala Rimando
NEWSBREAK Business Editor



Marulou Manocsoc, 24, has a new pair of headphones. She bought it so she could spend more time on her cell phone chatting with her family who lives in the south.

Manocsoc lives in Quezon City. For her regular use, she relies on the mobile phone company Smart Communication. But she and her family members all have a spare chip from Sun Cellular, another phone company. Every two or three days, her parents or siblings would text her on her Smart chip to ask her to give them a call. She would dial their Sun numbers using her Sun number as well.

“I would rate it a 9,” she told NEWSBREAK, referring to Sun. “The only problem is the signal.”

Manocsoc is one of the growing number of subscribers of Sun Cellular, a latecomer in an industry dominated by a duopoly. Globe Telecommunications and Smart Communications have a virtual lock on as much as 96 percent of the market. Thus, Sun Cellular, the wireless arm of the Gokongwei family’s Digital Telecommunications Phils. Inc. had to carve a niche for itself.

But what started out as a ripple of a threat is turning into a serious one. Sun is forcing the two big companies to modify their selling strategies. It is likewise beginning to hit the duopoly’s bottomlines.

Globe and Smart have been raking in combined net incomes of up to P20 billion in the past years. But the marketing ploy of the third player and efforts of the two market leaders to match Sun’s offerings are causing telecom analysts to estimate lower earnings for the two big players.

As a new player, Sun only has 1.8 million subscribers. Smart has 20.8 million subscribers while Globe has 13.6 million. Sun is aiming to have 2,000 cell sites by the end of the year, while Globe already has 4,555 cell sites and Smart has more than 9,500 cell sites and base stations.

Sun came at a time when subscriber growth that ranged from 70 to 135 percent annually in the past started to slow down. By 2003, when subscriber growth rates began to decline, Smart and Globe tried to lure other subscribers through SIM-swap promotions. It worked this way: SIM cards, which have a pre-stored value, are available for free—if customers leave their current cell phone operator and transfer to the competitor.

Price Cutter

But Sun emerged with a more aggressive strategy: to be a price cutter. Under its “24/7” service launched last year, its customers enjoy unlimited calls and text messages. For P300 a month, subscribers can enjoy unlimited calls and texts. For unlimited text only, customers can choose the P150 package, which can last a month, or the P50 package, which is good for seven days.

This has permanently changed the industry’s business model for revenues from voice calls. Mobile phone operators used to charge callers based on two factors: the distance between the caller and the party being called, and the length of the call. Sun’s menu of “unlimited” services disregarded all these. In other words, Sun introduced the reality that calling as long as one wants and wherever in the country he is can be affordable.

Globe and Smart defended their turf, complaining to the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) that Sun only has about 38 successful calls out of 100 made on the first attempt, referring to the congested network of Sun which translates to low quality service. Ramon Isberto, head of Smart’s corporate communication group, said: “Not so long ago, when we had problems with our own congested networks, we were required to attain at least a 93 percent success call rate. Why are they [Sun] not subject to the same standard? Why are they being tolerated?”

Isberto was referring to those days in the late 1990s when pre-paid service was newly introduced and the number of cell phone users zoomed from one million in 1997 to more than six million in year 2000. The companies’ capacity could not accommodate the surge, and customer complaints flooded the NTC, mainly because of dropped calls, or those calls that would click off in the middle of a phone conversation.

But William Pamintuan Jr., Sun’s spokesperson, said the context of the complaints then and now is different. “When their subscribers experienced dropped calls, the succeeding calls still had to be paid on a per minute basis. In our case, our subscriber can re-dial as many times as he wants because it is unlimited anyway. Why will they [Globe and Smart] force us to adapt their standard when we have different tariff structures?” The NTC ruled in Sun’s favor.

Industry players and watchers were baffled by how Sun was able to afford its “unlimited” service. Sun was even accused of predatory pricing, or the practice of charging less than the cost of providing these services.

Pamintuan denies this. He says the advantage of a latecomer like Sun is that the required technology and equipment have already matured and are thus now more cost-efficient. “Our equipment [for the cell sites and base stations] is 40 percent cheaper [than what it cost Globe and Smart] and can run at twice the capacity,” he said. For example, when competitors bought most of their equipment for their earlier batches of base stations, the minimum cost of each was around US$400,000. Now, the price ranges from $150,000 to $160,000.

Fewer Gimmicks

Also, Sun does not spend as much as Globe and Smart do for marketing and promotions, nor does it subsidize the handsets that it offers to new subscribers. Globe and Smart combined are the biggest media advertisers in the country. To attract new subscribers and retain existing ones, Smart spent P1.7 billion in the first six months of 2005, while Globe spent P2.2 billion.

At the moment, Sun currently adds about 100,000 new subscribers a month, net of those who discontinue the service. It breached the one million mark for its total subscribers within months after the 24/7 service was launched last year. According to Lance Gokongwei, Sun Cellular’s chairman, they aim to break even with 2.7 million subscribers by the second semester of next year.

Globe and Smart felt the pressure of the 24/7 service because Sun started to eat into their market shares. Existing subscribers of Sun now corner about 5 percent of the market. Globe’s market share declined from 40 percent last year to 38 percent in June. Smart, on the other hand, maintained its 57 percent share.

Currently, Globe and Smart are cleaning up their subscriber base, thus a deeper analysis of Sun’s 24/7’s impact on the subscriber base of Globe and Smart is still less clear.

For about a year, Globe and Smart were aggressively promoting the SIM-swapping promo until swappers abused it. They kept on jumping from one company to another, swapping chips with the competitor after the accompanying free calls and text of their existing one expired. This craze distorted the companies’ real number of long-term subscribers, creating an illusion of significant increases in their subscriber bases.

Both Globe and Smart discontinued their SIM-swap promotions in May, and officials say it will take a good three to five months to purge these swappers from their subscriber base. Thus, the downward trend in additional subscribers in the next months may not be entirely attributable to Sun’s 24/7 service.

The Second Phone

Despite this, Globe and Smart executives say a general trend has emerged: while some of their subscribers are not migrating to Sun, customers have acquired a second or even a third SIM. Gerardo Ablaza, president of Globe, said, “The usage that our subscriber would normally put into a Globe phone is somewhat diluted by his usage of his other SIM.”

Thus, Globe and Smart kicked off their own versions of “unlimited” services last February and March. Globe initially offered it to the subscribers of its Touch Mobile brand, which caters to blue-collar workers. Globe dominates the post-paid users, who spend more per month (average of P1,542) than the prepaid subscribers (P244). It wanted to continue enjoying the revenues from its postpaid users while offering unlimited service for its low-end ones.

On the other hand, Smart and its low-end brand, Talk n Text, are catering primarily to a prepaid market (99 percent of total subscribers). They offered to all subscribers their unlimited service, aptly dubbed 25/8, obviously a pun on Sun’s 24/7. However, Smart priced their “unlimited calls” service at just P115 for 10 days, noting that most prepaid subscribers cannot afford to shell out P300 immediately due to their limited spending power.

By April and May, Globe and Smart stopped offering their unlimited call services because these clogged their networks. But they have an ongoing service for unlimited text. Under Smart’s 25/8 promo, subscribers can send an unlimited number of text messages for P60, which is good for four days. As of June, Smart had 1.4 million subscribers availing themselves of the 25/8 service. On the other hand, Globe’s CelebRATE promo for its pre-paid subscribers provides big discounts on calls and texts. About 600,000 have subscribed to it.

These new offerings are cannibalizing the revenues which Globe and Smart used to enjoy from their subscribers. Both companies recorded lower outbound calls and lower text messages sent by their subscribers. In the case of Smart, they witnessed a 24-percent drop in the average calls per subscriber from 21 minutes per month in the first half of 2004 to 16 minutes in the same period this year. Smart’s average revenue per user (ARPU) declined to P287 per month from P377 in the same period last year. Globe, too, saw its ARPU in the first half 2005 decline to P300 per month compared to about P395 last year.

And for the first time in more than six years, analysts’ estimates of net earnings are not as rosy. For 2005, the profit outlook for Globe ranged from P8.8 billion to P11.1 billion, lower than the P11.3 billion that Globe posted in 2004. Earnings projections for Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), the listed mother company of Smart, are at P28.6 billion, a minimal increase over from 2004’s P28 billion level.

What to do? Manuel Pangilinan, chair of PLDT, says: “The driver of the business [in the coming months] will not be focused on subscriber growth. We should start looking at increasing usage by our current subscribers.”

In other words, expect more innovative pricing schemes from the three players—all in pursuit of the consumer.


Send us your feedback: letters@newsbreak.com.ph

subscribe | archive | feedback | printable version

^^ SUN is indeed the messiah of the Philippine Telecom industry. :bow:

CELLPHONE FOR IPOD PEOPLE

By SAM GUSTIN
________________________________________
Rokr iTunes phone

September 8, 2005 -- Apple Computers yesterday unleashed the world's first iTunes-equipped cellphone — instantly establishing the elec- tronic gadget as the new must-have of the season.

In Apple's typical over-the-top fashion, CEO Steve Jobs announced the new phone at an elaborately staged media event featuring Madonna and Kanye West — sparking near-hysteria among Apple's hard-core fan base, which had been speculating for weeks after photos of the new phone were leaked on the Internet.

The new toy sent Apple fanatics swooning. "Apple amazes . . . again," wrote one breathless blogger. Motorola's "Rokr" phone will operate on the Cingular wireless network and be sold exclusively at Cingular stores. Users can transfer songs from their computer's iTunes program to the phone through a USB cable and listen on stereo headphones. The phone will cost $249.99 with a two-year cellphone contract.

The surprises didn't end there. The company also rolled out a brand new 1.5-ounce iPod model called "nano," which features a color screen display and is thinner than a No. 2 lead pencil. The device holds 1,000 songs despite being about the size of a credit card. The nano features a vibrant color screen and comes in a 2-gigabyte model for $199 and a 4-gigabyte model for $249.
Ever media-savvy, Jobs conducted a conversation at the launch with Madonna in London over Apple's iChat software. The Material Girl, who has thus far resisted putting all of her songs online, announced that she is making her 15 albums available on iTunes. "I tried to hold out as long as possible," she said. "I got tired of not being able to download my own music." Jobs asked Madonna if she owned an iPod, to which she replied, "Of course I do, that's so 'duh.' Which one don't I have? Every time I get one, a new one comes out the next week. You've got to stop being so prolific."

^^ I saw this on the news last night! Looks like Apple is taking over the world! :lol:

The phone itself is pretty ugly and isn't very impressive. I'm a lot more impressed by the iPod nano.

Oh yeah. The iPod nano. Now, if they can only create an iPod nano that is also a cellphone. I guess I will just wait for that.

^^ SUN is indeed the messiah of the Philippine Telecom industry. :bow:

24/7 nga ba? Or out of 24 attempts to call, only 7 can get through..hehe

MAKING THE RIGHT CALL WITH THE MOTOROLA C117

By EDWIN P. SALLAN

YOU’RE in the market for a new mobile phone but fancy features like color display, built-in camera, Bluetooth, GPRS and other similar bells and whistles are of little to no consequence to you. You just want something you can use for voice calls and text messages, nothing more. So does Motorola’s no-frills, entry-level C117 fit the bill?

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b222/Celine05/12tech_c117inside1126437369.jpg

First, the phone is as simple as entry-level handsets come. With a silver metallic plastic finish, the C117 is small and light and comes with a monochrome display and blue LED that easily reminded me of the Nokia 8210, a phone that was once very popular with the ladies. Unlike the 8210, however, the C117 has a soft rubber keypad that even guys with big hands should find a joy to use. It even has an up, down, left and right direction button with a dedicated text messaging joystick-like button at the center.

For an entry-level model, the C117, which save for its appearance is actually identical to the C115 and C116 models that came before it, has many extras including more than 20 ringtones, alarm clock, calculator and screensavers. Because of its monochrome display, it also has a longer battery life, which I thought is pretty sweet.

In terms of calls, the C117 surprises in a very pleasant way. Reception and audio quality off this dual-band handset is actually very good and I would go as far as saying that it at least approximates, if not surpasses, those of newer, higher-end handsets.

Text messaging is another matter, though. Sending SMS has always been quite a chore when it comes to Motorola phones (I previously owned two early models) and the C117 is not much of an exception. There’s a method of madness to the C117’s text messaging and if you’re already a power user of Motorola phones or even other brands like Sony Ericsson and Philips, adjusting should be easier. But if you’re switching from a Nokia or actually getting a cell for the very first time, then be prepared for a rather lengthy learning curve.

The C117 has predictive text input which is supposed to make things easier and a boon for those who are so used to sending SMS this way. But it can also be a bane for folks like me who finds this feature annoying and are used to text message faster the old fashioned way.

During my test drive, I couldn’t find a way to turn predictive text feature off. I have to press the Select button every time I type a letter. Each letter that I typed is also automatically preceded by a space and I have to click the left arrow button to get back one space. I also can’t find a way to turn the Caps on. To be fair, the demo unit that I tested did not include a manual but then again, I always believed that a product’s ease off use lies in its ability to be intuitive to the extent of rendering the manual useless.

Of course, this does not mean that I can’t recommend the Motorola C117 at all. At slightly more than P2K for Touch Mobile prepaid subscribers, it does have a nice price tag. Given that there is a growing market for cheaper second phones, I think this is more ideal as an extra handset that you can use mostly for making calls, as this is where its real strength lies.

Source: Manila Bulletin

24/7 nga ba? Or out of 24 attempts to call, only 7 can get through..hehe
>>only 7? baka inde sun ang tinawagan...

yes, there are hearsays in here that 24/7 is just a trick?!?

CELLPHONE FOR IPOD PEOPLE

By SAM GUSTIN
________________________________________
Rokr iTunes phone

September 8, 2005 -- Apple Computers yesterday unleashed the world's first iTunes-equipped cellphone — instantly establishing the elec- tronic gadget as the new must-have of the season.

In Apple's typical over-the-top fashion, CEO Steve Jobs announced the new phone at an elaborately staged media event featuring Madonna and Kanye West — sparking near-hysteria among Apple's hard-core fan base, which had been speculating for weeks after photos of the new phone were leaked on the Internet.

The new toy sent Apple fanatics swooning. "Apple amazes . . . again," wrote one breathless blogger. Motorola's "Rokr" phone will operate on the Cingular wireless network and be sold exclusively at Cingular stores. Users can transfer songs from their computer's iTunes program to the phone through a USB cable and listen on stereo headphones. The phone will cost $249.99 with a two-year cellphone contract.


The ROKR is a very out dated and un impressive phone its just a slightly modified Motorola E398 which was released last year sometime, compared to the likes of Sony Ericsson W800, Nokia N91 and Samsung i300. The N91 and the i300 both offer external hard drives.

CELLPHONE FOR IPOD PEOPLE

By SAM GUSTIN

The new toy sent Apple fanatics swooning. "Apple amazes . . . again," wrote one breathless blogger.

There are more people who are dissappointed with ROKR in the blogosphere than there are swooning over it.

I guess it's good that I didn't wait for that phone to replace my Motorola A630 (bad phone) and opted for the Sony Ericsson W800i.

http://pinoy.bufuplanet.com/enrico/images/w800i.jpg

The Walkman software doesn't have a 100 song limit that the ROKR iTunes has and it has FM radio with RDS. The camera is decent (2.0 megapixels vs ROKR'S 0.6 megapixels) and the OS is snappy with little to no lag. The only nods I would have to give ROKR are its good stereo speakers with bass and iTunes-compatibility (which is moot to me as I don't use it anyway).

‘Tonyboy’ Cojuangco to go into cellphone business
By Mary Ann Ll. Reyes
The Philippine Star 10/19/2005

Rumors that businessman Antonio "Tonyboy" Cojuangco plans to venture into the highly competitive world of cellular mobile telecommunications were finally confirmed after a company identified with him applied with the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) for a license and frequency to offer third-generation (3G) mobile technology, a business that will entail billions of pesos in investments, The STAR has learned.

According to NTC sources, the company AZ holds office in DPC, the same building where Cojuangco’s other businesses such as Philippine Multi-Media System Inc. (PMSI) which operates satellite TV service provider Dream Broadcasting hold office. Industry sources, meanwhile, say that everyone in the telecommunications business knows that Cojuangco owns AZ.

Earlier, Cesar Reyes, PMSI chairman and chief executive officer, revealed that their group is interested to go into 3G but would not say which company will be used as a vehicle.

Reyes dispelled rumors that Cojuangco owns aspiring Connectivity Unlimited Resources Enterprises (CURE) which is also applying for a 3G license. Cojuangco, former PLDT chairman, whose family used to own the country’s largest telecommunications company, was linked to CURE because of the presence of former PLDT officials in the said company. "No, we never had anything to do with CURE," Reyes said.

The end of the 30-day period for applying for a 3G license with the NTC resulted in three automatic applicants and four new ones. The automatic applicants are the incumbent cellular mobile telephone service (CMTS) franchise holders Smart Communications, Globe Telecom, and Digitel Mobile of the Gokongwei group.

The new applicants include AZ, CURE, Multi-Media Telephone Inc, and Next Mobile.

CURE is identified with former Trade Minister Roberto Ongpin whose company ISM Communications wants to go into mobile telephony.

Under NTC rules governing the issuance of 3G licenses and frequencies, there will be five licenses that will be issued. If more than five applicants are able to prove their technical, financial, and legal capabilities, then the NTC will resort to a bidding.

From the expiration of the 30-day period for application, the seven applicants have 60 days to prove that they have the capability to engage in 3G, the latest mobile phone service technology after 2G or GSM, 2.5G or GPRS, and 2.75G or EDGE. Smart, Globe, and Digitel’s Sun Cellular are currently using GSM and GPRS, and are EDGE-capable.

Both Smart and Globe have began tests on 3G, which will allow mobile phone service companies to offer richer applications and faster download speeds than that allowed by GPRS.

After the 60-day period for submission of the necessary documents, the NTC will have another 60-days to evaluate the applications and then notify the parties chosen.

As for the new entrants, the commission requires a minimum paid-up capital of P100 million which they will have to increase to P400 million.

Globe Telecom has just successfully completed its first video calls over its 3G trial network.

Rival Smart Communications maintains that the cellular market is not yet ready for 3G of cellular networks until 3G-enabled handsets are priced below $150 or not more than P8,400, but trials are being conducted nevertheless.





-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Globe / Touch Mobile
Smart / Talk n Text / Addict Mobile
Sun Cellular
Soon Tonyboy's Cellular :okay:

Sony Ericsson unveils UMTS P990 smartphone
10 October 2005
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid191/pf3816c13f6adcf8f9c5e0a559a119344/f1c97881.jpg

Sony Ericsson announce the long awaited successor in the P-series line of smartphones which will be shown at the The Smartphone Show 2005 in the ExCeL Centre in London on October 11-12

London, October 10, 2005 – Sony Ericsson emphasised its continued commitment to Symbian OS today with the announcement of its next generation smartphone to the global development community. The P990 will be the first commercially available smartphone to adopt the enhanced Symbian OS version 9.1 and UIQ 3 software platform. This flagship UMTS smartphone is Wi-Fi enabled, has a 2 megapixel camera with autofocus and features a new hardware keyboard beneath the flip-down keypad. The phone will start shipping during Q1 of 2006.

The P990 is the next in a line of successful Sony Ericsson smartphones - the P800, P900 and P910 – and is based on the same proven concept and recognisable form factor. All have been popular with users, operators and software developers thanks to their powerful productivity features. Operator feedback and download statistics from the Sony Ericsson Application Shop have shown that consumers, both business and personal, are interested in using their smartphones to the fullest potential. Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) can be as high as 4 to 5 times that of more traditional voice-centric mobiles.

To ensure a large proportion of applications are available on the new Symbian and UIQ software platform when the P990 goes on sale, Sony Ericsson has decided to announce the smartphone well in advance of availability so that developers have time to create and certify as many applications as possible.

“The technical prowess of the P990 will be brought to full life by applications from the third party developer community," said Jan Wäreby, Executive Vice President and Head of Sales and Marketing. “Demand for applications on the P800, P900 and P910 has been very high. Our smartphones have been recognised as the most advanced and useful on the market, and we want to maintain this reputation with the P990 by ensuring there’s a rich supply of top applications for enterprise, productivity, leisure and gaming when users make their first visit to the Sony Ericsson Application Shop."

As with its predecessors, the P990 is designed to be first and foremost a great mobile phone. It also offers all the benefits of UMTS including video calling, high-bandwidth multi-media downloads and the ability to browse the Internet with full HTML pages. These are viewed in landscape on the new Opera 8 browser. In addition, the P990 is prepared for all major push e-mail clients enabling full e-mail access with attachments, anywhere, anytime.

The P990 has multiple text input methods enabling it to support all users’ needs and preferences. Writing e-mails is made easier by the new hardware keyboard positioned beneath the flip-down keypad on the main body of the phone. Reading them is made simpler on the large 2.8 inch QVGA touch screen. Multi tasking – being able to browse the Internet, send and receive files at the same time as talking – is now possible due to the enhanced capabilities of the new software platform.

Memory has been extended in order to handle all multi-media downloads and e-mail attachments. Memory Stick PRO Duo up to 4GB will be available in the market at launch and the P990 now has up to 80 MB user free memory. A 64 MB Memory Stick PRO Duo is included in the box, preloaded with a VPN client and trial version of a virus scan package.

The combination of UMTS and WLAN features will also significantly improve the efficiency and flexibility of applications such as e-mail, browsing the Internet/Intranet and video telephony. WLAN, available in hot spots all over the world, acts as a complement to high speed 3G services, enabling widespread access to corporate network services.

Other new features include automatic time zone change to the Calendar diary and updated PC sync software with extended synchronization possibilities. Additionally the 2 Megapixel camera with autofocus, digital zoom, photo light plus the bright TFT screen and video recording provide a high quality imaging experience.

In a separate announcement today, Sony Ericsson Developer World and UIQ Technology outlined their plans to support UIQ 3 developers.

Developers can program in C++ or Java™ to create powerful professional and personal productivity tools for the P990. The smartphone is based on Java Platform 3 (JP-3). It supports four new Java Specification Requests (JSR’s) including Web Services (JSR-172) and is the twentieth phone from Sony Ericsson supporting Mobile Java™ 3D, demonstrating the company’s leadership in this new technology. Standard Java™ applications can be run with either the flip-down keypad open or closed.

The P990 will be commercially available in Q1 2006. The variants will be:
- P990i Dual mode UMTS (2100MHz) - GPRS 900/1800/1900 for Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa
- P990c Dual mode UMTS (2100MHz) - GPRS 900/1800/1900 for Mainland China. Launch for mainland China dependant on availability of 3G services.

The P990 will be available in 4 hardware keyboard variants: QWERTY, QWERTZ, AZERTY and Russian

The P990 will be demonstrated in booth # 124 at The Smartphone Show 2005 in the ExCeL Centre in London on October 11-12, where Sony Ericsson is headline sponsor. Rikko Sakaguchi, Senior Vice President and Head of Product & Application Planning, gives a keynote presentation.

Technical specifications
- Operating system - Symbian OS v9.1
- Software platform - UIQ v3.0
- Size - 114 x 57 x 25
- Weight - 155g with battery and flip keyboard
- Screen - Large 2.8 inch QVGA (240 x 320) touch screen with 262 k colours that supports landscape view for camera, video imaging and browsing
- Interaction - Using touch screen, 3 way Jog Dial and dedicated buttons
- WLAN - 802.11b compliant
- Bluetooth - Includes car handsfree profile
- Infrared - Yes
- USB - Yes and charging via USB
- UMTS - E-GSM 900, GSM 1800, GSM 1900 and UMTS 2100
- Application memory - Up to 80 MB user free memory
- Camera - Integrated 2 megapixel CommuniCorder 24 bit colour depth, autofocus for still pictures, video clip recording and video calls
- Video telephony - Application included which allows video calls and video conferencing via the built-in dual cameras
- Media player - Supports playback, streaming and playlists
- Activity menu - Customizable top level menu
- Upgradeable - Via Sony Ericsson Update Service
- FM/RDS radio - Yes
- Browser - Opera browser (version 8) supporting frames and javascript
- Push email - Prepared for all major e-mail solutions including Research in Motion (Blackberry)
- Messaging - SMS, MMS and email
- PIM applications - Contacts, Calendar, To Do, Jotter for notes and sketches, Voice memo and Calculator, Converter, Stop Watch and Timer
- Viewers - Microsoft Excel. Word, Powerpoint and Adobe PDF
- Editors - Microsoft Word and Excel
- Themes - Easy personalisation of animated icons, screensavers, wallpapers and skins
- Speaker phone - Yes
- Memory Stick - Memory Stick PRO Duo slot for up to 4 GB removable memory. 64 MB supplied
- Flight mode - Includes option to turn Wi-Fi on
- Local and remote synchronisation - via SyncML
- Business telephony - Yes
- Java™ ME platform support - Both CDC and CLDC environments supported:
--- JTWI 1.0 (JSR-185) consisting of Connected Limited Device Configuration (CLDC) 1.1 HI (JSR-139), MIDP 2.0 (JSR-118), WMA 1.1 (JSR-120). - PDA Optional Packages (JSR-75), Bluetooth (JSR-82), Wireless Messaging API 2.0 (JSR-205), Web Services (JSR-172), Mobile Media API (JSR-135), Mobile 3D Graphics (JSR-184), Nokia UI API 1.1
--- Connected Device Configuration (CDC) 1.0 (JSR-36) - Foundation Profile 1.0 (JSR-46), Personal Profile 1.0 (JSR-62),PDA Optional Packages (JSR-75)
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid191/p4bd67f94cbedf6d6f65fbb4fedd9c40e/f1c97810.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid191/p2e54bdb9087857707a30b0adbe621731/f1c9780c.jpg

she changed it,

nice cellfone, too bad i already have one and still a year to go to dispose of mine

^^ Sorry, didn't know that the site I was referring to did not allow to link the picture directly.

Nokia has announced something better with the Nokia N80. equipped with a cool 3.0 megapixel camera!

Wednesday, December 14, 2005


PLDT to install new network


DOMINANT carrier Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) plans to install an all-Internet protocol next generation network (NGN) over two to three years to enhance its voice and data service product.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, PLDT said one of the key benefits of upgrading to NGN is the ability to enhance its voice and data service offerings and expand its product range to include video or Internet protocol television (IPTV).

IPTV involves delivering digital television service to subscribers using the Internet protocol over a broadband connection. This service is often provided in conjunction with video on demand and may include Internet services such as Web access and voice-over Internet protocol.

PLDT said the company continues to look into new opportunities arising from advances in technology and analyze business models being undertaken by other fixed-line operators who are also rolling out broadband services.

The company did not disclose how much it will invest in the project.

In the first nine months of the year, PLDT posted a consolidated net income of P25 billion, or 13 percent higher than P22.2 billion in the same period last year.

The company’s service revenues rose by 4 percent to P29.4 billion, driven by mobile unit, Smart Communications’ revenues, which increased 11 percent to P17.4 billion.

PLDT’s fixed-line revenues improved to P36.7 billion, from P35.9 billion last year while its broadband and Internet services continued to attract more subscribers.

In the third quarter alone, core earnings reached P8.2 billion. The company said it reduced its debt by $552 million for the period and was poised to reduce debt by as much as $700 million by the end of the year.

PLDT expects to increase its net income by P30 billion to P32 billion this year.
--Darwin G. Amojelar

who wants their old phone sold or who wants to buy new ones..just visit here!
http://www.istorya.net/forums/index.php?board=33.0

Four 3G licensees get desired frequencies
By Mary Ann Ll. Reyes
The Philippine Star 01/04/2006

The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) assigned yesterday the 3G (third generation mobile communications technology) frequencies to four telecommunications companies granted licenses to offer 3G services in the country.

Globe Telecom, Smart Communications, Digital Telecommunications Philippines (Digitel) and Connectivity Unlimited Resource Enterprise (CURE), each were given their respective 3G frequency range to start off the nationwide rollout of their 3G networks.

Smart said it has chosen the frequency range that will enable it to provide the best quality 3G service, pointing out that this range has the least amount of interference and is located at the best position in the 3G frequency spectrum allowing for the clearest possible over-the-air transmission.

"We will maximize the use of this radio frequency spectrum we have selected in order to deliver the optimum quality of 3G services to our customers," Smart network services division head Rolando Peña said.

Smart has begun the deployment of its nationwide 3G network, with a significant number of 3G cellsites already being tested and utilized for demonstration to subscribers in key areas within Metro Manila and Metro Cebu.

Running on WCDMA (wireless code division multiple access), 3G is touted as the next wave in wireless communications. 3G enables the high-speed transmission of data, allowing a more sophisticated range of services such as video conferencing, audio streaming and mobile Internet.

For its part, Globe Telecom said it is now set to roll out its 3G service as it has also been given its desired 3G frequency in the WCDMA band. Globe expressed satisfaction as it was able to choose its desired 3G bandwidth.

"We are very pleased that we were given the opportunity to choose the frequency spectra appropriate to our 3G operations. The frequency assigned us would allow us to deliver superior quality 3G services," Globe senior vice president and corporate and regulatory affairs head Rodolfo Salalima said.

"Now that we have been given our desired 3G frequency, we can rapidly deploy our 3G service at the shortest possible time. With 3G operations, we are now ready to provide the public state of the art technology. More important and consistent with public service, the consumers are now given wider choices in service to suit their needs," Salalima added.

In July 2005, Globe successfully completed its first video calls over its 3G trial network, allowing not only voice but also full-motion real-time videos between two mobile subscribers. In doing so, Globe became the first Philippine operator to accomplish such feat. This was done under the supervision of the NTC, using 3G trial permit and frequencies from the NTC.

With 3G technology and services, customers will not only hear, but see loved ones – both here and abroad, as well as watch the news, TV shows, or sports highlights while mobile. Users can, likewise, choose to download and listen to the latest music, wherever and whenever the mood strikes them, among other applications.

With its newly obtained 3G license and radio frequency, Globe said it is all set to offer to the public 3G services this year. The company is now preparing to enlist customers for this service.

Sobrang dami nang lumalabas na phone ngayon ang bilis MALAOS!

^^ You don't have to always keep up with trends, it saves you money too. :colgate:

OMG I thought CURE was just a fucking rumor!

^^ You don't have to always keep up with trends, it saves you money too. :colgate:

Iba na rin ung sikat kapag bago ang gamit, LOLj/k... :) As if, wala nga akong perang pambili ng mamamahal na gadgets eh. Although I would love to be as rich as Bill Gates.

PANDI, Bulacan — A group of at least 10 heavily armed men attacked and bombed the cellsite tower of a telephone company in Barangay Poblacion, this town late night Monday.

Senior Supt. Benedict Michael Fokno, Bulacan police director, identified the communications facility belongs to Digitel.

The Digitel cellsite that is situated in a rice field, some 300 meters from the municipal hall and the police station of this town. It is adjacent to the cellsite of another telephone company.

P02 Ferdinand Cabuhat, duty police investigator, said the armed men first fired their firearms at the compound of the cellsite tower at about 11:20 p.m. before they hurled a molotov bomb into the communications facility.

Cabuhat said the Digitel tower includes its cellsite Provider equipment for its Sun Cellular mobile phone service.

It was learned that the armed men even used a ladder in going inside the Digitel’s compound which has tall protective cyclone wires surrounding it.

After the gunshots, the police and the residents heard a loud explosion and later saw huge flame.

However, Cabuhat said, only the cable wires of the facility were destroyed. He said the rest of the tower facility particularly the one placed inside a steel box was intact. (Freddie Velez)

http://www.mb.com.ph/PROV2006011253683.html

http://mbweb.alchemy.com.ph/db_images/articles/9tech_nokia1136769048.jpg
The N7380 in a lipstick case

Ladies, here’s a phone you might want to keep in you purse.

With a mirror screen and a frame just slightly bigger than a lipstick case, the Nokia 7380 may well have hit its target, tickling the fancy of many fashion forward women.

Launched in Hong Kong November of this year, the N7380 is purportedly an improved version of its predecessor, the Nokia 7280.

Mind you, this is a phone you don’t want to use for texting long messages or sending MMS. It is, after all, a fashion phone meant to impress friends with its sleek packaging and luxurious leather cover.

Clearly, Nokia designed this phone with the “well-heeled” in mind.

However, this is not to say that the N7380 is an altogether useless gadget.

In fact, this phone is replete with cool features and Nokia has quite successfully merged technology with design, form with function… and a few improvements added in.

For one, Nokia scrapped the “slide up” design of the N7280 which conceals the lens of the phone. With the new version, the 2-megapixel camera lens was placed on the back as well as a flash just beside the lens.

A SIM-card holder is inconspicuously placed on the left lateral face of the phone which is a neat idea since the car slot appears like it’s part of the whole design.

With a phone as small as an MP3 player, it is impossible to squeeze in a removable battery pack which explains why this unit has a built-in 700mAh Bl-8N battery.

Small as it is, Nokia claims that the phone works for 240 hours in stand-by mode (I have yet to experience this myself) with 3 hours talk time. Full charging of battery takes about one hour and 10 minutes.

I mentioned earlier that the N7380 (same with the N7280) is not for texting… not unless you have the luxury of time to get used to its Navy Wheel, the only means to navigate all the features including SMS.

In the absence of a keypad, rings of rubber (which playfully light up during a call) make up the Navy Wheel and operate by working your thumb in a clockwise direction.

As such, entering a phone number, for instance, takes longer than when you do it with a normal phone.

I suggest that the user should use a PC when transferring all contact information in the phonebook since it’s more convenient and faster.

Another feature of this phone is a media player which, in truth, is a simplified player for musical files.

The phone has up to 52.4MB internal memory shared between call melodies, recorded voice, files and photos thus using it as an MP3 player with the intention of storing more than a hundred songs is asking for the impossible.

Nonetheless, the radio feature compensates for this flaw. One is given the option to listen to FM stations using the headset or switch on to “loudspeaker” mode.

The loudspeaker however does not work unless the headset is connected to the phone since this piece of cable acts as the antenna that picks up radio signals. Either way, a headset is essential for this feature to function properly, and it saves up to 20 FM stations.

Another advantage of this phone is its realized voice dialing feature which doesn’t require the user to add a pre-recorded voice tag in phonebook entries unlike in other phones with the similar spec.

Surprisingly, the phone can process and “read” voice commands without preliminary training.

In such case when the system does not recognize the voice for a certain command, the phone displays a list of other possible commands which sounds like that of the voice.

The unit is likewise packed with other specs such as an Organizer, To-do list, Notes, Alarm Clock, Video, WAP browser which can view xHTML pages, a Phonebook that can store up to 1000 names and Bluetooth for its interconnectivity, a 2-megapixel camera and 65K TFT color display.

http://www.mb.com.ph/TECH2006011253480.html

^^ nice phone how much is that though?

PLDT Rightfully Belongs to the Filipino People and Not to the Cojuangco's and Marcoses.

Tonyboy loses remaining shares in PLDT
By Mary Ann Ll. Reyes
The Philippine Star 01/21/2006

The Supreme Court has ordered the reconveyance to the government of certain assets held by the family of businessman Antonio "Tonyboy" Cojuangco, the ownership dispute over which has dragged on for decades.

In its decision, the SC granted government’s petition for the reconveyance in its favor of 111,415 shares of the Philippine Telecommunications Investment Corp. (PTIC) registered in the name of Prime Holdings Inc. (PHI), the holding company of the Cojuangco businesses. Said shares being ill-gotten, they rightfully belong to the Filipino people, the High Court said.

The SC likewise denied claims by other parties as to ownership over PHI’s holdings in PTIC, including claims by the Cojuangcos that they own said shares.

In its previous petitions, the government submitted as evidence a deposition by Marcos crony Jose Yao Campos stating that the said PTIC shares in the name of Prime Holdings are owned by former President Marcos.

PTIC, owned 46 percent by PHI and the rest by First Pacific and Metro Pacific Holdings, currently owns around 14 percent of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT). PTIC currently is entitled to two to three seats in the PLDT board, one of which is occupied by Tonyboy Cojuangco as a minority shareholder of PTIC. The rest of the shares are occupied by nominees of the First Pacific group.

With the SC decision, the Cojuangcos will be completely out of PLDT. PTIC used to be owned 100 percent by the Cojuangco family until it sold 54 percent to the First Pacific group, paving the latter’s entry into PLDT.

It will be recalled that the Sandiganbayan in two resolutions issued separtely in 1993 and 1994 declared automatically lifted the writs of sequestration issued separately by the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) had issued against PHI and over 111,415 shares of stock of PTIC registered in the name of PHI. The Supreme Court in 1998 upheld the validity of the lifting of the sequestration as it denied PCGG‚s petition questioning said lifting.

Although the Supreme Court and Sandiganbayan ruling‚s at that time did not delve on the issue of who really owns the shares, the lifting of the sequestration paved the way for Cojuangco to be able to vote his PTIC shares held through Prime Holdings in PLDT.

The Sandiganbayan later ruled that the said PTIC shares held by Prime Holdings were owned by the Cojuangcos, a finding which the Philippine government appealed to the Supreme Court.

As early as 1987, the Philippine government has filed before the Sandiganbayan a complaint for reconveyance, reversion, accounting, restitution and damages against spouses Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos, Imelda (Imee) and Tomas Manotoc, Irene and Gregorio Ma. Araneta III, Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., Constante Rubio, Nemesio G. Co, Yeung Chun Kam, Yeung Chun Ho and Yeung Chun Fan.

Said complaint, docketed as Civil Case No. 0002, principally sought to recover from defendants their alleged ill-gotten wealth, consisting of funds and property which were manifestly out of proportion to their salaries and other lawful income, having been allegedly acquired during the incumbency of the Spouses Marcos as public officers. Among such properties mentioned in the complaint were shares of stock in various corporations, including PTIC and PLDT.

An amended complaint in 1990 in included as a dditional defendants Imelda Cojuangco, the estate of Ramon Cojuangco, and Prime Holdings, Inc. The amended complaint further alleged tthat these new defendants held shares of stock in PLDT, which „"n truth and in fact belong to defendants Ferdinand Marcos and his family."

In 1993, private respondents sought to declare the sequestration against PHI automatically lifted, citing the non-observance by PCGG of its own rules and regulations requiring the authority of at least two commissioners for the issuance of sequestration orders. The Sandiganbayan ruled in their favor then and declared the automatic lifting of the PCGG sequestration orders. Such decision was upheld by the SC in 1998.

Ok, now that the PTIC shares are reconveyed to the "Filipino people", what happens next? Are the government representatives now going to take over and sit in the Board of Directors of this company? What do they do with the reconveyed shares? Offer it again for sale to the public?

But PLDT became the Cojuangco's milking cow when they sold 54% of the shares to Metro Pacific Group which in an Indonesian company. Stealing the Philippine sovereignty and selling it to foreigners is just like selling your own soul to the devil. Greed is the claw of evil.
But I still believe that karma is coming their way.

If they profitted from what is not theirs, aren't they supposed to return the proceeds of that sale, too?

DoCoMo to buy stake in Philippines PLDT
Link to the article (http://asia.news.yahoo.com/060125/3/2enni.html)

TOKYO, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Japan's largest mobile operator NTT DoCoMo Inc. has decided to buy about a 5 percent stake in Philippine Long Distance Telephone (PLDT) , the largest telecoms firm in the Philippines, for about $300 million, sources close to the matter said on Wednesday.

The sources said the deal, which would strengthen DoCoMo's presence in Asia, could be announced as early as Jan. 31.

DoCoMo's move is the latest in a series of purchases as it dips its toes back into international waters after seeing previous investments sour.

But PLDT became the Cojuangco's milking cow when they sold 54% of the shares to Metro Pacific Group which in an Indonesian company.

Are the Cojuanco shares sold to the Metro Pacific Group part of the same PTIC shares? If so, we have a very big legal battle with Metro Pac over these shares.

I don't think that the government should be running companies. I remember a time when it took PLDT over 10 years to put up a landline. Those are times better relegated to history...

The government has really no capability in running companies. I still remember the horrid service that PLDT provided when it was run by the Cojuancos. During that time, Jaguars were part of the company car pool.
:eek2:

Amazing money being made in the cell biz!


Thursday, February 2, 2006 | MANILA, PHILIPPINES
News
BY KERLYN G. BAUTISTA, Reporter
PLDT likely topped P30-B net income target in 2005

The Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) will beat its net profit target of P30 billion for 2005, its Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan said.

PLDT posted a record net profit of P28 billion in 2004.

PLDT Group, which includes telecom, media and information technology units, will report its full 2005 figures on Feb. 28.

"Our net profit number is likely to lie north of P30 billion -- another historic high for PLDT and for any other Philippine corporate," Mr. Panglinan said in his speech Tuesday night before the Management Association of the Philippines.

Mr. Pangilinan said the PLDT Group also returned cash dividends to its shareholders equivalent to P15 billion in 2005, after four years of waiving dividend payouts in favor of debt reduction and financing expansion.

He said the group also channelled to local and national coffers P18 billion worth of income taxes, value-added tax, and franchise taxes.

Grace C. Cerdenia, head analyst at 2tradeasia.com, attributed PLDT’s steady performance last year to the group’s tight control of expenses and offering of affordable services.

"On the expense side, PLDT had been paying off loans and that sends the signal that the company is well managing its finances," Ms. Cerdenia said. "Its decision to streamline its subscriber base by cleaning up non-revenue generating SIM [subscriber identity modules] cards created higher ARPU [average revenue per user]. Also, its promotions were a hit. Since it has the widest reach in the country, many subscribers took advantage of PLDT’s promos," she added.

Last year, PLDT started a suite of offerings that brought down costs of telecom and data services.

The company launched last year the P10 unlimited call service among two million PLDT subscribers and 20 million users of its subsidiary Smart Communications, Inc.

It also offered international direct dial rates of as low as $0.10 per minute for all its DSL subscribers, 62%-75% lower from the regular $0.40 per minute being charged by the company. It further brought down internet rates, charging P440 for a monthly dial-up connection.

COJUANGCO REBUTTAL

The lawyers of the late businessman Ramon Cojuangco has branded as "premature" the government’s plan to dispose in the first quarter a large block of PLDT shares recently declared by the Supreme Court as part of the Marcos ill-gotten wealth.

The high court ruling which granted the government’s bid to sequester the Cojuangco family’s 46.125% share in the Philippine Telecommunications Investment Corp. (PTIC), the biggest stockholder of PLDT, has yet to become final and executory, Leonardo Siguion-Reyna, the Cojuangco family’s counsel said.

Last month, the high court en banc ruled the Cojuangco-led firm Prime Holdings Inc. (PHI) was controlled by the late strongman Ferdinand E. Marcos so that the 111,415 PTIC shares registered under its name was part of the Marcos ill-gotten wealth.

Mr. Siguion-Reyna, however, maintained that his client was not a Marcos crony so that his interests in PLDT were "fruits of his own labor."

He said the Cojuangco party will appeal the ruling.

"Not one of the Republic’s witnesses described Mr. Cojuangco to be a crony or dummy of Marcos and there is absolutely no evidence that Mr. Cojuangco or PLDT was given any special treatment by the President during his time," the lawyer said.

Since the fall of the late dictator, the Presidential Commission on Good Government has been seeking the reconveyance of the 111,415 PTIC shares held by Prime Holdings, which represent 46.1250% of the outstanding shares of PTIC.

PTIC was the biggest stockholder of PLDT owning 28% of the telecom firm at the time the case was filed in 1987.

The Supreme Court ruling in effect had overturned a Sandiganbayan decision, which denied the PCGG’s plea for the estate of the Cojuangcos to surrender to the government the disputed PLDT shares. -- with Maria Eloisa I. Calderon

BY KERLYN G. BAUTISTA, Reporter
Globe 2005 profits fall as tax holiday perks expire

Ayala-led Globe Telecom, Inc. ended 2005 with a 9% fall in net income to P10.3 billion as income taxes tripled after its income tax holiday privilege expired in March last year.

The drop was despite a 74% growth in its fourth-quarter net income to P3.9 billion.

Globe’s wireless subscriber base was pegged at 12.4 million in end-2005, flat from third quarter 2005 and slightly lower than the 12.5 million in 2004. Touch Mobile, the mass cellular brand of Globe, reported an 83% year-on-year growth in its subscriber base with 3.1 million users.

Analyst Astro del Castillo said Globe has already set a positive momentum in the fourth quarter and should be able to continue stemming its decline for the rest of 2006.

Mr. Castillo, managing director at First Grade Holdings, said Globe had already learned from the lessons of its bad performance in the second quarter when in the fourth quarter, it offered a menu of cost-effective promotions.

Globe Text NonStop and TM Todo Text for heavy short messaging service users and Budget IDD rates for international long-distance callers contributed to the robust fourth-quarter results.

In December, Globe also launched yet another first-in-the-market 10 centavos per second call promo aimed at encouraging subscribers to make voice calls.

The promotions complemented its Globe Prepaid CelebRATE and TM Todo Tawag for heavy call users, both launched in the second quarter of last year.

For full 2005, Globe’s net service revenues grew 4% to P54.9 billion.

EBITDA declined by 3% to P32.0 billion with operating expenses including subsidies increasing by 16%.

Globe’s capital expenditure totaled P15 billion in 2005. Expenditures allowed it to put up 5,159 cell sites from 1,423, scaling out network coverage to 92% of the geography and 97% of the population.

Wireline service revenues grew at 13% year-on-year reaching P6.4 billion at year end, as Innove Communication, Inc. continued to tap the consumer market for broadband services as well as the business and corporate markets for its various services.

With positive outlook, Board of Directors of Globe declared the first semi-annual cash dividend in 2006 of P20 per share payable to common stockholders of record as of Feb. 21, 2006. A total of P2.6 billion in dividends will be paid on March 15, 2006.

ìDespite the increasing competitive climate in the telecommunications industry, the robust fourth quarter results are testament to the success of various initiatives to provide value offerings to our subscribers enabled by a more efficient cost structure, said Gerardo C. Ablaza, Jr., Globe president and chief executive officer.

ìWe continue to be excited about the future growth opportunities for Globe. Armed with our 3G and fixed line nationwide licenses expected to bolster the growth of new and existing businesses, we see this momentum continuing through 2006 as we pursue our mission of transforming and enriching people’s lives through our wireless and wireline services, Mr. Ablaza said.

PLDT falls to 3-mth low after brokerage downgrade
Link to the article (http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=29403)

Shares of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) were down 5.87 percent at P1,685 ($32.60) in late trade on Wednesday after a downgrade by a major brokerage house.

The stock of the country's dominant phone firm had touched P1,675, the lowest since it hit P1,665 in early November.

Trade in PLDT shares, at more than P503 million, made up almost 43 percent of total market turnover. The main index was down 1.86 percent at 2,058.41 points.

"It's because of the Morgan Stanley downgrade," said Edgar Bancod, research head at ATR Kim Eng Securities in Manila.

"Their report said there's not much room for positive surprises because subscriber growth is slowing and valuations have reached reasonable levels, something which everyone knows even prior to the report."

PLDT shares rose 35 percent in 2005, outpacing a 15 percent rise in the main index.

In a research note to clients on Tuesday, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Asia Ltd. said it was "time to take profits" on PLDT after a strong rally in its shares in the past two years.

The brokerage said that while fundamentals remained good, "we see room for limited positive surprises given slowing mobile growth".

It said it preferred Globe Telecom Inc. to PLDT in the Philippines, but due to Globe's low liquidity, it recommended that investors shift to other telecom stocks such as Singapore Telecommunications Ltd. and Telekom Malaysia. Reuters

oh wow, this is a topic I wanted to see in the Philippine forum, I've always been curious about the communication system in this country. Inspite the fact that there are alot of gadgetry and contraptions coming out in the market down in the Philippines in form of cellular or mobile phone and a technologically advanced land phone units. The communication system per se still sucks(please excuse my french here) Calling a cellular phone from a land line is a nightmare in this country, I've had real hard time calling from coin telephone to anywhere whether it maybe a landline or a mobile phone. The worse part is that you can't get a friggin operator connect or locate a number for you, be it a hospital, airlines, hotels etc etc. There are telephone directory books you can use but none of the numbers are accurate and updated.

This maybe out of topic here but hey, it's about telecommunications...

P20B worth of PLDT value wiped out in a day
Posted: 1:44 AM | Feb. 09, 2006

Daxim L. Lucas and Clarissa S. Batino
Inquirer

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CLOSE TO P20 billion worth of shareholder value in Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) was wiped out in the stock market Wednesday as the company reeled from a downgrade by US-based investment bank Morgan Stanley.

The share price of the country's biggest publicly listed company plummeted 6.1 percent in frenetic trading on the Philippine Stock Exchange, ending at P1,680 apiece from Tuesday's close of P1,790 -- a drop of P110 per share.

The fall reduced PLDT's market value to P303.9 billion from P323.8 billion in a single day.

PLDT chairman Manuel Pangilinan said he did not know of anything "now or prospectively" that could have triggered Wednesday's huge drop. He said PLDT's revenues in January were better than a year earlier and profit in 2005 was more than P30 billion, another record high.

"With all these positive developments, the market is behaving irrationally," Pangilinan said.

Inquirer sources in the stock market said the sharp drop might have been aggravated by a massive sell-off by creditors of PLDT subsidiary Pilipino Telephone Corp., many of which had begun converting PLDT preferred shares into common shares as early as three weeks ago.

On Tuesday, Morgan Stanley issued a research note downgrading PLDT to "equal-weight" from "overweight," saying the stock now had limited upside potential "after a strong rally in the shares [over] the past two years."

"The conversion of preferred shares into common equity will dilute PLDT's earnings per share by four to five percent in 2006 to 2007, especially as the common shares have crossed the P1,700 conversion price," Morgan Stanley said.

It also said that PLDT was beginning to face significant hurdles mainly due to the "changing dynamics of the changing telecommunications market landscape."

"Although fundamentals remain good, we see room for limited positive surprises given slowing mobile [phone] growth, risks to voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) substitution, and reasonable valuations," it said.

A stock market analyst noted that Morgan Stanley did not recommend a "sell" on the stock, but merely opined that its upside was limited.

The analyst said the sell-off might have been prompted by profit-taking by holders of PLDT preferred shares, having since converted their holdings into common stock.

"We're talking about an extra 7.9 million shares flooding the market," he said, declining to be named. "That's a significant overhang."

Wednesday's drop in the PLDT stock price came after three successive days of declines that saw the price drop by a cumulative 11.1 percent. The price has tumbled from its high of P1,895 a share.

The PLDT price fall triggered a sell-off in the stock exchange. The composite index dropped 36.46 points or 1.7 percent Wednesday to 2,060.92 on P1.7 billion worth of transactions.

Of this amount, P778.5 million worth of trades were attributed to PLDT, representing 45.33 percent of all market activity for the day.

The market was also talking about the feared impact of a new access charge regime proposed by PLDT's rival, Globe Telecom Inc., on PLDT earnings.

Access charges or termination rates are paid by the phone company that receives the call. Since PLDT is the biggest player, bulk of the local traffic ends on its network. In terms of traffic coming from the United States, the Philippines is getting the fourth largest volume.

Locally, 25-35 percent of PLDT revenue comes from calls from other networks. The remainder is generated within its pool of more than 20 million mobile phone subscribers and 2.1 million landline customers.

Second-rank Globe wants to slash access charges or the fees that phone companies pay one another to complete calls by 62.5 percent to P1.50 a minute from P4.00 for domestic calls from landline to mobile and from mobile to mobile, and by 83 percent to P0.50 a minute for mobile-to-landline and landline-to-landline calls from the present P3.00.

Globe has also recommended a 75-percent cut in termination fees on overseas calls to landlines at three US cents a minute from the present 12 cents and 56.25 percent in fees on overseas calls to mobile phones to seven cents a minute from the present 16 cents.

PLDT has rejected the Globe recommendation. Its president, Napoleon Nazareno, said Globe's proposal "was just a letter."

"Investors should not worry because access rates are determined bilaterally," he said. With INQ7.net

Globe to build $100-M 3G network
By Mary Ann Ll. Reyes
The Philippine Star 02/09/2006

Globe Telecom has committed to invest an initial $100 million on the roll-out of its third generation (3G) mobile communications technology network this year.

The company’s 3G network will cover almost all key cities and municipalities over the next three to five years. "The 3G capital expenditure is actually flexible and depends on the take-up. But we have submitted to the Board of Investments an initial commitment of at least $100 million," Globe president and CEO Gerardo Ablaza said.

Globe has also promised to deliver superior 3G roaming coverage internationally, leveraging its alliance with five other mobile operators in the Asia-Pacific region already commercially offering 3G services.

The National Telecommunications Commission awarded Globe last December a 3G frequency to enable it to offer 3G services. Others that were granted frequencies were Smart Communications, Digitel, and CURE, but several motions for reconsideration were filed by companies that were not awarded bandwidths, including Bayan Telecommunications (BayanTel), Next Mobile, AZ Communications, Multi-Media, and Pacific Wireless. One of these companies will get the last remaining 3G frequency that has not been awarded.

Whether 3G will succeed in the Philippines or not, however, is largely dependent on the cost of 3G handsets and services.

Eight of the largest mobile operators in Asia Pacific are currently working towards bringing down the cost of 3G handsets to make them more affordable to subscribers in the region.

Bridge Mobile Alliance (BMA), a joint venture among eight leading mobile operators in the region – Globe (Philippines), Airtel (India), CSL (Hongkong), Maxis (Malaysia), SingTel Mobile (Singapore), SingTel Optus (Australia), Taiwan Mobile (Taiwan), and Telkmosel (Indonesia) – is investing $40 million over three years to create a shared infrastructure and a common service platform not only to achieve a seamless delivery of cross-border mobile services, but also to bring down cost of mobile services to over 74 million of their combined subscriber base.

Globe now joins BMA members SingTel, CSL, Maxis, Optus, and Taiwan in offering 3G services to customers in the Asia Pacific region. Among the 3G services that Globe will offer initially are video calls and high-speed Internet browsing, downloading, and streaming.

BMA has included as its associate members several technology firms, including Nokia, Ericsson, Motorola, Qualcomm, Axalto, Gemplus, HP, Logrea CMG, and ZTE. "We can leverage our combined subscriber base of 74 million in order to bring down the cost of 3G handsets," Bridge Mobile CEO Patrick Sim said, adding that the success of 3G will depend largely on the affordability of handsets, which are now still in excess of $300.

BMA members said they are working towards bringing down the cost of 3G handsets, possibly to a more acceptable price level of $200 to $250 per handset.

Bridge’s 74 million subscribers should give the critical mass needed to bring down the cost of 3G handsets. "But even before handset prices go down, there are other uses of 3G such as video IDD and public calling booths that are not dependent on mobile handsets," Sim added.

Ablaza said that they have partnered with BMA to provide the company’s over 12 million subscribers with seamless connectivity and convenience when traveling across Asia-Pacific. Globe was also the first to introduce 3G roaming with selected Bridge partners in July 2005.

He said Globe intends to serve the need for connectivity between overseas Filipinos and their families in the Philippines as well as effectively manage and control the service experience of its subscribers when roaming overseas.

Overseas Filipinos can now top-up the prepaid Globe mobile account of their relatives in the Philippines through selected business outlets of BMA members. In the past, such practice was only possible in the originating country, where a prepaid subscriber must carry extra top-up cards, or ask someone in their home country to activate a top-up.

PHILIPPINES TO SET UP PURA CENTRES WITH INDIAN TECH KNOW-HOW
Tuesday February 7, 2006, 12:05 pm
Link (http://au.biz.yahoo.com/060206/17/iv7i.html)

MANILA, Feb 7 Asia Pulse - India will provide the technological know-how to turn into reality President A P J Abdul Kalam's dream project Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas (PURA) in the Philippines to bridge the rural-urban divide.

The PURA concept, which envisages establishing integrated connectivities in rural areas in terms of providing basic infrastructure, caught the imagination of Philippine President Gloria Arroyo who responded to it enthusiastically during her talks with Kalam.

It was agreed that two PURA centres would be set up at Lanao, a hilly area of the Philippines, and Balcun, a coastal area, and some local companies are also expected to chip in with assistance.

"We will provide the technical know-how for the two PURA centres," Kalam's Press Secretary S M Khan said here.

Under PURA, besides physical connectivity, villages need to be connected to cities through strengthening of telecommunication and internet facilities.

PURA has been successfully implemented in 65 villages in Periyar in India's Kerala, leading to large scale employment and creation of entrepreneurs with the support of more than 800 self-help groups.

(PTI)

PLDT falls to 3-mth low after brokerage downgrade
Link to the article (http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=29403)

Shares of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) were down 5.87 percent at P1,685 ($32.60) in late trade on Wednesday after a downgrade by a major brokerage house.

The stock of the country's dominant phone firm had touched P1,675, the lowest since it hit P1,665 in early November.

Trade in PLDT shares, at more than P503 million, made up almost 43 percent of total market turnover. The main index was down 1.86 percent at 2,058.41 points.

"It's because of the Morgan Stanley downgrade," said Edgar Bancod, research head at ATR Kim Eng Securities in Manila.

"Their report said there's not much room for positive surprises because subscriber growth is slowing and valuations have reached reasonable levels, something which everyone knows even prior to the report."

PLDT shares rose 35 percent in 2005, outpacing a 15 percent rise in the main index.

In a research note to clients on Tuesday, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Asia Ltd. said it was "time to take profits" on PLDT after a strong rally in its shares in the past two years.

The brokerage said that while fundamentals remained good, "we see room for limited positive surprises given slowing mobile growth".

It said it preferred Globe Telecom Inc. to PLDT in the Philippines, but due to Globe's low liquidity, it recommended that investors shift to other telecom stocks such as Singapore Telecommunications Ltd. and Telekom Malaysia. Reuters

marami na kse kaagaw ang pldt. like bayantel & digitel... malaki ang potential ng dalawang companies na to... bayantel is owned by the lopez group, while digitel is the mother company of sun cellular (a fast growing cell network )... take note, bayantel is now taking ground in metro manila and nearby provinces... but of course.. pldt still has majority of subscribers. i hate pldt's service.. they suck. a few months ago, our phone got busted and it took them a month to fix it. is that what you call service? the repairman repaired it in less than 10 mins but it took them 1 month to go here. sheeeez,.

RP cellular penetration rate seen at 40% as of end-2005
By Mary Ann Ll. Reyes
The Philippine Star 02/13/2006

The country’s cellular penetration rate is estimated to have reached between 35 and 40 percent as of end-2005, meaning that much of the total Philippine population owns mobile phones.

Gartner, an international research company, has earlier projected that mobile connections in the Philippines will grow at a 6.5 percent compound annual growth rate through 2009. Service revenues will grow at 6.4 percent compounded annual growth rate through the forecast period, it said.

A highly placed official of leading mobile operator Smart Communications told The STAR that the 35 percent to 40 percent takes into account those holding multiple SIMs. "I am discounting the figure with multiple SIM holders which account for about 20 percent of the base. So roughly, 10 percent should be removed," the official said.

Smart subscribers are expected to reach 20.4 million as of end of last year, but this still does not take into account the figure for multiple SIM holders.

As of end-September 2005, Smart and its subsidiary Pilipino Telephone Inc. (Piltel) reported a combined subscriber base of 20.8 million. Earlier, Smart president and chief executive officer Napoleon Nazareno said the company is expected to post real growths in subscriber numbers beginning this year after the company has completed the process of weeding out subscribers which have not been topping-up and therefore, not contributing revenues to the company.

Top rival Globe Telecom has already reported a 12.4 million subscriber base as of Dec. 31, 2005, or the same as the end-September 2005 figure or lower than the end-2004 number of 12.5 million.

Digitel president Lance Gokongwei meanwhile told The STAR that the end-2005 subscriber number for their Sun Cellular brand will likely remain at 1.7 million.

Total subscriber base for the three mobile operators will likely reach 34.5 million, without discounting the 10 percent for the multiple SIMs, for a mobile penetration rate of 39 percent given a Philippine population of 87.8 million.

Less the discount for the multiple SIM, industry subscriber base will be around 31 million, or a cellular penetration rate of 36 percent.

Smart and Globe both said they were able to fully weed out non-revenue generating SIMs by end-2005. The SIM-swapping activities of the two companies, which they terminated middle of last year, unnecessarily bloated subscriber numbers as they were counting as subscribers even those who had multiple SIMs that were not being topped up. Once a SIM is sold, it was considered as part of the subscriber numbers.

Globe president and CEO Gerardo Ablaza said they have not yet made projections for the cellular penetration rate for this year. "We have not finalized that projection yet. We should first see how the first quarter of 2006 goes as that would be the first full quarter after the SIM clean-up," he informed The STAR.

Ablaza has noted that 2006 will be a challenging year for the mobile telecommunications industry, especially with the entry of new players offering 3G services "which may change subscriber behavior and the market landscape."

Aside from Globe, Smart, and Digitel, CURE was granted 3G frequency by the National Telecommunication Commission (NTC). CURE has reportedly tied up with ISM Communications, which now owns majority of Eastern Telecommunication Phils. Inc. (ETPI). The NTC is also set to award soon the last 3G frequency either to BayanTel, Next Mobile, Multi-Media, AZ Communications or Pacific Wireless.

He added that in order to remain competitive, Globe has to continue offering better propositions to its customers that would increase usage and the average revenue per user (ARPU). "We hope to build on our fourth quarter momentum," he said.

Gokongwei for his part agrees with the view of top officials of rivals of Smart and Globe that market growth this year will be difficult.

Morgan Stanley earlier downgraded PLDT from "over-weight" to "equal-weight" with a target price of P1,830 per share after a strong rally in the company’s shares over the past two years. It said that while the firm’s fundamentals remain good, there is limited room for positive surprises in future as the mobile phone market has matured and because there is risk that consumers may prefer voice over internet protocol (VoIP) services rather than using mobile phones.

It said it prefers Globe Telecom to PLDT, but given the low liquidity in Globe shares, Morgan Stanley recommends telecommunications investors to shift to other issues in East Asia. An "equal-weight" call indicates that the stock’s total return is expected to be in line with the total return of the country’s MSCI index on a risk-adjusted basis over the next 12 to 18 months.

Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) has expressed confidence that it is taking the right steps in developing new revenue streams, especially in the landline business, that could more than offset slower growths in the cellular business.

In another development, in its bid to increase mobile phone usage and maintain market loyalty, leading wireless services provider Smart Communications has further made texting more affordable and budget-friendly to its prepaid users with its latest offering.

Smart Load All Text 10, which will be sold at the suggested retail price of P12 or lower, will give subscribers 10 text messages (SMS) and P1 worth of airtime while Smart Load All Text 20, which will be sold for P23 or lower, will give them 20 SMS and P1 airtime.

As an added innovation, the 10 or 20 SMS do not expire and may be accumulated, so subscribers may use them anytime they want. Subscribers may also use them for texting other networks. The P1 airtime load, however, will expire after one day for Smart Load All Text 10 and two days for Smart Load All Text 20.

Subscribers have to maintain at least P1 airtime load to use the SMS. "This is part of Smart’s wide range of innovative and affordable load packages designed to address the diverse communication requirements of our subscribers," according to Butch Jimenez, Smart head for wireless consumer division.

Aside from the non-expiring text, prepaid subscribers who top up for the Smart Load All Text will enjoy free overnight texting from 11 p.m. to 7a.m., during the 30-day promo period from Feb. 12 to March 13, 2006.

One day of free overnight texting will be given to those who will get Smart Load All Text 10. For those who will get Smart Load All Text 20, two days of free Overnight Texting will be given. Smart Buddy, Talk ’N Text, Smart Kid Prepaid and Addict Mobile Prepaid subscribers may purchase Smart Load All Text from SmartLoad retailers.

"We are committed to providing our subscribers with even more cost efficient telecommunications services," Jimenez added.

Naks Mobile – Launch of Filipino Mobile Entertainment Service in the United States

Wilton, Conn. (PRWEB) February 13, 2006 — Next Ideas Inc. today announced the launch of Naks Mobile, the first mobile entertainment service for Filipinos living in the US. Naks Mobile publishes wireless entertainment content and applications, including ringtones, ringbacks, wallpapers, animated screen savers, games, music, infotainment, news and community services. Naks Mobile is tailored to meet the tastes and attitudes of all Filipinos, whether they are a nurse from Cebu, an office worker from Quezon City, a nanny from Pagadian, a seaman from General Santos or a retiree from Baguio.

A simple pricing plan, easy payment method and streamlined ordering process are expected to help attract mobile consumers. The service will be initially available to Cingular and T-Mobile USA subscribers throughout the US. Consumers can access the service through the Naks Mobile website or SMS using the service’s short code 98556. For more information, please visit the Naks Mobile website at www.naksmobile.com.

Filipinos represent the third largest ethnic group in the US with over 3.2 million people. With an average household income in excess of $65,000, the spending power of US Filipinos is estimated at over $35 billion per year.

Smart launches 3G in selected key cities
By Mary Ann Ll. Reyes
The Philippine Star 02/15/2006

Leading wireless services provider Smart Communications Inc. announced yesterday the opening of its 3G or third generation mobile technology network in selected key cities nationwide, making it the first and only mobile operator in the country to currently offer 3G services to the public.

Smart also revealed that there are already plans to leverage the company’s worldwide alliance with countries using the I-Mode service (which includes NTT DoCoMo of Japan which has just acquired seven percent of Smart parent Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co.) in a bid to bring down the prices of 3G handsets, which are still in the over $300 range.

"Handset prices are a function of volume. If we can leverage this worldwide alliance together with NTT DoCoMo and we order our 3G handsets together, then the price of handsets will definitely go down. But even before this alliance, we expect handset prices to decline in the next couple of months. The more 3G becomes mainstay and more people use it, the better for handset prices," Smart’s head for wireless consumer division Menardo Jimenez Jr. revealed.

Smart and NTT DoCoMo earlier agreed to cooperate in the rollout of 3G services in the Philippines and have also agreed in principle to introduce DoCoMo’s mobile Internet service, "I-Mode", to Smart subscribers. NTT DoCoMo has 20 million subscribers to its 3G services.

"The addition of DoCoMo as a strategic partner will certainly enhance our ability to develop attractive 3G offerings for our market. DoCoMo’s experience in this technology is unmatched," PLDT and Smart president Napoleon Nazareno said earlier.

With the soft launch of its 3G network, Smart prepaid and postpaid subscribers with 3G-capable handsets can start enjoying Smart 3G services on a free trial basis. Through 3G, subscribers can make video calls, video streaming, high-speed Internet browsing, and special 3G content downloads. However, text messaging, multi-media messaging service (MMS), GRPS or general packet radio system, IDD and voice calls as well as downloading of regular content will follow Smart’s existing rates.

The launch comes less than a month after Smart and Nokia signed an agreement for the supply of 3G networks technology equipment and services, including the supply of 3G radio access and core network equipment.

The new service also comes less than two months after the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) awarded Smart its 3G frequency.

Commercial launch by Smart of 3G is expected to happen within the first half of this year.

"This is another first from Smart. Simultaneous with our rapid 3G network rollout nationwide, we are taking our 3G commitment to another level by allowing our subscribers to experience for themselves as early as now this new technology," Nazareno said.

For his part, Jimenez said: "We are pleased to offer Smart 3G to our subscribers as an exciting addition to our wide array of existing 2G services. On top of video-to-video calls, our subscribers can also have a taste of content that includes video clips of popular shows, news reports, short films, movie trailers, and the like. Making the service available to our subscribers on free trial basis is our way of preparing the market for the more exciting applications that will eventually come with the technology."

Jimenez revealed that content is going to be a strong driver for the acceptance and popularity of 3G, even as he disclosed that Smart is already in talks with entertainment companies and other content providers." But of course, video calling is going to be a killer application," he said.

He also noted that while data-heavy postpaid subscribers will be the initial market of 3G, the number of prepaid subscribers with 3G phones is also high and will also be a potential market.

3G is shorthand for the next generation of mobile communications networks running on the WCDMA (wireless code division multiple access) platform. This technology allows for faster data transmission speeds, making possible high-speed data communications and mobile multimedia services such as video conferencing, audio streaming and mobile Internet.

Apart from having a postpaid or prepaid Smart SIM and a 3G-capable handset, a subscriber must also be in an area with a Smart 3G coverage to enjoy the service.

"We’re speeding up the pace of our network rollout. Todate, we already have 3G presence in key areas in Metro Manila as well as in major cities nationwide. And we expect our 3G network rollout to be as fast as we did in 2G," according to Smart’s network services division head Rolando Pena.

Smart officials disclosed that over 100 cellsites are now with 3G presence and as of 10 a.m. yesterday or two hours after the soft launch, around 60,000 to 70,000 Smart subscribers were already hitting the 3G network. "This is just the beginning. We are not even in the first phase," Jimenez, for his part, said.

Among the areas where 3G has a presence are Metro Manila, Cebu, Iloilo, Boracay, Baguio City, and Davao.

Smart expects to spend around $300 million for the 3G network rollout, about $60 million of which will be spent this year and next year.

Philippines Digitel Seeks OK To Offer Free Text Messages
Link to the article (http://asia.news.yahoo.com/060220/5/2g4e6.html)

MANILA (Dow Jones)--Sun Cellular, the mobile service of Digital Telecommunications Philippines Inc. (DGTL.PH), is seeking regulatory approval for a promotional offer to will allow its subscribers to send free text messages, even if the recipients are on rival networks.

Under the proposed promotion expected to be held in May, Sun Cellular subscribers will be allowed to send up to 100 free text messages for every PHP400 worth of call credits purchased during the promotion.

The National Telecommunications Commission is now looking at Sun Cellular's promotion, and has asked the mobile phone service company to provide further details.

"We are still reviewing their request. We will come out with a decision not later than their intended promo launch," NTC director Edgardo Cabarios told reporters Monday.

Sun Cellular pioneered the use of unlimited call and text service in the Philippines. The unlimited service has boosted its subscriber base to over 1.8 million in the slightly more than two years since its launch in March 2003. But until this latest promotion, the free service - available for a certain fee during a limited period - could only be used within its network.

The company's rivals, Globe Telecom Inc. (GLO.PH) and Smart Communications Inc., have since offered similar service as Sun Cellular's promotion hurt their subscriber growth.



Analysts expect Sun Cellular's promotion to attract more subscribers to its fold and trigger a similar action from its rivals, which could weigh on revenue at the telecom firms.

Cellular service providers usually charge PHP1 for every text message sent to a rival network, with half paid to the other network as an access charge. Philippine cellular users send around 200 million text messages daily.

Sun Cellular didn't provide details on how much the promotion is expected to cost the company or how many subscribers it hopes to gain. Philippine laws don't require companies to provide those details in promotional filings.

^^ omg... free to other networks? kaya kaya ng system nila? hirap nga ako laging kumontact kahit nasa manila ako. :) ibang level na to ah.

Philippines Globe Mulls Shift To Per-Second Call Fees
Tuesday April 4, 2006

MANILA (Dow Jones) -- Globe Telecom Inc. (GLO.PH), the second largest Philippine cellular service by subscribers and assets, is considering a shift to per-second billing for voice calls from the per-minute rate if a marketing promotion introduced in December continues to generate better revenue.

"It's revenue accretive," said Globe President and Chief Executive Gerardo Ablaza of the per-second charging, which service providers have in the past so strongly resisted. "There's traffic stimulation," he added, without elaborating on financial or call traffic details.

Globe only offers per-second billing on an intranetwork basis, which means only calls among its subscribers are charged by the second.

Normally, a call is charged PHP6 a minute even if the call only lasts a few seconds. Under per-second billing, a subscriber pays only PHP0.10 a second, or PHP6 only if the call lasts a full minute.

"So far, we haven't yet seen any of the downsides (of per-second billing)," said Ablaza. But he said it is still early days to conclude that Globe will make per-second charging of voice calls a permanent service offering.

Ablaza noted that it took Globe seven months to pilot test its unlimited text service before it was convinced it was a viable proposition. Under this program, a Globe subscriber can send unlimited text messages to other Globe subscribers for a certain fee over a limited period.

Because of per-minute charging of voice calls, cellular subscribers have turned to text messaging, with each message usually costing only PHP1 to send.On average, the 34 million cellular subscribers in the Philippines each send 10 text messages a day, or a total 340 million daily.

But with the cheaper voice call rate, Ablaza said subscribers are expected to just call instead of sending text messages. "You could say a lot in 10 seconds," he said.

In late 1999, regulators sought to introduce a system that billed voice calls on six-second pulses, but telephone firms resisted that proposal on the grounds it would hurt revenue and slow the recovery of billions of pesos worth of investments.

In 2003, the Supreme Court sided with the telephone companies and stopped regulators from implementing the billing system.

Now, several proposals are pending in Congress seeking to mandate per-second billing.

Ablaza said, however, that it may take a while before the industry adopts the per-second charging as standard, since settlement rates - or the amount paid by a phone company to another firm if its subscriber calls another network - are still measured in minutes.

"We're constrained by the settlement issues," he said.

Local telecommunications companies have been reluctant to cut settlement rates as they have invested heavily to build their networks in recent years and want to maximize the return on these investments.

New Yahoo! Philippine portal eyes Filipino mobile users
By Erwin Lemuel Oliva April 26, 2006

Aiming to provide more local content and services to Filipinos, Yahoo! Southeast Asia has unveiled its mobile phone service called Yahoo! Go that intends to ride on the popularity of mobile phones and text messaging in the country.

One of the key services provided through Yahoo! Go includes a "free" service for syncing of mobile phone contacts with Yahoo! Go and for sending photos from mobile phones directly to a Yahoo! Go Photos account, according to Larry Jordan, director of product management of Yahoo! Southeast Asia.

"It is Yahoo! on your mobile device," added Jordan, noting that the service is free for Yahoo! users but it is still subject to fees charged by Philippine network operators.

Reza Behnam, managing director of Yahoo! Southeast Asia, said that Yahoo! Go Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, the first countries in Asia Pacific to have the mobile phone service. It will soon be launched in Indonesia, the executive added.

"Our mission is to provide the most relevant service. Initially, we’re focused on providing the most relevant information. Later, we’re going to look into ways to monetize traffic," added Behnam.

Yahoo! sees the Philippine market as one of the biggest communities in the region in using its communities and messaging services.

"Filipinos like the community-like services. But apart from focusing on providing services to them, we’re also looking at the mobile services," Behnam added.

Yahoo! Go allows users to access the portal’s services, such as e-mail, messaging, address book and calendar applications.

The portal said it has partnered with Nokia to enable users in the Southeast region to take advantage of this application. Nokia users can download the Yahoo! Go application from http://asia.go.yahoo.com, Yahoo! Southeast Asia executives said.

Behnam said that 60 percent of 60 million Internet users in Southeast Asia now use Yahoo! services. It has been launching regional portals, with the Philippine portal unveiled on March 22.

"Every market is unique. So we intend to offer locally-relevant content and services. For the Philippines, it is the mobile services," the Yahoo! Southeast Asia executive added.

Asked if Yahoo! Southeast Asia intends to open an office soon, Behnam said this plan is being considered.

"We need to have people on the ground to know what this market wants," he said, adding that local research is currently being conducted to study the Philippine market.

there is a Philippine Yahoo! : www.yahoo.com.ph

Against the Giants
Sun Cellular needs a new strategy
to prevail over Smart and Globe
who are going for the kill

http://newsbreak.com.ph/newsbreak/photos/20060801_suncell_bp_0184_1w.jpg
The country’s wireless telecommunications industry has been through the good times—double digit growth (70 to 135 percent) in the yearly count of additional subscribers, and the accompanying phenomenal increases in service revenues. But now come the rough times—a slowing wireless market while competition intensifies.

Competition further built up last year when Digital Telecommunications’ wireless arm, Sun Cellular, joined the game. Sun Cellular went creative and introduced the “24/7 Unlimited Call and Text” service, which revolutionized the industry long dominated by giants, Globe Telecom and Smart Telecommunications.

Sun’s promotion hit the duopoly where it hurts most: the bottomline. The “unlimited” service was a price-cutter, playing along the typical Chinese business strategy of small margins and big volumes. Sun’s “unlimited” offerings marked another milestone in the local wireless industry, which began to take off in 1999 after the introduction of prepaid services.

Besides this, the other factor that caused Filipinos to storm the wireless world was the introduction of airtime credits in small denominations, making entrepreneurs out of millions of those who bought and sold these phone credits all over the country.

Millions more subscribers and billions of net profits after, Sun joined the game and, as always when competition rocks the game, it forced the old hands to rethink their strategy.

More than a year after Sun transformed the wireless industry, Newsbreak looks at where it stands, how the old players responded to its “threats,” and what Sun’s prospects in the telecommunications industry are.

Too Many Choices

To a typical consumer, the long menu of promotions being offered by the wireless companies can be very confusing. There’s one for unlimited text, another for unlimited calls, a combination of the two, plus one more that’s dependent on what time one uses the mobile phone.

Choices used to be simpler not so long ago. But having a lot of choices now also means the consumer can avail of services that gives him more value for his money—that is, after figuring out which one best suits his needs.

A wide array of choices for cellular services would not have been possible if Sun Cellular did not boldly introduce its unlimited promotions in October 2004. It made waves not long after, prompting Smart and Globe to respond in kind.

Since its launch, Sun Cellular continues to offer unlimited intra-network call and text services for P350 (for 30 days) or P100 (for seven days), or, just unlimited text for P50 (for seven days) and P150 pesos (for 30 days). There were variants that followed, such as “24/7 Text Unlimited,” “Daylite Call and Text Unlimited,” “Text Unlimited with Voice,” and more recently, the “Sulit Cards.”

Digitel spokesperson William Pamintuan Jr. says “These have allowed us to establish Sun Cellular and gain considerable ground in a short span of time.”

Time is a luxury that Digitel doesn’t have. Globe and Smart already have the headway and the bulk of the customer base. Digitel only has a five-percent share of the market. If it blinks, it will end up eating Globe’s and Smart’s dust.

Sun was marketed as a second phone especially for the young and the mass market. It was also pushed as an alternative to fixed-line phones. These worked, attracting about two million subscribers since 2004. But since it is up against the two players, which corner 95 percent of the market—a combined subscriber base of 36.4 million—Sun has a long way to go.

Playing Aggressive


Nonetheless, the industry is faced with a slowing subscriber growth. In the first three months of 2006, for example, Smart acquired only 490,000 additional subscribers. Globe, too, was not spared. In the same period, it added only 300,000 new subscribers. That’s a meager six percent growth from end-2005, a far cry from the good old days when they were growing the number of subscribers by at least 70 percent.

Thus, even while Sun is a minor player right now, Globe and Smart cannot afford to have their market share and service revenues eroded. As expected, the two giants experimented with promotions that competed head-to-head with Sun’s unlimited services.

http://newsbreak.com.ph/newsbreak/photos/20060801_suncell_bp_0175w.jpg

Smart, the market leader with a subscriber base of 22.5 million as of June 2006, launched its own version of the unlimited services under the 25/8 series in March 2005. Then belatedly in June 2005, Globe, which has 12.6 million subscribers, also introduced its “CelebRATE” unlimited promo.

Globe spun off its “unlimited” promo into txtnonstop (now re-branded as unlimitxt), which allowed unlimited intra-network sending of text messages for only P15 for 1 day, P25 for two days, and P50 for five days.

Then last December 2005, it launched the 10 centavos-per-second promotional rate for its postpaid and prepaid subscribers. In an unprecedented and very aggressive move, Globe also introduced the lowest texting rate of 90 centavos per text to all networks for its subscribers starting April this year.

Smart, too, has been equally aggressive in coming up with different marketing packages that are tailored to the needs of the market segments it has identified. Add to that the series of promotions that offer unlimited intra-network voice calls or text messaging service. Since its launch, the promo has taken on several variations such as changes in load denomination and period of network availability.

Historically, Smart has been known to experiment with new markets, given its bold move to pursue the prepaid and provincial markets, turfs which Globe initially shied away from. Then Globe became aggressive—in the past, it was known to focus on the high-margin, low-volume market.

Globe tried to match Sun’s 24/7 offering, a move that was met with mixed reactions. During the company’s annual stockholders meeting in 2005, Globe president Gerardo Ablaza Jr. said the behavior of their subscribers was different from that of Sun’s, and that the experiment simply led to lower profitability per subscriber. At the time, Ablaza said they were rethinking whether or not to push through with the unlimited offering.

Months later, it seems the Globe officials have had a change of heart. Not only have they come up with more unlimited offerings, they have decided to offer more price-cutters, too. Obviously, they are going for the kill.

Globe didn’t spare its profitable international direct dialing (idd) call services, introducing the “Tipid IDD” rates. It came up with P7.50-per-minute idd calls to the US and Canada during off-peak periods, then cooked up the per-second charging of three US cents to 12 selected countries and later, seven cents to other destinations.

Gauging the Market

Globe was hoping that the promotions would stir higher usage, and prevent subscribers from jumping ship. But the change in strategy has had mixed results. The promos last year increased the voice calls (particularly for the idd and roaming), but total revenues were on a seesaw.

For example, average revenue per user (arpu)—both postpaid and prepaid users—was at P348 last December 2005, a good increase from P311 arpu per month at the start of 2005. However, this dipped to P328 in the next three months.

Smart’s arpu for both prepaid and postpaid also declined from P289 in December 2005 to P272 as of March 2006. Its more profitable revenues from voice services have been declining to the tune of at least P80 million, no thanks to the drop in outbound voice usage per subscriber from 17 minutes a month in the first quarter of 2005 to 15 minutes in the same period this year.

To counter this, Smart has encouraged greater use of its text messaging services through its “unlimited text” promo for P15/P30/P60 (for one, two, or four days, respectively) and its “all-text” promo, which provides for 15 no-expiry text messages at P12 per load.

Regular text messages declined by at least 1.4 billion in the first quarter of 2006 compared to the same period last year due to “a shift to unlimited texting service.” But what’s a company to do? Rather than lose subscribers to Sun or even to Globe, Smart would rather keep them in its loop. Smart subscribers sent 40.5 million unlimited text messages in the first three months of the year, bringing in revenues of P6 billion.

Meantime, to stimulate voice usage, Smart has bundled unlimited text messaging with voice services at P20 a day to encourage “text-only” users to make voice calls.

Smart’s public affairs head, Ramon Isberto, says, “We haven’t been cutting down our prices in the way some of our competitors have. We have been offering different types of service packages in the specific market segment, depending on what our best estimate is on the type of service that we would like to have.”

All these moves leave Sun with lesser elbow room to maneuver. Its initial strategy to attract new subscribers using price advantage has been diluted by the continuing similar aggressive promotions rolled out by Globe and Smart. And unlike Sun, the two giants have more reliable connection that can substantially improve their bid to retain and attract users. The rules of the game are shifting from price to all the other elements that dictate acquisition and retention programs of wireless companies: coverage, quality of service support, and speed of network access.

It’s a chicken and egg situation for Digitel. While it continues to expand its coverage from the current 1,400 cell sites to about 2,200 by end of year 2006, and as it pushes for an infrastructure capacity that can handle six million subscribers, its target of 3.4 million subscribers by yearend may prove elusive. Its subscriber base of two million is not growing fast enough to bring in the revenues that will make the business sustainable.

As of March 2006, Digitel recorded P750 million sales from its wireless business, a slow growth of only three percent from the same period last year. In 2005, its bottomline continued to bleed with P1.7 billion in losses. Obviously, this is easily dwarfed by the financial muscle of Smart and Globe, which posted a net income of P5.7 billion and P3.5 billion, respectively, just for the first quarter of the year.

Analysts have long predicted the challenges that Globe, Smart, and Sun face now. The two giants are still determining what works best for each of them. But definitely, Sun has a lot of catching up to do.

by Newsbreak

http://img154.imageshack.us/img154/394/opedpicqj1.jpg

OPINION

Third World telecom, First World charges!

WE support the efforts of the Philippine government, specifically the National Telecommunication Commission (NTC), to make the country’s telecommunications industry competitive and efficient.

That policy environment is long overdue. Had we established an open and competitive policy environment for the telecommunications sector—nay, for the entire services sector— a decade or two ago, this country could have been growing as fast as India and China by now. We have missed a beat in the ongoing Information Revolution but it’s not yet too late to catch up. The government may not have the money to “upgrade” this country into the 21st century, but it could certainly do so by ensuring a competitive environment through several measures including disincentives to predatory practices and abuses. And why not go all the way by opening everything 100 percent to foreign direct investments?

The Philippine economy, and the entire Filipino nation for that matter, is better off in a more competitive policy environment for all economic sectors, not just telecommunications. Such a policy environment assures easy entry and exit, and therefore would allow more innovative players to emerge, thus offering better and cheaper value-added services that will benefit the entire economy. Open competition ensures the economic diversity that this country needs to grow and mature as well as withstand potential shocks from an increasingly globalizing world. Besides, open competition and greater economic diversity benefits all Filipinos in terms of choices. Right now, many Filipinos go abroad the moment they have the opportunity to do so because they feel powerless vis-à-vis factors like lack of career choices, lack of clear direction for the economy, and the utter inefficiencies of structures and institutions affecting their lives that could be linked to the country’s economically restrictive policies.

Right now, the Philippines is considered the “texting capital of the world.” But that’s an ironic reputation since the Philippines right now has among the highest or the most expensive telecommunications charges in the Asia-Pacific Region. According to the latest study by the Asian Institute of Management (AIM), overseas calls to the United States now cost US$0.90 for every three minutes—yes, that’s P45 pesos per three minutes—against $0.48 in India and $0.71 in Malaysia, our closest competitors in the outsourcing business. To call the US, the Canadians ($0.48 per 3 minutes), the Irish ($.59 per three minutes), and the British ($.65 per three minutes) are charged even lower rates than us Filipinos who are dirt poor! It’s these skyrocketing telecommunications charges that are forcing us to do the finger-breaking task of encoding letters into those tiny keypads one by one so we could send important messages to our loved ones.

In this country, however, companies are making money from the sale of cellular-phone units alone, the cheapest of which could cost nearly $200. In India, the typical cellular phone handset would cost as much as US$60. In other countries like the United States, telecom companies would even give away cellular phones for free if only to get subscription. Telecommunications companies would move heaven and earth just to please their clients.
This is now the 21st century, where wealth is created through innovation as well as the creation of knowledge. Access to information, specifically the Internet, is vital to progress and development. But what we have in this country right now is the deepening of the digital divide, where the rich who are few are getting the best of the digital world while the poor could not even think beyond three square meals a day. Again, that’s because of the uncompetitive situation in this industry. Right now, according to the AIM, Filipinos also bear the highest Internet charges in the region. On a monthly basis, Filipinos pay about US$17.05 for Internet services as against $8.74 a month for Indians, $8.42 a month for the Malaysians, $10 for the Chinese, $12.71 for Canadians, and $14.95 for Americans.

For a very poor country with just over a thousand dollars of per capita income, Filipinos are paying telecom and Internet charges way above what is being paid by citizens in the First World countries, who enjoy per capita incomes ranging from 10 thousand to 30 thousand dollars! And most of us don’t even enjoy the benefits of real broadband that most of these neighboring countries have. Why should Filipinos continue to put up with these, when they certainly deserve better?

Many of us still wonder why we can’t seem to catch up with our neighbors in the Asia-Pacific Region. The major reasons for this continuing underdevelopment lie with these realities. Not only do we have the most expensive electricity, we also have the most expensive telecommunications and Internet services, thus ranking us among the most expensive places to do business.

Right now, we still attract lots of investments in cyberservices. But that’s because skilled labor here is dirt cheap. So are the prices of real- estate. But once the supply of skilled professionals and technical people tightens, wages will rise. So will real-estate prices, especially now that occupancy rates in major urban centers are approaching 100 percent. That will push up business cost in the Philippines higher than places like India, Malaysia and Vietnam. That in turn will turn away cyberindustries from the Philippines. Our skilled professionals and technical people will probably follow them through global migration should that happen. That will be the tragedy of us all.

The choices therefore are clear: reform and be competitive—or perish.

That is so true, some of my aunts who work in Europe are shocked on why from the Philippines, calls are very expensive pero kapag sila ang tumatawag, mas mababa ang presyo. Same goes to my dad who works in Saudi, he calls one of my aunts who live in the US at a low price and we, here in the Philippines can't even regularly call the both of them due to exaggerated prices by Smart and Globe!

I think VOIP is a good alternative. As long as our policy continue favor and adopt this technology, we could be seeing cheap communication in the coming years.

My sister, who is an ECE student, tells me that SMS should be free. Why? Because these telcoms only pay for the frequency (?) used in order for them to be able to send text messages. Kung sa internet, ang binabayaran ng telcoms is only the monthly rate. Gets? Grabe, they charge us for every text message sent when this should all be free in the first place. :ohno:

@Sinjin: I totally agree with that opinion. Tas ung ale na nagtitinda, feeling ko sya ung ale sa LRT sa may Pasay rotunda. :colgate:

^My goodness! I never thought our telcom charges are expensive. I've always had this belief that ours is cheaper. And when I read the article, OMG! the rates in the developed world are unbelievable! It really shocked me. I think the companies here have already profited much from our ignorance! Tapos sila pa may gana na manakot na magtataaas ng presyo kapag may tax ang text?! WTF!?! Puwede naman palang libre? Those f*&*&%&!? Ayoko pa naman sa lahat ang ginagawa akong tanga. This really infuriates me so much! Sorry for my words but it really affected me so much.

pwedeng libre?
and who's supposed to pay for all the equipment that the network providers deploy? do you think you'll get any signal if not for all the equipment deployed nationwide? and who'll pay for all the manpower to install and maintain all the equipment, the infrastructure? can you even begin to imagine how much all these cost?

sa internet ang binabayaran ng telcoms is only the monyhly rate? sorry but you appear to be misinformed.

do you know what it takes to provide internet service? how much routers, switches, network access servers, dns servers, authentication servers, software, licenses, facilities, circuits, muxes, cabling, maintenance, and a whole bunch more cost?

@sinj, would you mind putting your source of that editorial? thanks.

@bartman: since I don't know all the answers you have asked, then I assume that you know the answers there. Why don't you try contradict what the people here says. And also answer your own questions. It would be helpful in the discussions here. TY!

@bartman: since I don't know all the answers you have asked, then I assume that you know the answers there. Why don't you try contradict what the people here says. And also answer your own questions. It would be helpful in the discussions here. TY!

what is there to contradict? check out the thread. the posts are about pldt shares, seemingly comparatively high costs, and quality of service.

i was reacting to kevinb's post.

My sister, who is an ECE student, tells me that SMS should be free. Why? Because these telcoms only pay for the frequency (?) used in order for them to be able to send text messages. Kung sa internet, ang binabayaran ng telcoms is only the monthly rate. Gets? Grabe, they charge us for every text message sent when this should all be free in the first place.]

^oh sorry. I thought you're reffering to me since I'm the last person to post before you. Next time, please put names so we will not be confused or quote it directly.

ABS-CBN Global Launches MYX, the First Music Lifestyle Channel for Asian Americans
October 31, 2006

REDWOOD SHORES, California--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ABS-CBN Global, the U.S.-based subsidiary of ABS-CBN Broadcasting, today announced MYX, the first music lifestyle television channel made by, and for, Asian Americans, which will focus on the fast growing, bi-cultural, English-speaking Asian American youth and young adult market. It will be the first nationally distributed television channel made for this fast-growing audience segment and is scheduled to begin broadcasting in December 2006.

MYX will play content from every Asian country, from Tokyo hip-hop to Chinese ballads, mixed with the best rock hits from Europe and the U.S. MYX seizes the current growing phenomenon of Asian influenced pop-culture fusing into the mainstream culture of America. From publishing, music and animation, Asian-inspired content continues to fuel a crossover into a hungry and receptive U.S. market. By nature of its programming, MYX will resonate with an even wider mainstream youth population that loves and consumes both Asian and American music content, giving everyone a single channel to find all of their favorite artists.

“MYX fills a giant void in television and addresses a cultural reality that Americans listen to more than just pop, hip-hop, and rock music produced in the U.S.,” said Raffy Lopez, managing director of ABS-CBNi. “Ultimately, MYX will cultivate a new marketplace for music and entertainment, fashion and style, for trendsetting youth and young adults.”

MYX will leverage all forms of media, from mobile to online, from on-air to on the streets, engaging viewers at every possible touch point. To reach this goal, MYX is forming symbiotic partnerships with major American, European and Asian music labels to facilitate this new ethnic entertainment marketplace. Ultimately, MYX will become a fully connected source of media entertainment to all American youth.

Developed by ABS-CBN, one of Asia’s biggest media companies, MYX is the company’s seventh international Asian channel. ABS-CBN has existing carriage relationships with cable and satellite providers across the U.S. MYX is already the number one music channel in the Philippines.

http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2006/nov/28/yehey/business/20061128bus5.html

THE Chinese government has proposed to fund the modernization of the Philippines’ telecommunication system in billions of pesos, the National Economic and Development Authority announced.

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Romulo L. Neri disclosed that the Chinese government proposes to finance the country’s telecommunication backbone system, which is estimated to cost from $250 million to $300 million or some P13 billion.

“What they are proposing is that they will modernize our telecommunication facilities into digital system to make it useful,” Neri said.

If completed, Neri said the government could save from P2.2 billion to P6.1 billion using the new telecom backbone with Wimax broadband.

“The CICT [Commission on Information and Communication Technology] has already endorsed it to us but we want to be very clear on the economic benefits,” he said.

As a government counterpart to the proposed project, Neri said it would use the assets of Digital Telecommunications Phils., Inc.

Neri has been pushing for the use of Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, in government offices since November 2005. As then secretary of the Department of Budget, he issued DBM Budget Circular 2005-13 that encouraged all government departments and agencies to opt for VoIP as telecommunications medium of choice as it will reduce overall communication costs by 30 percent.

The National Computer Center is also set to start a pilot test of a wide-area network (WAN) project that will integrate all government offices into a single network and use of VoIP as a primary service.

The project has an estimated cost of P10 million to be funded out of the e-Government Fund.

CICT, through the NCC, is currently drafting the guidelines on the procurement and installation of VoIP equipment by the different government departments and agencies.

Based on the Commission on Audit annual report on the consolidated statements of income and expenses of the national government for 2004, the total communication expenses reached P649.8 million from P558.3 million in 2003.

Sana mag-click ang MYX sa mga Asian-Americans.

MYX - Well its a nice concept it allows Asian Americans to appreciate their roots more :)

THE publicly listed ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp. will set aside P1 billion of its 2007 budget for studies and preparations for digital TV broadcasting, company vice president and chief financial officer Miguel Jose Navarette said.

Last October, the network’s chairman and chief executive officer Gabby Lopez said that ABS-CBN would embark on a digital TV project starting 2007 and that the project might include distribution of special set-top boxes for decoding digital programming, worth P1,000 each, in test markets.

The National Telecommunications Commission has announced that it will stop accepting license applications of analog TV after Dec. 31, 2008.
ABS-CBN has applied for a digital television-terrestrial service license, which would let it offer digital television programming and interactive services, such as choose-your-own-ending.

But before investing in equipment and making digital content, the network will have to study the emerging market first, Navarette said. Riza T. Olchondra, with INQ7.net

http://business.inq7.net/money/breakingnews/view_article.php?article_id=37261

MYX - Well its a nice concept it allows Asian Americans to appreciate their roots more :)

The cool thing about myx compared to mtv is that they have karaoke-like subtitles to follow the lyrics allowing the viewers to sing along thus enhancing the viewing experience.

That's very true!

Naggayahan na lang ung mga bagong litaw na Music channel..

... Released at a time where bigwigs are trying to usage of the phrase "...so help me God" in trial hearings, not to mention other things...

Filipinos asked to limit New Year calls following quake


Agence France-Presse
Last updated 06:33pm (Mla time) 12/29/2006

PHILIPPINE telecommunications companies on Friday called on their customers to limit overseas calls, including New Year's greetings, following the earthquake that cut undersea cables off Taiwan.

The companies appealed to the public not to make lengthy overseas calls to relatives on New Year's Day -- a traditional practice in this country -- to avoid straining the limited capacity of the alternative systems being used.

"Even as the situation normalizes, we encourage our customers to send their New Year greetings to friends and loved ones abroad early and thus avoid the last minute rush at New Year's Eve," said Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) and Smart Communications in a joint statement.

"We have to use our communications properly and they have the whole day of January 1. So on those 24 hours, don't all call simultaneously and don't chat extensively. Just important calls only," appealed Jones Campos, spokesman of rival Globe Telecom.

Philippine telecom officials earlier said the companies had their capacity cut by as much as 40 percent due to the quake.

PLDT and sister company Smart, said they had "restored sufficient capacity to handle normal levels of traffic in its international voice and Internet data services" by using alternative routes.

"We have ensured that the mission-critical communications requirements of our key corporate customers such as call centers, banks and semi-conductor companies have been fully provided for," the companies said.

Campos said Globe was also working to use alternate routes through Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia or Indonesia to replace damaged routes to Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and the United States.

However all the telecom companies said it would take weeks before services normalize fully due to the huge damage to the cables.

The 7.1 magnitude earthquake that rocked Taiwan on Tuesday damaged several undersea cables in the region, jamming up the Internet and telecoms systems across much of East Asia.

Asian telcos unwilling to invest more in backup lines

By Peter Enav
Associated Press
Last updated 10:50pm (Mla time) 12/29/2006

TAIPEI--Asian telecom companies said Friday they will not invest more in backup lines to protect against disasters like the recent earthquake that snarled telephone and Internet service across Asia, and as far as the United States.

The quake, which damaged undersea cables off Taiwan on Tuesday, was so rare that there is no need to spend money on extra lines, said Wu Chih-ming, a senior official at Chunghwa Telecom Co., Taiwan's biggest telecommunications company.

Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau measured the quake at magnitude 6.7 while the US Geological Survey put it at 7.1.

"We won't consider laying more backup cables for now because such an incident might not happen in another 100 years," Wu said.

On Friday, companies from Japan to Singapore were still scrambling to fully restore service. Since it will take weeks to repair the cables off Taiwan, companies were rerouting traffic through satellites and cables that were not damaged.

Many of the cables are owned by groups of telecom companies, who share the costs and capacity.

The telecom crisis stunned Asia and demonstrated how tightly the region is bound together by hundreds of undersea fiber-optic cables.

The lines, made of clusters of glass fibers wrapped in protective material, carry Internet data and voice calls as pulses of light.

Most of the companies appeared to be coping with the disaster without much public feuding. But a spat broke out Friday between South Koreans and Singaporeans.

South Korea's largest telecom company, KT, said it fell behind in its work to restore damaged lines Thursday because the Singaporeans were not cooperating.

Company spokesman Huh Gun said officials at Singapore Telecommunications Ltd., or SingTel, one of Southeast Asia's largest telephone companies, had knocked off work early on Thursday.

SingTel said it was surprised by the allegation.

"Our restoration team has been working around the clock to restore our services, including our consulting partners as well as other cable owners," said Chia Boon Chong, SingTel's deputy director of corporate communications.

SingTel also said Friday that Internet access to international Web sites, as well as services for Blackberry mobile devices, had been fully restored.

"As part of our redirection effort, cable traffic to the US is being rerouted via Europe or Australia as well as using other channels such as satellite links and landlines," the company said.

Four repair ships were on their way to the damage site and were expected to arrive Tuesday, Chunghwa Telecom said.

Repairs, which would cost about NT$50 million (US$1.5 million), would take up to three weeks, the company said.

South Korea's KT did not plan on spending more on backup lines to prevent with future disasters because Tuesday's quake was rare, Huh said.

He said the lesson KT had learned was that it needed to restore lines more quickly.

In Japan, major carriers KDDI Corp. and NTT Communications said most fixed-line phone services were running.

China, however, seemed to be struggling to get its services up to speed. China Telecom Corp., the country's biggest telephone company, said on its Web site that only 15 percent of the international Internet circuits have been restored, and that "there are still serious problems on the routes to North America."

Tim Dillon, senior research director at US-based Current Analysis, which studies the telecom industry, said customers in Asia will have to get used to slow services for weeks.

"We have a lot of traffic all going to alternate routings at the same time," Dillon said. "It's obviously going to result in slower speeds and congestion as everyone piles onto the same cable."

The days of ramp-up of cellular subscribers are no longer there.

Faced with this grim but inevitable reality, as the mobile penetration rate (the percentage of the population using mobile phones) nears 40 percent most of which are in Metro Manila and other urban areas, cellular service providers grapple for ways and means to keep the business growing.

"Now, when we talk about the growth in the business, we are as much concerned with subscriber growth rates as with average revenue per user," Globe Telecom president Gerardo Ablaza says.

For his part, Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) chairman Manuel Pangilinan anticipates that as wireless penetration rate rises, the growth in wireless revenues will moderate. "Thus, Smart and Piltel revenues would grow at rates lower than in previous years, as we mine deeper into the lower economic strata of our society," he said.

During the first nine months of 2006, market leader Smart Communications Inc. together with subsidiary Pilipino Telephone Inc. (Piltel) reported subscriber numbers of around 22.9 million while arch rival Globe registered 14.5 million subscribers. But compared to previous years, subscriber net additions have been lower. With the cellular industry already past its growth stage and nearing maturity, both companies have focused their efforts towards increased usage and developing new businesses beyond cellular.

To encourage more cellular usage, Smart, Globe, and Gokongwei-owned Sun Cellular have offered various bucket pricing mechanisms which in effect lowered mobile call rates. But the bulk of the traffic still comes from text messaging which is now the cheapest form of communication at P1 per text or even lower. Data usage remains low and the onset of 3G or the third generation of mobile technology which promises faster download speeds is not expected to impact on revenues as much as SMS did.

Increased competition in the market has been good for the consumers. Prices have fallen across mobile, IDD and local calls by 30 percent, 26 percent and seven percent, respectively since 1998.

When comparing, for example, average mobile prices in different regions of the world, the decrease in the Philippine market has been 40 percent, larger than in the European Union where prices fell 21 percent, and in the United States , where prices rose by eight percent. Prices in the Philippines have also fallen by more on the average than other countries in Asia-Pacific.

Late last year, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) awarded 3G licenses and frequencies to Smart, Globe, Digitel Mobile, and CURE, a company controlled by former Trade Minister Roberto Ongpin. Cellular companies admit they have doubts about 3G, but they would rather be first in the market to offer 3G rather than be left out by the competition.

PLDT alone plans to invest as much as $1 billion over the next three to four years in 3G, broadband, and the next generation network or NGN, the latter to enable the country’s most valuable company to migrate from its legacy copper wire network to a more efficient network that can carry both voice and data.

But there are bright spots for the business. Pangilinan said the onset of broadband products, services, applications and solutions will raise consolidated revenues for PLDT in the coming years by double digits, while PLDT’s call centers and business process outsoutcing (BPO) units will together form a significant portion of consolidated profits from the group. Together with broadband, they are the fastest growing revenue generators of PLDT.

"It is our aim to make broadband access widely available in both our fixed and mobile networks. The historical core of PLDT’S business has been access. Connectivity was our game. In the future, it will increasingly become: connectivity plus – meaning connectively plus value added services. The reason for this is simple: Connectivity will eventually become a commodity. And our competitive advantage will increasingly come from value added services, not just dial tone," the group chairman stressed.

He added that PLDT is working to improve its physical strengths, by shifting its core network from circuit-switches to packet-switch technologies. "Our move to internet protocol-based systems on this next generation network or NGN will give us the flexibility to offer a wide array of innovative products and services at lower cost," he said.

He also revealed that another new business on the horizon is video on the cellular phone or mobile TV, "a boom business waiting to happen." More than 120 mobile operators around the world offer mobile TV service.

Pangilinan adds that 2006 is a year to lay the foundation for earnings growth in 2007. This is being achieved by expanding coverage and enhancing broadband and data capabilities through NGN upgrade and rollout of multi-purpose cellular network elements, as well as the acquisition by ePLDT of SPI and Cymed in order to broaden the PLDT Group’s participation in the growth BPO sector.

The cellular business, however, is far from being dead. When compared with international benchmarks of a peer group of countries with similar GDP per-capita, the penetration levels in the Philippines are at the low end of the scale. The gap to developed countries is even greater. For example, mobile penetration levels in countries like Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Colombia and Thailand are 89 percent, 81 percent, 50 percent, and 47 percent respectively, while for Philippines it is only 39 percent.

Fixed line penetration in the country is also low when compared to other peer countries. Countries like Malaysia , Ecuador and Thailand all have fixed penetration rates above 10 percent, while the Philippine penetration rate in the fixed segment is only four percent. Broadband penetration also is still at minimal level in the Philippines.

PLDT retail business group head Butch Jimenez says 2006 was a transition year for the fixed line business. "We are transitioning from our old legacy network to the next generation network, and from being a predominantly voice company towards data. As in any transition period, we experienced a lot of adjustments, but all in preparation for a strong push in 2007. Broadband will continue to lead the growth as we endeavor to dominate the industry via PLDT mydsl on the wired side and Smartbro on the wireless broadband side," he said.

Market leader Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) opens the year with a strong range of products targeting overseas Filipino workers (OFW) and their families.

Dubbed PLDT OFW Bulagaan campaign, the country’s leading telecommunications provider offers low rates for calling around the world and a prepaid landline for only P115 a month for incoming calls.

"The best gift we can give OFWs is a cost efficient way to keep connected to their loved ones," according to Butch Jimenez, head of PLDT’s Retail Business Group. "And PLDT wants to be the first to make it happen for them when the New Year opens."

PLDT has extended to OFW families the low priced budget card that allows international calls for as low as P3 per minute to major destinations like the United States, Hong Kong and Canada.

"Budget Card is now the number one prepaid international calling card in the country, and we look upon this product as our contribution in keeping OFW families connected worldwide," Jimenez emphasized.

For those calling the Middle East, PLDT has dropped the rates from P20 a minute to as low as P10 a minute to destinations like Saudi Arabia via their Pwede Card.

"We’ve opened up low rates to the Middle East through our Pwede Card. OFW families that want these low rates can just get our reloadable Pwede Card and use that to call Middle East. It is also convenient since they can just reload the card in any of the 800,000 e-load centers of Smart," Jimenez said.

PLDT has also offered OFW families their Telepwede prepaid landline for only P115 a month for incoming calls.

"We are certain many OFW families want a landline just so that their loved ones from abroad can call them. OFW families can now get a prepaid landline that allows incoming calls for an affordable monthly fee," Jimenez explained. "We will also waive the P1,000 installation fee upon presentation of an OFW’s OWWA card."

PLDT expects OFW families to avail of the low rates of calls to major destinations as well as the low priced landline for incoming calls. Jimenez added that for OFWs looking for ways to start a business in the Philippines, PLDT myDSL still offers the Internet Café Plus. An all-in-one Internet café’ package for as low as P35,000 down payment and a monthly fee of just P4,000. PLDT is targeting about 2,000 Internet café stations up by the first quarter of 2007 from this offer alone.

CONNECTIVITY Unlimited Resources Inc. (CURE), a company controlled by former trade minister Roberto Ongpin, said it has begun rolling out its third-generation (3G) network in key areas in Metro Manila.

In a letter to Abraham Abesamis, chief of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), CURE president Eric Recto said his company successfully commenced its 3G operations on December 16, 2006.

“Therefore, CURE has exceeded the compliance with NTC license requirements to begin installation and construction within 12 months,” Recto said in the letter.

“We have established [3G networks] in key areas in Metro Manila and we are on track in meeting our objective to provide coverage to key provincial cities,” he added.

By January, the NTC will conduct a review to ensure that licensed 3G operators are deploying their network, a year after they were awarded licenses to operate the latest craze in telephony.

Based on the NTC’s rules, the four licensed 3G operators should start deploying their infrastructure 12 months from license award and commercially roll-out in 30 months.

Recto had said that CURE increased its authorized capital stock from P120 million to P2 billion, a plan that the Securities and Exchange Commission approved on August 25, 2006. The capital hike is aimed at financing the company’s 3G rollout.

“It is part of our capital build up and the entire capital will be dispensed for our 3G expenditure,” Recto said.

In recent documents submitted to the NTC, the company said it set capital expenditures for its five-year rollout plan at P11.55 billion.

Of this, P3.95 billion will be spent in the first year; P1.93 billion on the second year; P2.48 billion on the third year; P1.66 billion on the fourth year; and P1.85 billion for the last year.

CURE plans to provide services within the 12 months from the grant of authority to operate 3G.

The company also said that it plans to install an initial number of 280 base transceiver stations, which will serve an initial market niche of at least 200,000 subscribers in selected areas.

Alvin Geli, CURE chairman, had said that the company committed to cover 95 percent of the provincial cities and municipalities and 90 percent of chartered cities.

THE publicly listed ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp. will set aside P1 billion of its 2007 budget for studies and preparations for digital TV broadcasting, company vice president and chief financial officer Miguel Jose Navarette said.

Last October, the network’s chairman and chief executive officer Gabby Lopez said that ABS-CBN would embark on a digital TV project starting 2007 and that the project might include distribution of special set-top boxes for decoding digital programming, worth P1,000 each, in test markets.

The National Telecommunications Commission has announced that it will stop accepting license applications of analog TV after Dec. 31, 2008.
ABS-CBN has applied for a digital television-terrestrial service license, which would let it offer digital television programming and interactive services, such as choose-your-own-ending.

But before investing in equipment and making digital content, the network will have to study the emerging market first, Navarette said. Riza T. Olchondra, with INQ7.net

http://business.inq7.net/money/breakingnews/view_article.php?article_id=37261

I heard of this.

This is indeed good news.

Mas maganda pa rito ay gagamitin nila yung DVB (or Digital Video Broadcasting) standard na ginagamit sa buong Europa, Singapore, Malaysia at Thailand.

DVB>ATSC :)

Globe backs NTC plan
to remove interconnection charges

By Lenie Lectura
Reporter

GLOBE Telecom has publicly stated it fully supports a plan of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to remove interconnection and access charges in the provinces among telephone firms.

“The draft circular, which states that there shall be no interconnection and access charges between interconnected local exchange carriers within a local calling area fittingly captures the spirit of modern call termination regimes,” said Globe head for regulatory affairs Froilan Castelo.

But the PLDT, in its position paper, opposed the draft circular. It said that involuntary transactions would reduce, not increase, incentives to invest in telecommunications infrastructure necessary to address low fixed-line penetration rate in any given area.

This measure when implemented effectively allows callers to make landline calls within their provinces free-of-charge instead of having to pay national direct dial toll rates. “Honest trade dictates that calls to and from the same area should not be subject to any extra cost,” said Castelo.

He said telephone operators have been “wrongly charg[ing]” callers for direct dial fees in calls within their provinces as if the calls are for receivers outside the calling area. “Such practice is clearly in violation of NTC’s 2000 circular.”

But the PLDT argues such implementation of involuntary commercial transactions covering interconnection arrangement is not consistent with the basic policy of various networks under Republic Act 7925.

“The NTC as the main regulator for telecommunications must not usurp the law or supplant its own interpretation thereat but must only be its chief implementor. The governing policy for telecommunications is still fully embodied in RA 7925. Until such time the Telecommunications Act is repealed or amended, the NTC has no choice but to enforce its provisions,” it said in its submission.

Castelo believes, however, the proposed circular promotes fairness and improved service levels because when both retail and interconnect pricing are localized, quality of service heightens and user penetration increases.

“The immediate finalization and enforcement of the circular at hand, therefore, can be expected to favor the consuming public and industry in general.”

Commission chief of staff Lucio Espinoza has said the proposed circular will facilitate rules on interconnection and strictly require carriers, such as Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., Digital Telecommunications Inc., Bayan Telecommunications Inc., and Innove Communications Inc., not to pass on to consumers additional charges whenever a call is made within a province.

A circular issued seven years ago already ruled that calls within one province shall be considered as local calls but did not set rules or guidelines and this, said Espinoza, is what prolonged the negotiations among telephone firms.

The commission’s draft rules also attempts to address the issue on who will provide the interconnection facilities and the responsibilities of the interconnecting local carriers.

For one, it wants each carrier seeking interconnection from another to provide the interconnecting trunks, ensure that the number of trunks is sufficient, and provide the necessary termination at the nearest exchange.

If the interconnection requires the installation of radio facilities, each interconnecting carrier will have to provide the required space and termination at no cost.

The rule also requires all carriers in a given area not yet interconnected be interconnected within 180 days from effectivity of the new rules.

who knows about virtual landline phone being offered by globe..wherein you can bring it anywhere?

Smart suspends 3G investment

By Lenie Lectura
Reporter

THE Philippines is apparently not yet ready to take up 3G (third generation) mobile phone service, as can be gleaned from a decision of Smart Communications Inc. to suspend further investments indefinitely in its 3G network, citing sluggish acceptance by the market.

Napoleon Nazareno, president of Smart and parent firm Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., said, “Future investments will depend on the demand for 3G services. Right now, we have more than enough capacity. Why do we need to invest more if the infrastructure is already there and capacity is more than enough for now.”

They have so far invested $60 million that was used up in the third quarter last year. “We have not made additional investments since then.”

Earlier, Smart had programmed some P33 billion to further bankroll its 3G operation in the next six years on expectations of losses in the first two years and break-even only in the third year. However, considering the slow 3G subscriber take-up, losses may extend up to the fourth year of operations, according to the company’s report to the Board of Investments last year.

The company has installed 1,200 base stations in major cities, enough to handle millions of 3G subscribers and in its five-year rollout plan; it plans to raise that to 1,611 cities and towns, ranging from 1st class to 6th class. The additional rollout is not in suspension.

Smart has monitored some 400,000 3G-enabled handsets in their network. Out of that, half subscribe to the service. Nazareno said the slow subscription to 3G is in part due to the high price of 3G handsets.

“The rate for 3G services such as video calling remains very affordable. It is even pegged at the same rate for local voice calls. So, the rate for 3G services is not the main factor why demand is not picking up. Handset price still remains the major factor,” he said.

The cheapest 3G phone costs at least P12,000. He expects a better demand this year with the arrival of more affordable 3G phones mainly from LG Electronics of Korea, with the lowest price to be about P6,000.

“LG was awarded last week during the annual GSMA (Global System for Mobile Communications Association) meeting in Barcelona, Spain as the preferential vendor for 3G handsets. Certainly, this will help stimulate demand for 3G services,” said Nazareno.

Aside from affordable 3G phones, Nazareno said Smart will offer more content and applications to spur 3G usage. “The drop in the cost of handsets is one of the factors that will drive demand. With more applications at affordable rates, we hope that demand will pick up.”

Nazareno conceded they entered “into 3G prematurely, given not only the price of the handsets but also the apparent trend of lack of a killer application in other parts of the world because the government wanted us in and because we were counting on the incentives.”

Last year, tax incentives to 3G operators were recalled by the Board of Investments.

Smart had appealed. “The impact of an income tax holiday on Smart’s 3G project would only occur in the medium term. The government will not have any actual forgone revenues in the short-term because of expected tax losses at least for the first two years of the 3G project,” Smart chief financial officer Anabelle Chua wrote BOI executive director for project assessment group Lucita Reyes.

Smart also argued that the removal of the tax holidays for 3G is inconsistent with the 2005 Investment Priority Plan and Executive Order 226.

“The BOI has no power to disqualify any domestic-oriented or market-seeking investment in the telco sector, or to create or impose new disqualifications that are not provided in the 2005 IPP, from [tax holiday] entitlement. For the BOI now to remove the incentive is obviously contrary to and inconsistent with the 2005 IPP and EO 226.”

Mobile penetration rate in RP seen to hit 50% in 3 yrs
By Mary Ann Ll. Reyes
The Philippine Star 02/23/2007

Smart Communications, the country’s leading cellular service provider, projects mobile penetration rate in the country to hit 50 percent (or half of the population) within the next three years, from 43 percent as of the third quarter last year.

Smart president and chief executive officer Napoleon Nazareno, who also heads Smart parent Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT), said in an interview that the PLDT Group’s total cellular subscriber base for the first nine months of 2006 stood at 22.9 million, with Smart accounting for 16.5 million subscribers, and Talk ‘N Text, 6.4 million. The number of its subscribers using 3G handsets is only 400,000, with very few availing of 3G applications.

In developed countries, Nazareno said there has been a major shift from 2G to 3G mainly because of the high income levels in these countries. "But we hope that soon, 3G will replace 2G in the Philippines," he said.

To boost demand for 3G, Nazareno said "content will be driven into the 3G space," with Smart taking the lead in developing content and other applications for 3G.

The PLDT group estimates that its capital expenditure for 2007 will range from P20 to P22 billion. Officials said they will continue to invest in rolling out the company’s next generation network (NGN), further expanding capacity for its wireless and fixed line networks, as well as building out new facilities for its outsourcing businesses. About half of the amount will be for broadband and NGN.

The company’s capital expenditures outlay for the year represents an 11 percent increase from the P18 billion allocated last year. Meanwhile, SPi, the business process outsourcing subsidiary of ePLDT, would invest P5 billion for its expansion and acquisition plans this year, including the setting up of two new facilities in India and Vietnam .

"We continue to reposition the fixed line business by growing our data revenues which increased by 32 percent year-on-year and now represent over 25 percent of our fixed line revenues. The NGN rollout is now being concentrated in priority areas where corporate data and residential demand have been identified. Together with SmartBro, we effectively have a dual-pronged approach in our goal of "broadbanding" the country," Nazareno earlier said.

NTC wants all cellphone sales listed

By Lennie Lectura
Reporter

THE National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has moved to control the sale of new and second-hand mobile phones by requiring the units to bear NTC registration stickers in a bid to reduces, if not totally eliminate, illegal use of the mobiles and the fencing of stolen units.

The owner who buys a used phone must register it with the commission for a fee of P75 and is given a tamper-proof sticker to be attached to the phone, while wholesalers and retailers will be required to register all unsold phones, also for P75 each with stickers.

Dealers and resellers have 180 days from effectivity of the proposed rules to register their stock. Suppliers, dealers and resellers that fail to do so face fines of P5,000 per unit.

Current cellular subscribers are not required to comply. However, if they sell their used cellular phones to authorized mobile phone resellers and dealers, then they are mandated to register them. “For second-hand phones, owners intending to sell their phones to authorized dealer and resellers shall secure the NTC sticker by presenting the box of the handset with the IMEI sticker intact, official receipt by authorized dealers, and affidavit attesting that the person selling the unit is the owner and the unit was purchased from a legitimate source.”

The commission said it just wants to ensure cellular phones come from legitimate sources to protect consumers. It believes it will also discourage suppliers from underdeclaring the number of units they import.

This is because the proposed rules also require the Bureau of Customs to register all imported cellphones by presenting evidence the phones have paid import taxes and other duties.

There is also a limit to what a subscriber can register within a given year—only five units.

And here is the killer app—the commission will list all registered phones, thus building up a database that could raise the hackles of privacy advocates.

But there will be a public hearing first, set on February 27.

Smart hits 25-M subscriber base
By Mary Ann Ll. Reyes
The Philippine Star 03/05/2007

Leading wireless services provider Smart Communications marked yet another milestone as it reached an industry high of 25 million subscribers on its network, equivalent to approximately 58-percent market share.

A wholly-owned subsidiary of telecommunications giant Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT), Smart is equipped with the country’s most extensive and modern wireless digital communications GSM network, servicing 99 percent of population.

Of the 25 million users, 17.6 million are subscribers of Smart Buddy, Smart Gold and Smart Infinity. About 7.4 million are Talk ‘N Text users, the prepaid brand of subsidiary Pilipino Telephone Corp. (Piltel).

Officials said the notable and sustained growth of Smart may be attributed to the company’s aggressive expansion and upgrade efforts.

As of end of 2006, Smart’s GSM network consisted of 36 switches and 6,065 base stations, over 2,200 of which were equipped with wireless broadband capability. It also has over a thousand 3G base stations nationwide.

They added that in the international arena, Smart entered into strategic tie-ups with offshore companies, underscoring its service commitment to the diverse and growing demands of subscribers overseas.

In December 2006, the company launched Smart Pinoy in the Kingdom of Bahrain in the Middle East. The new product addresses the needs of OFWs to be connected with their loved ones. The bundle offering includes Smart IDD, offering competitive per minute call rates abroad; international roaming, allowing all Smart GSM subscribers to use their cellular phones in other countries; Smart International Text, allowing subscribers to send and receive international SMS messages; and Smart Padala, the world’s first international cash remittance service through text.

Company officials also noted that the unprecedented expansion of Smart is complemented by its aggressive innovation, marketing and distribution campaigns. Early this year, Smart launched the first all-network SMS offering. Dubbed as Lahat Text 35, subscribers may send text messages for as low as 35 centavos, equivalent to P35 for 100 text messages.

In the offing is the Smart Services Hub, a platform which will enable mobile operators and banks to serve the remittance needs of migrant populations in their respective countries. At the speed and ease of a text message, migrant workers will be able to send remittances to their countries via SIM-based services anytime, anywhere.

They also pointed out that the remarkable and trailblazing accomplishments of Smart put it in a unique and formidable position in telecom industry. "Smart faces 2007, challenged to sustain service and innovation leadership, inspired and strengthened by the 25 million users on its network, and determined to scale even bigger heights to serve millions more," they said.

Smart, Mediaquest start test broadcast of mobile TV
By Mary Ann Ll. Reyes
The Philippine Star 03/07/2007

On March 11, Filipinos can start watching their favorite television programs on their mobile phones.

Now under test broadcast, the new mobile TV service will be offered by PLDT subsidiary Mediaquest Holdings together with Smart Communications. The service is broadcast using the mobile TV platform called digital video broadcasting – handheld (DVB-H).

Initially available in Metro Manila, Cebu and Davao, the test broadcast service offers nine channels including 24-hour news channels CNN, BBC World and CNBC, sports channel Basketball TV, leisure and entertainment channels such as Jack TV and Fashion TV, and music channel MTV.

To access the service, a Smart or Talk N’Text subscriber must use a DVB-H enabled handset. The service will initially be available to a few trial participants during the test period. A mobile TV-enabled handset currently costs around $400 per unit although company officials said ways are being studied to bring down the cost to subscribers.

Mediaquest president and chief executive officer Orlando Vea said mobile TV offers television in ways that are both comfortably familiar and excitingly novel.

For his part, Smart president and CEO Napoleon Nazareno noted that the goal is to introduce an exciting new dimension to TV viewing in the Philippines. "We are giving TV a new face – that of the mobile handset. People can watch the programs they love on conventional TV," he said.

Vea added: "The difference is they can do this on the go, wherever they are, whenever they need or want to watch the program. Later on, they will enjoy new types of TV shows designed especially for viewing on the screens of mobile phones."

A wholly-owned subsidiary of the PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund, Mediaquest has interests in various media-related ventures, including a controlling interest in Nation Broadcasting Corp.(NBC) which operates a network of radio and TV stations, a minority interest in Sky Cable, and a 30-percent interest in a newspaper company.

NBC will provide the broadcast service while Smart will provide the marketing and infrastructure support of its mobile phone service.

Once commercial operations commence middle of this year, the service will be available to all Smart and Talk ‘N Text subscribers either on a post-paid or prepaid basis.

The new mobile TV service differs from video streaming and video download services currently offered through 3G networks. The latter allow video streaming, for example, that delivers video content to individual phone users using the cellular network.

The future: TV in your cellphones
By Tony Lopez Tuesday, March 13, 2007

PLDT has seen the future of telephony. It is television.

After the apparent failure of 3G to catch fire, the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. is changing tack.

Subscribers to its cellular service need not watch television with their wireless phones, using 3G which is very expensive. They can watch TV with their cellular phones using another platform, called Digital Video Broadcasting-Handheld, DVB-H for short.

DVBH seems to be a better medium. It is clearer, more reliable and most likely, cheaper.

But there is a catch. Subscribers must use a DVB-H cellular-phone unit. That costs money, a hefty $500 a unit, or P25,000 at present.

“Prices will come down as volume sales increase,” assures Orlando Vea, president of MediaQuest, the PLDT subsidiary in charge of the business.

PLDT officials are excited. “Mobile TV offers television in ways that is both comfortably familiar and excitingly novel,” gushes Vea.

“Our goal is to introduce an exciting new dimension to television viewing in the Philippines. We are giving TV a new face—that of the mobile handset,” chimes in PLDT president and CEO Napoleon Nazareno, also president and CEO of its wireless subsidiary, Smart Communications Inc.

But why is PLDT going into Mobile TV?

Simple answer: Revenues and profits from wireless phone service are starting to plateau.

“The year 2007 is going to be a challenging year,” admits PLDT chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan. He hastens to add, “The outlook of the business is rosy.” Why, he didn’t explain. He has faith in his business.

In the meantime, PLDT has to seek new revenue generators. Like Mobile TV.

And call centers. PLDT has invested about $1 billion in the business, making it the largest call-center operator locally.

3G was supposed to be that revenue generator. But its high cost turned off subscribers.

And the government stopped giving tax incentives for 3G capital expenditure by the cellular companies, Smart, Globe and Sun Cellular.

It made little sense for the government to part away with precious taxpayers’ money just so a few hundred thousand cellular subscribers can watch TV or receive videos on their cell phones, using GSM technology.

The new mobile TV is different, however, “people can watch the programs they love on conventional TV. The difference is they can do this on the go, wherever they are, whenever they need or want to watch the program,” Nazareno explains.

“Later on, they will enjoy new types of TV shows designed especially for viewing on the screens of mobile phones,” Vea adds.

NBC will provide the broadcast service, while Smart will provide the marketing and infrastructure support of its mobile-phone service.

Once commercial operations begin late this year, the service will be available to all Smart and Talk ’N Text subscribers either on a postpaid or prepaid basis.

According to PLDT, the new mobile TV service differs from (video streaming and video-downloads) services currently offered through 3G networks. 3G allows video streaming for example, that delivers video content to individual phone users using the cellular network.

Mobile TV in contrast is not transmitted through the cellular network. It is a broadcast service that delivers content to many viewers simultaneously through a digital TV broadcast signal optimized for mobile devices—very much like the way a conventional TV service delivers a TV signal to homes.

Programs on mobile TV can be viewed simultaneously by an unlimited number of subscribers, making it the ideal medium for real-time sports events, breaking news or live entertainment.

Mobile TV trials are taking place in Europe, Australia and Asia.

Globe now claims 17-M subscribers (http://businessmirror.com.ph/05032007/headlines012.html)

GLOBE Telecoms’ cellular subscriber base grew by about 1.3 million from last year’s 15.7 million.

Globe head for regulatory affairs Froilan Castelo said in a letter to the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) that the company’s mobile phone subscribers are now “close to 17 million.” The letter was dated April 24, 2007.

The company’s subscriber base grew 26 percent in 2006 from 2005 as unique and relevant value offers designed to address the specific needs of Globe’s priority segments helped drive the firm’s growth and improved its market position.

“We are particularly pleased with how the market has warmly received our various service offers, and we look forward to introducing more compelling propositions in 2007,” Globe president Gerardo Ablaza had said in February.

The strong performance of Globe’s wireless service offerings boosted the company’s net income by 11 percent to P11.8 billion in 2006 from P10.3 billion a year earlier. --L. Lectura

Beware of text scam (http://businessmirror.com.ph/05032007/economy05.html)


IT CAN be said that Filipinos are intrinsically optimistic. Amid their everyday battles against poverty, injustice and sickness, Filipinos still manage to put on a smile on their faces and hope that a better fortune will soon come their way.

For some, this can be a helpful trait as it motivates them to carry on with the daily toil. Unfortunately, there are those who would rather take advantage of other people’s needs and dreams, devising all sorts of scams to lure people and take away their hard-earned money.

One such example is the so-called text scam. Here and abroad, a number of consumers have complained of being victimized by fraudulent promotions circulated through cellular phones using short messaging service (SMS) or text messaging.

In a text scam, cellular phone subscribers are informed that they have won a special prize through a raffle sponsored by a particular company, government agency or foundation. The name of the sponsor may be well-known or fictitious.

The alleged winners are usually asked to deposit money in a bank account or send prepaid load, supposedly as part of processing fees or tax payment, before they can claim the prize. However, after they have kept their end of the bargain, the culprits suddenly disappear with the money.

Many are already aware of this fraudulent activity, yet there are those who seem to be blinded by the promise of handsome rewards. And with the popularity of text messaging nowadays, anybody who is rich or poor, educated or otherwise, makes a potential prey of text scam.

As such, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) continuously urges the public to stay vigilant and beware of dubious text messages.

What are other indications of a text scam?

• The text message was sent using an ordinary 11-digit cellular phone number (e.g. 0917-xxxxxxx; 0919-xxxxxxx). Raffle or game sponsors that intend to register and notify participants through SMS are required to obtain a special four-digit code from cellular network providers.

• The subscriber has won a raffle or contest without joining one. In valid sales promotions, participants usually join a contest by availing of a product or service. The receipt, coupon, wrapper, cap or any other proof of purchase can serve as the official entry form.

Winners are notified in writing, by registered mail or any communication where proof of notice can be verified, when the prize amounts to P500 or more.

• The subscriber is being rushed to claim the prize. In valid sales promotions, winners are given sixty (60) days from the date of notification or announcement within which to get their prizes.

For most people, success does not come with a mere stroke of luck. Behind the richest men were years of hard work, determination and wise thinking.

Thus, the DTI reminds consumers to always keep their guard against scams in the market and to report such activities to the authorities so that perpetrators will be discouraged from victimizing innocent consumers.

What do you know? Cory's phone bugged (http://businessmirror.com.ph/0504&052007/nation03.html)
By Fernan Marasigan
Reporter


A MAINTENANCE team of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) found a bug in the telephone handset in the house of former President Corazon Aquino on Times Street, Quezon City late Wednesday afternoon.

Immediately, the Armed Forces denied on Thursday that it bugged the telephone of Aquino saying that the military “never penetrated” the house of the former president.

Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro, chief of the Armed Forces public information office, said there is no effort on the part of the military to spy on Aquino even as he fingered “some groups with interests.” He did not elaborate.

Senior Supt. Magtanggol Gatdula, Quezon City police commander, who rushed to the house of Aquino said the bug was found by a PLDT maintenance team in the telephone handset at around 4:45 p.m. Wednesday.

Gatdula said the device has been turned over to him. An investigation on the wiretapping incident is underway, Gatdula said.

While quickly denying that the military has something to do with the wiretapping, Bacarro would not confirm nor deny that the Armed Forces or other government agencies have the capability to do it.

But he said that “many people can do it.”

“With the advances in technology, marami ng magagaling diyan, gaya ng nabanggit ko pagta-tap sa wire, an ordinary telephone. We can use it, ia-attach mo lang sa ganyan it will serve as an extension but the one thing definite we have no such effort against the former president,” Bacarro said.

He said that even the Armed Forces wants to know who did it to Aquino.

“This would be something that should be looked into at malaman natin sino perpetrators behind it, from then on we can determine their objective,” he said.

Bacarro lamented that the Armed Forces has become the “usual suspect” whenever there is a controversial issue.

PLDT said that it is conducting further investigation into the telephone bugging incident at the home of the former president.

In a statement, PLDT said a maintenance crew conducting routine inspection of the company’s facilities, discovered upon opening the company’s cross-connect cabinet located on Times Street, an instrument which appeared to be a tape recorder attached to a black box.

Upon further investigation, the PLDT crew discovered that the black box to which the said tape recorder was attached was connected to the telephone line installed at the residence of Aquino.

Following standard operating procedure, the PLDT crew members removed the black box and at the same time informed the customer of their action.

^^Napaka low tech naman ng pamamaraan ng wire tapping na yan. Kahit ako pwede kong gawin yan... kaya malabong my kinalaman ang PNP or AFP dyan :lol:

Smart, Mediaquest start test broadcast of mobile TV
By Mary Ann Ll. Reyes
The Philippine Star 03/07/2007

On March 11, Filipinos can start watching their favorite television programs on their mobile phones.

Now under test broadcast, the new mobile TV service will be offered by PLDT subsidiary Mediaquest Holdings together with Smart Communications. The service is broadcast using the mobile TV platform called digital video broadcasting – handheld (DVB-H).

Initially available in Metro Manila, Cebu and Davao, the test broadcast service offers nine channels including 24-hour news channels CNN, BBC World and CNBC, sports channel Basketball TV, leisure and entertainment channels such as Jack TV and Fashion TV, and music channel MTV.

To access the service, a Smart or Talk N’Text subscriber must use a DVB-H enabled handset. The service will initially be available to a few trial participants during the test period. A mobile TV-enabled handset currently costs around $400 per unit although company officials said ways are being studied to bring down the cost to subscribers.

Mediaquest president and chief executive officer Orlando Vea said mobile TV offers television in ways that are both comfortably familiar and excitingly novel.

For his part, Smart president and CEO Napoleon Nazareno noted that the goal is to introduce an exciting new dimension to TV viewing in the Philippines. "We are giving TV a new face – that of the mobile handset. People can watch the programs they love on conventional TV," he said.

Vea added: "The difference is they can do this on the go, wherever they are, whenever they need or want to watch the program. Later on, they will enjoy new types of TV shows designed especially for viewing on the screens of mobile phones."

A wholly-owned subsidiary of the PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund, Mediaquest has interests in various media-related ventures, including a controlling interest in Nation Broadcasting Corp.(NBC) which operates a network of radio and TV stations, a minority interest in Sky Cable, and a 30-percent interest in a newspaper company.

NBC will provide the broadcast service while Smart will provide the marketing and infrastructure support of its mobile phone service.

Once commercial operations commence middle of this year, the service will be available to all Smart and Talk ‘N Text subscribers either on a post-paid or prepaid basis.

The new mobile TV service differs from video streaming and video download services currently offered through 3G networks. The latter allow video streaming, for example, that delivers video content to individual phone users using the cellular network.

Diba ang N95 ready na for this? pati yung satellite locator hindi pa pala gumagana with globe...pero mabilis sya with searching for WAN...pero mabagal ang downloading

Potential telco market: 15M (http://businessmirror.com.ph/05082007/headlines07.html)
By Lenie Lectura
Reporter

THERE are still 15 million potential wireless subscribers that mobile phone firms can continue courting before the wireless penetration rate hits 60 percent by 2010, Globe president Gerardo Ablaza said Monday.

The country’s second largest cellular operator said mobile penetration rate stood at 49 to 50 percent at end-2006.

Given the level of penetration at 49 percent, Ablaza said this indicates that by 2010, cellular penetration rate could well get into the vicinity of about 60 percent, representing about 58 million subscribers.

“So between 2006 and 2010, we could very well see incremental SIMs (subscriber identification module) of as much as 15 million. So that’s not a small number. The challenge is to make sure that these SIMs continue to be at a level of average revenue per user,” he said in an interview.

Globe closed the first quarter with a cellular subscriber base of 16.9 million, as it added 1.3 million new subscribers during the first three months of the year from 15.7 million at end-2006.

Ablaza said that 80 percent to 85 percent of the company’s wireless subscribers are considered “unique” subscribers with the remaining 15 to 20 percent having more than one SIM card.

“Based on our latest pulsing, we have between 15-percent and 20-percent multiple SIM usage of our total cellular subscriber base,” said Ablaza.

Postpaid subscribers account for about 5 percent of the cellular subscriber base, but they contribute about 20 to 23 percent of the revenues. The prepaid subscribers make up 95 percent of the base, and contribute the revenue balance of about 77 percent, said the Globe official.

“Short messaging service [SMS] base revenues are between 40 percent and 45 percent, but within that 45 percent as much as 90 percent are still person-to- person SMS, 10 percent is value-added service,” said Ablaza.

The joint venture between Ayala Corp. and SingTel earns P0.25-per-text-message sent. Currently, it handles an average of 300 million text messages daily.

To prevent Globe subscribers from switching to other networks, Ablaza said the company continues to offer more services to strengthen ties relationships with its customers.

“Each of our subscribers has a different set of needs. It is very important to have the right combination of tariffs or pricing with the services that are relevant to each of those segments, as well as the ability to communicate in different ways with those segments,” he
explained.

The company spent a total of P 3.1 billion in capital expenditures (capex) in the first quarter, as part of its programmed spending of P17 billion, roughly $350 million, for this year, up from the P14.8 billion that Globe spent in 2006.

Of the amount, $190 million is earmarked for broadband services and the remaining will be spent to bankroll the rollout of its 2G (second generation) network.

Ablaza said Globe will spend almost $190 million for broadband services next year.

The company is also investing in the back-end facilities needed to support its broadband thrusts and to meet the growing demand for international bandwidth. Globe will participate in a new cable project spearheaded by VSNL International, a member of the Tata Group of India, which will set up a trans-Asian submarine cable system that will link the Philippines to Hong Kong and Singapore, with connectivity via the TGN Pacific network to Japan, Guam and the United States.

Globe will be the exclusive landing party in the Philippines to this cable system, expected to be completed by the second half of 2008. Total estimated cost to Globe is about $90 million, including the costs of capacity within Asia and the US, a new landing station, and domestic backhaul.

Globe’s net profit in the first quarter declined by 25 percent to P2.6 billion, mainly due to the prepayment of a $300-million bond it made last month.

“The momentum in the first quarter continued in April. We hope this will continue in the second and third months of this quarter,” said Ablaza.

Mobile carrier launches unlimited calls from U.S. to Philippines (http://www.philippinenews.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=fc6ddaee6af8fa6a2feae26d1860a4ad)

Next Mobile, Inc. (NMI,) the Philippines’ newest mobile telephone System (MTS) operator, has unveiled an innovative service that will change the way US-based Filipinos communicate to their relatives in the Philippines.

Last February, NMI launched a service called the Myworld phone. It is a mobile phone service that comes with two phone numbers: a Philippine number and a US number. With this feature, US-based Filipinos can just dial the US number and the Myworld phone of their relative in the Philippines will ring. Myworld phone offers unlimited calls for a flat monthly rate and since it has a local US number, no long distance toll charges apply. The phone can also be used to call other carriers in the Philippines or to make IDD calls.

It’s easy to subscribe to the service. One can visit the website at www.myworld.ph or call its toll-free number to subscribe via credit card, and NMI will take care of shipping the phone unit to the Philippine recipient. Or, the relatives in the Philippines can visit any of the NMI business centers to purchase the phone over the counter. It is also very convenient to use the MyWorld phone service, as there is no need to install any device or connect to the Internet. One can call by just dialing the number directly: No need for PIN or password.

NMI is all set to aggressively pursue the burgeoning market created by the millions of overseas Filipinos who stay abroad permanently as immigrants, or temporarily as overseas workers. The service is also available in other countries with high Filipino population such as Canada, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Australia, Japan, Ireland and soon in the Middle East countries.

NMI officials explained that this service intends to benefit Filipinos working and living abroad, as well as their relatives in the Philippines, by providing a means of communication that will nurture the close family ties value of the Filipinos and to compensate the physical loss by providing a stress free facility to call their loved ones.

For its launch offering in the US Market, NMI is giving away the phone unit (a Motorola i95) for free for those who will subscribe for a one-year service.

NMI (formerly Nextel Communications Philippines) currently has a network covering the entire Metro Manila: from Baguio in North Luzon and up to Batangas in Southern Luzon. Currently, expansion in the Visayas is on the way, with the Cebu coverage available by end of May 2007. Its services will soon expand to Davao and other key cities nationwide.

Three billion and counting
THE X-PAT FILES By Scott R. Garceau
Saturday, May 19, 2007
http://www.philstar.com/index.php?p=49&type=2&sec=46&aid=2983

India is too big to comprehend on a three-day trip. But one thing I learned during a recent visit to New Delhi is that there are hundreds of millions of farmers in rural India who have gone without simple telephones and reliable communication services for quite a long time.

Something else I learned is that many of them will soon own Nokia phones that are even more sophisticated than my own.

You see, I am what Nokia refers to as an “entry-level user.” Despite all the features available on the market, I have not bothered to move beyond my basic calling and texting needs. I still tote around a primitive Nokia 3330. It’s not that I couldn’t upgrade if I felt like it — it’s just something I never got around to doing.

Those hundreds of millions of rural Indians, on the other hand, will soon have a line of seven new Nokia phones to choose from — all of them under $120. The cheapest, most basic models — the 1200 and 1208, both available for around $45 — have color screens and a built-in flashlight for brownout-prone rural areas. In this alone, they already kick my 3330’s ass, in terms of features.

But my cell phone’s limitations are beside the point; Nokia’s rollout of new mobiles was why we were in New Delhi. The Finnish company claims 36 percent of the world’s market for cell phones, and it’s looking for its next billion customers. Where is it looking? How about India, the fastest-growing cellphone market, with a population of 1.06 billion people — a place that adds six million cellphone subscribers per month, or 10 every second?

Nokia originally wanted to hold its launch at Safdurjung Railway Station in Delhi — symbolic of the country’s still widely used rail connections, serving 11 million people. But logistics instead led them to set up mock train tracks inside the Shangri-La Hotel conference room, where Nokia’s senior vice president of Entry Business Unit Mobile Phones Soren Petersen, vice president and managing director of Customer and Market Operations for India D. Shivakumar, and senior vice president of Customer and Market Operations in Asia Urpo Karjalainen waved railway flags onstage to kick off Nokia’s penetration drive.

Driving around Delhi’s streets before the Nokia launch, I was surprised: the weather was a lot milder than the 45 to 48 (Celsius) degrees we had been warned about. Even more strange, there were no people in Delhi. I mean, very few. For a city of 13.78 million, it was eerie. No traffic. Few pedestrians. Where do you hide 13.78 million people? It turned out to be Buddha’s birthday, a holiday, so most people were probably praying in temples or had left town. The weather could be explained by unseasonable rain showers, which brought the Celsius down to a manageable 28 degrees.

We settled in for Nokia’s road show — a program titled “Everyone Has A Reason,” suggesting that cell phones are not only flashy gadgets for India’s small population of rich urban professionals, but a necessary communication device for poor and emerging markets in rural areas. Nokia has successfully used this approach before in Africa. Ads emphasize the security and comfort of owning a cell phone — hot-button selling points for women, it turns out. For men, there’s the possibility of bringing their farming business into the 21st century through greater efficiency — ordering spare parts, livestock feed, etc. In short, there are a billion specialized reasons to own a phone out in the boonies — and Nokia has crafted plenty of ads and models to drive home the point.

Of course, owning a phone is only part of the game. After scraping together five months’ salary to afford your first $45 Nokia, you have to have server access in remote areas — a task Nokia’s partner, Siemens Technology, has been working on. The short-term solution seems to be the Village Connection — a system of micro-entrepreneurial setups, basically people operating a widespread network of wireless antennas to reach 200 phone users at a time — until national coverage happens.

Of course, the Philippines has been there with national wireless coverage for about half a decade. But the Philippines is much smaller in size and population, and its people have shown a unique adaptability to new modes of communication. Hell, Filipinos arguably got the world texting in the first place!

A chat with Nokia’s Antonio Torres, director of Business, Development and Industry Marketing for Mobile Phones, confirmed that the Philippines is no longer considered an entry-level market. He cited prepaid phone cards, and how Smart’s innovative low-load cards led to a high 45-percent penetration among Filipinos. Clearly, the Philippines is not a place that needs instruction on the joys of owning a cell phone. “I would say the Philippines was an early adaptor” to consumer-driven mobile phone use, Torres noted. That’s an understatement.

Still, these seven new Nokia phones will be launched to salivating customers in the Philippines by the third quarter of 2007. While at the press event, I unsuccessfully tried to purchase myself a 2630, known as the “Barracuda” — the sleekest mid-range model, equipped with GPRS, Bluetooth, WAP browser, FM radio, MP3, video recorder and 2-megapixel camera. No dice; I’ll have to wait until it comes out in Manila.

Besides the entry-level 1200 and 1208, there’s the Nokia 1650 (a step up with an FM radio, voice recorder and greater pixels); there’s also the Nokia 2505 CDMA, a clamshell model with an FM radio and high-color screen, for “the style-conscious consumer who craves simplicity”; and the 2660 and 2760, loaded with the same features as the “Barracuda,” though less flashy in design.

Later, Petersen explained that Nokia understands the needs of the emerging market, the billion people for whom a personal computer may be an unrealistic dream — but a cell phone that can connect to the Internet could actually be attainable.

“At entry level — especially in the Third World or emerging rural markets, like India or Africa — it’s all about value and trust,” he said. In, say, northern Rajasthan, where tractors and camels are more plentiful than cars, a customer’s biggest concern won’t be flashy features, it’ll be a phone with a long battery life. “This might be a 30-euro phone, but still, for these people, it’s five months’ salary,” Petersen added.

Still, this emerging market is where 80 percent of Nokia’s next billion phone sales will come from. And the trick is to keep them coming back. “It’s about quality,” Petersen noted. “You won’t be able to find something better at that price. You can find a shady guy down an alley selling reconditioned phones, or cheaper knockoffs, but not the same quality.”

“Buying a phone represents the same thought process for the rural customer as a mid-income consumer buying a car,” added Shivakumar. “They can’t afford to buy something that will break down.”

And, it need not be added, cell phones are a lot cheaper than computers — never mind Dell’s long-promised $100 computer. “A recent report says the $100 computer now costs $175 to build. And I can tell you, for $175, we can sell an awful lot of these,” said Petersen, holding up a Nokia 1650.

“I believe the notion of a PC in every rural home on the outskirts of Africa or other outlying areas is not achievable,” he continued. “With our knowledge of what it costs — we buy display screens, we understand the cost basis of displaying anything — I’m much more a believer that this thing will happen through the cellular technology and cell phones. We do as good Internet connectivity and all the applications, and you don’t actually need anything else for access.”

In rural India, he explained, people will probably buy a TV before they buy a refrigerator. In the future, he hinted, this TV screen will be a display for their cell phone’s Internet connectivity.

We couldn’t help pointing out to Petersen that, in the Philippines, people will purchase a cell phone before they buy a TV or a refrigerator, and a prepaid cell phone card instead of food. But that’s just because they like to stay connected.

I couldn't agree more with the last paragraph...

NTC looking at reducing proposed
P75 registration fee for cellphones (http://businessmirror.com.ph/05222007/economy04.html)

By Lenie Lectura
Reporter


THE National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) is looking at reducing the P75 sticker registration fee for every handset offered for sale in the market after the proposal elicited strong opposition from mobile phone firms, cellphone manufacturers and dealers.

The fees may be reduced to P25, said NTC director Edgardo Cabarios in his recommendation to the NTC chief and deputy commissioners. The revised draft circular is being circulated to all the NTC departments for comments.

Cabarios also recommended that the proposed new sticker shall replace all other stickers that are attached at the back of every mobile phone.

There are two stickers located at the back of the handsets.

The NTC’s 2001 circular, for instance, provides for the attachment of a tamper-proof sticker on each mobile phone. There is also a sticker for each cellphone with bluetooth capability.

In a nutshell, industry stakeholders said the proposed P75 sticker fee is too high and that the primary purpose of the draft circular does not address its purpose, partakes of a tax and is a mere rehash of existing circulars issued by the NTC.

“These concerns have been addressed in the second draft. The proposed sticker fee is P25, instead of P75, and that the new sticker replaces all other stickers required under existing rules,” said Cabarios.

The NTC is proposing a regulation which requires the purchase of a sticker from NTC for every handset offered for sale in the market. Handset manufacturers and suppliers must register new and used units for P75 each, regardless of the make, type and model of the handset. This is on top of the existing P1,700 registration fee that manufacturers already pay the NTC for every handset set for release.

The NTC will produce and distribute the sticker, which will be at least 20mm x 20mm to fit with the sizes of cellular phones.

The commission will come up with a database of all cellular phones with issued sticker to include information such as the make/type/model of the cellular phone, international mobile equipment identifier, bluetooth and other wireless access devises installed in the cellular phones, date of issuance and other information such as the name of grantee and address.

Suppliers, distributors, dealers, sellers engaged in the purchase, sale, lease and/or retail of cellular phones without NTC-approved sticker shall be fined P5,000 per unit.

Nokia and Sony Ericsson said the proposed imposition is unduly burdensome to legitimate importers and sellers of mobile phones because this would ultimately be borne by the consumer, thus hindering the delivery of telecommunications services.

The NTC agrees that the proposed P75 registration fee, if passed on to consumers, will increase the prices of the mobile phones. But the increase, it said, is minimal considering that the handset prices range from P3,000 per unit to tens of thousands of pesos.

Globe Telecom and Smart Communications Inc. said the planned regulation is a consumer burden, a rehash of existing circulars and tantamount to taxation.

Globe head for regulatory affairs, Froilan Castelo, said grave doubts surrounds the actual implementation of the sticker registration.

The NTC, however, said that since the registration fee covers only the cost of regulation then the imposition is not a tax.

With only 12 regional NTC offices, Castelo said individuals who want to sell their cellphones will have to travel long distances to have their handsets registered. While this is a valid concern, the NTC said it will implement measures, such as “licensing and registration on wheels,” to see to it that individuals who want to register their cellphones will not travel.

The NTC also said that the proposed measure is not redundant and unnecessary, saying it is aimed at enhancing existing NTC circulars.

Digitel to invest P12B for 2007 expansion (http://businessmirror.com.ph/05292007/companies01.html)

COMPANY TO USE INTERNAL CASH AND BORROWINGS TO FUND CAPEX
By Lenie Lectura
Reporter


GOKONGWEI-OWNED Digital Telecommunications Philippines Inc. has committed to invest $240 million, roughly P12 billion, this year to expand its wireless and wireline infrastructures.

Of the amount, $40 million will go to fixedline and data businesses while Sun Cellular, the mobile brand of Digital Telecommunications, also known as Digitel, will eat up $200 million of the programmed capital expenditure (capex) this year.

The company will use internal funds and borrowings to finance the expansion program this year. “There are ongoing talks for borrowing,” said Digitel senior vice president Tess Castillo.

During yesterday’s annual general meeting, Digitel president Lance Gokongwei said Sun Cellular allocates P11 billion for additional network infrastructure every year.

This will allow Sun Cellular to accommodate up to 10 million subscribers and increase the number of its cellular sites nationwide to 2,400 by the end of 2007.

Sun Cellular chief executive officer Charles Lim said the phone firm has now signed up three million mobile phone subscribers from a little less than two million at end-2006.

The company is targeting to hit more than four million subscribers by yearend but does not see a swing to profit until 2008 or 2009.

“We are growing significantly now in both postpaid and prepaid segments. We now have three million cellular subscribers. We expect that our subscribers this year will grow to at least more than double from last year,” said Lim.

Last year’s network expansion, Lim said has helped enhance the company’s capacity to handle more calls, text messaging, as well as data and multimedia services.

“Last year, we did a lot of network improvement which we believe is what drives growth now for the company. We realize that a lot of our subscribers are into unlimited services.

As a result Digitel changed its integrated network system, the core of its prepaid service. It also continued the rollout and expansion of its capacity so that by 2007, the company would be able to deliver uninterrupted service, Lim said.

Sun Cellular handles up to 80 million text messages a day. Lim said the network could handle 7,500 messages per second.

According to Lim, Sun Cellular is now ‘technically 3G capable.’

More than a year after Digitel’s cellular arm, Digitel Mobile Philippines Inc., was awarded a 3G (third generation) license in December 2005, the firm is now ready to offer 3G services.

“Our 3G service is technically available now. We can actually do a soft launch in the second half of this year,” Lim said.

Digitel is waiting for 3G-handset prices to go down to a level affordable to the mass market. A 3G handset now sells for at least P12,000.

Digitel’s 3G investment is included in this year’s capex allotted for wireless network expansion. “We utilize it as necessary,” Lim said.

“We expect to be Ebitda positive in the last quarter of the year,” said Lim.

Originally, Sun Cellular wanted to break-even on Ebitda last year and to start registering profits by 2007. Parent Digitel suffered a net loss of P440 million in the first quarter of the year.

The company was in the red from January to March mainly due to a stronger peso and an increase in expenses.

Also, the higher use of cellular phones over landlines has hurt the company’s fixed-line business.

“The decline is partly attributable to the impact of the continued appreciation of the peso, which affected revenues from international tolls and monthly recurring charges and accounts for about a quarter of the decline over last year’s revenues,” according to Digitel’s first quarter report.

Also, the typhoons that hit the country in the last quarter of 2006, particularly in the Bicol region, continue to adversely impact monthly recurring and toll revenues.

Digitel wireline head Policarpio Pau said the company will spend $40 million for its fixedline and data services. “The capex will go to our backbone transmission to extend our fiber optic reach. We are also spending for our wireless project,” he said.

who knows about virtual landline phone being offered by globe..wherein you can bring it anywhere?


Speak 'n surf.
internet and phone for just a thousand pesos. And yes, you can activate the roaming option.

It's way better than smart bro.

^^I have to check that out! Smart Bro is really frustrating at times.

^^I have to check that out! Smart Bro is really frustrating at times.


In terms of features it's way better than smart bro. Phone/internet in one for just a thousand pesos. It's the best bang for the buck sabi nga nila:)

Not pretty sure though about the performance and stability of the connection.

Globelines Broadband is actually more disappointing than PLDT MyDSL or SMART Bro. :yes:

and they have this lock-in period for 24 months?

^ Yeah. Pero pwede naman daw mapawalang-bisa ang lock in period sa kanila if bigyan mo sila ng konting "barya" :yes:

Yeah, PLDT, mahal kong PLDT.

Nag apply ako ng dsl internet November 2006 and get connected only this January 2007. Ilang buwan ding walang kita ang inet cafe. Applied for a 2mbps speed subscription but the highest speed I could get was only 900kbps. Wala pa sa kalahati, ng advertised speed nila. Helpdesk nila helpless, sarap nga pagmumurahin, hehehe, pero galit na galit ako kunyari, at yung supervisor na ang gusto kong makausap.
Sabi ko kung talagang hindi kaya ibigay yung 2mbps, I am asking for a downgrade of my subscription. Ang sagot eh, magbabayad daw ako sa downgrade. Anak ng tipaklong, bakit ako ang magbabayad eh, kayo tong may kasalanan at hindi nyo kaya ibigay ang speed. Walang kakuwenta kwenta ang helpdesk nila, pati emails 2 weeks bago makakuha ng reply.
Makapunta nga sa business office nila. Anak ng tinapa, ganun din, sabi sa akin sumulat na lang sa area head tungkol sa problema. Akala siguro nila hindi ako susulat, sinulatan ko nga, umaga ako gumawa ng sulat, kinagabihan, nagulat ako sa speed nagiging 2.5mbps. hahaha, nalaman ko na lang pinagalitan sila ng boss nila, hindi raw kasi marunong sumagot at mag ayos ng problema.

Sinasadya din pala talaga na mababa lang ang speed na binibigay kahit ang subscription ay mas mataas. Malay ba ng mga business owners kung tama yung speed na nakukukha nila. Kung walang reklamo, lusot sila. Meron daw kababalaghan nangyayari dyan, yung ibang bandwidth DAW, binibigay sa ibang nagbabayad under da table.

^ Sa aming Globelines Broadband, nagpaupgrade lang kami recently from 384kbps to 1mbps ngunit recent speed tests show na hanggang 600kbps lang ang naaabot ng connection namin. Hmmm, Globe!

Teka, how about BayanTel? Yung mga advertisement nila na nagmamalaking "you will not pay for something you're not satisfied with" at ginawa pa nilang halimbawa yung papasok ka sa isang pay parking building tapos wala kang makitang vacant slot tapos magdedecide kang lumabas nalang ngunit may parking fee pa rin. So, may katotohanan ba ang claim ng BayanTel?

ang alam ko pag walang service kunyari, binagyo, kung ilang araw o linggo na walang connection may rebates ka raw.

ako hindi ko tinigilan hanggat hindi naibibigay ang tamang speed, ngayon masaya na ako, kahit paminsanminsan DC, sa area ko kasi shop ko lang ang may mabilis na connection, kahit netopia sa SM super bagal sabi ng mga customers ko.

^ So may mga suki ka na? Congratulations on your business venture! :okay:

^ So may mga suki ka na? Congratulations on your business venture! :okay:


So far it's doing good kahit walang pasok sa school. :) Suki? Marami-rami na rin kahit mas mataas charge ko. Sa kabilang shop 15/hour ako 20 to 25/hr. Pili na lang ang customer sa reasonably priced (instant play ang youtube) o sa mura na maghinhintay ka ng ilang minuto para mag play ang youtube.:)

question why do filipinos that i talked to in the philippines always keep saying that DSL is faster than Cable internet? is cable over there that slow?

From what I've learned cable internet, the highest speed is only 512kbps (yan lang alam ko na na inooffer sa residential) while DSL could deliver as high as 2.7mbps, and I've heard some ISP is offering a 5mbps subscription.

Pag dumadami rin ang subscriber ng cable, naghahati na kayo sa bandwidth.

Nakakairita ang Smart and other ISP's na yan. Ang mahal mahal ng binabayad mo, ang bagal naman ng serbisyo, malayo sa kung ano ang ipinapakita nila sa TV and ads! hmmp!

bad trip pldt my dsl., hindi naman siya mabagal, hindi naman ako demanding sa bilis :grin: .., pero napaka unstable.,!!! unreliable! :lol:

^ Ako, nakaGlobelines Broadband. 1mbps ang contract namin pero all I get is 600kbps at the most. And ngayon, weird siya, 'di ko maaccess lahat ng sites, pero nakakaYM ako. It goes back to normal if I restart my connection. Pero after a few minutes, ayan na naman! :rant:

from the start dapat nireklamo nyo na. Ako nga sinulatan ko yung area head ng dsl dept ng pldt, ayon solved ang problema. Stable naman ang connection ko.

yung PLDT kong bundle..ang bagal ..lalo na kapag 5 pm up to 7 pm...gumagapang sa lusak....

Can we change the name of this thread:

complaint department of Globe, PLDT, and Smartbro.....

press 1 for globe

press 2 for PLDT...mydsl

press 3 for smartbro

and press 4 if you still cannot read these lines due to poor connections

From what I've learned cable internet, the highest speed is only 512kbps (yan lang alam ko na na inooffer sa residential) while DSL could deliver as high as 2.7mbps, and I've heard some ISP is offering a 5mbps subscription.

Pag dumadami rin ang subscriber ng cable, naghahati na kayo sa bandwidth.

meep :nuts:

Geez I guess that's why filipinos think that cable is slow. I have a 10mb download/2mb upload but the most i get is 8.5mb download/1.5 upload.

Even at peak hours it's pretty stable. I used to have dsl too.

Maybe power companies over there can compete too for Power-line internet
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power-line_internet

wakatrex..san ang location mo?

wakatrex..san ang location mo?
Near Washington DC, US

yung PLDT kong bundle..ang bagal ..lalo na kapag 5 pm up to 7 pm...gumagapang sa lusak....


:lol: natatraffic din?:lol: rush hour yan ah:lol: saan ba location mo?:lol:

wala pang 3g sa us no? mga cel napaka '02 sa pinas... galing talaga ng smart at globe

:lol: natatraffic din?:lol: rush hour yan ah:lol: saan ba location mo?:lol:

makati

wala pang 3g sa us no? mga cel napaka '02 sa pinas... galing talaga ng smart at globe


3G is available, but not many people know about it. Mostly asians are the ones who knows about it.

Actually to be honest, I'm not sure if 3G is a wise investment in the long term, I would think Wifi/Wimax and more internet technologies would have been a better choice.

Then use a skype phone instead to call/text pretty much anyone in the world for free. :lol:

^^ totoo yan!kaya nga gus2 ko sana bumili ng n80 eh! dahil may wifi! yung kaibigan ko nakakapag internet sa phone niya LIBRE eh ako may 3g nga may bayad naman

Filipinos can SMS money home, Indons to follow suit soon

KUALA LUMPUR: Thousands of Filipino workers can now send money to their families and other dependants in the Philippines within seconds through mobile phone service messaging, and without going through banks.

Maxis Communications Berhad and the Philippine’s telecommunications company Globe Telecom yesterday launched the world’s first international mobile-to-mobile money transfer service, between the two countries.

The service, approved by Bank Negara, allows users to transfer up to PHP6,500 (RM500) per transaction at RM5 per transaction and 15 sen for each SMS, half the transaction fee of banks, said Maxis chief executive officer Sandip Das.

Up to RM10,000 can be transferred per day at no charge to recipients who receive the money in pesos based on daily exchange rates.

Easy enough: Das (left) and De la Cruz showing how the mobile-tomobile money transfer service works in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
The service will benefit 20,000 Filipino Maxis subscribers in Malaysia, Das said.

“The service is part of a larger picture of us being a strong service provider for the immigrant population,” he said.

“We will not replace the banking institutions for international remittance but provide customers an alternative solution to sending money in micro arrangements, at a lower fee and a greater convenience,” he said.

The service will also be made available for Indonesians in Malaysia before the end of the month and other countries later in the year, he said.

It is estimated that there are 150,000 Indonesian mobile phone users in Malaysia, he said.

On receipt of an SMS confirmation, a recipient can withdraw the money through any of Globe’s GCash 6,000 outlets in the Philippines, as well as rural banks, pawnshops and retail outlets and pay for things and tuition fees in some places without cashing it out, said Globe’s head of consumer business Ferdz De la Cruz.

Globe cries foul vs Smart, PilTel
(Business Mirror, Lenie Lectura, 6/27/2007)




GLOBE Telecom again asked the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to tell Smart Communications Inc. and Pilipino Telephone Corp., or PilTel, to stop their promotional offers in violation of anticompetitive and discriminatory laws.

This is the fourth complaint Globe lodged against the group of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) since 2005.

“PilTel and Smart have the penchant for violating the rules prohibiting anti-competitive behavior, and the promos are but the latest in its many such violations. This is a clear and unmistakable manifestation of their unmitigated arrogance and lack of respect for the Commission and its rules,” according to Globe head for regulatory affairs Froilan Castelo.

The latest complaint, according to Castelo, was recently filed with the commission.

Castelo was referring to the All Text Plus promo of Smart and PilTel and PilTel’s Gaan Text Plus 10. The first promo allows subscribers to send 90 Smart-to- Smart and Smart-to-PilTel text messages plus 10 more to other networks and P1 airtime for only P20. The other promo allows PilTel subscribers to send 40 PilTel-to-PilTel and PilTel-to-Smart text messages and five more to other networks for one day.

According to Castelo, PilTel and Smart are extending to each other favorable rates without offering the same to Globe.

Under the first promo, text messages from Smart to PilTel cost only P0.177 per message, while under the second promo, text messages from a PilTel to a Smart subscriber are only P0.12 each. These rates, said Castelo, are far below the prevailing short message service interconnect charge of P0.40 per text message.

When sought for comment, Smart legal head Rogelio Quevedo denied that the cellular units of PLDT are giving preferential rates to one another.

“The discriminatory and predatory accusations do not exist in the Smart-PilTel arrangement because we actually offer the same access charges under the same circumstances to all similarly situated carries,” said Quevedo in an interview.

Castelo said PilTel and Smart are using their facilities management agreement, which had been approved by the commission, as an excuse to legitimize their so-called “insidious pricing scheme.”

Under the said agreement, Smart and PilTel are not interconnected. Smart merely manages the PilTel network.

But Castelo said the agreement does not regard PilTel and Smart networks as one network. “The authority given by the NTC is merely approving Smart’s facilities management, administrative support and customer service management over PilTel. Nothing more, nothing less. It does not authorize the merger of Smart and PilTel and thus exempt them from paying access charges to one another.”

Quevedo said Globe should focus on competing effectively rather than complain on the promotional offer of other carriers.

“The NTC is not the battlefield but it is in the hands of the subscribers who have placed their confidence in Smart and PilTel. Sad to say, Globe is already lagging behind. That is why we have more subscribers than Globe. They should step up their marketing efforts so that they can match the same offerings of Smart and PilTel rather than fight us at the NTC with their complaint,” said Quevedo.

Quevedo also said that Globe’s latest complaint is a rehash of complaints submitted to the NTC.

Castelo said his complaint again involves discriminatory practices. The promos, which Castelo said are clear examples of cutthroat pricing schemes and ruinous competition, must be stopped as this may force carriers to drastically lower their airtime rates with the resulting deterioration of service quality.

“PilTel and Smart have again crossed the line so clearly drawn by the NTC. PilTel, Smart and PLDT are repeat offenders when it comes to the NTC’s policy against discriminatory pricing, dating back from 2005 to the present,” Castelo said.

PLDT was engaged in a similar dispute with Globe when the latter accused the phone giant of engaging in predatory and discriminatory acts for offering unlimited calls to Smart and PilTel subscribers for P10 for 10 minutes.

The issue was resolved only after PLDT pulled out its unlimited offering and agreed to implement existing access charges. Globe, on the other hand, withdrew its administrative complaint against PLDT.

This was the same argument raised by Globe last year when it accused Smart and PilTel of unfair and discriminatory practices in their All Day-Texting 258 Call + Text promo.

The same charges were raised by Globe against the cellular firms’ Load All Text 20 and P10 and P15 Flat Rate service promos.

“With the elimination of other carriers, this promotional scheme smacks then of discrimination, as well as cutthroat competition, in violation of NTC Memorandum Circular 14-7-2000 and the Orders of the Honorable Commission in NTC Case 2005-022,” Globe said.

The commission defines predatory pricing in a 2002 circular as a situation where a rate is below the appropriate cost of supplying the service, and is at a level that is so low that it cannot be sustained in the long term when compared to the charges for interconnect services.

wow! ang mura mura na talaga ng service sa pinas.... verizon sucks here...

wow! ang mura mura na talaga ng service sa pinas.... verizon sucks here...

Cellphone or internet service? our place has FIOS available for internet, I've heard good things about that though. not sure about their cellphone service.

Globe cries foul vs Smart, PilTel
(Business Mirror, Lenie Lectura, 6/27/2007)




GLOBE Telecom again asked the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to tell Smart Communications Inc. and Pilipino Telephone Corp., or PilTel, to stop their promotional offers in violation of anticompetitive and discriminatory laws.

This is the fourth complaint Globe lodged against the group of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) since 2005.

“PilTel and Smart have the penchant for violating the rules prohibiting anti-competitive behavior, and the promos are but the latest in its many such violations. This is a clear and unmistakable manifestation of their unmitigated arrogance and lack of respect for the Commission and its rules,” according to Globe head for regulatory affairs Froilan Castelo.

The latest complaint, according to Castelo, was recently filed with the commission.

Castelo was referring to the All Text Plus promo of Smart and PilTel and PilTel’s Gaan Text Plus 10. The first promo allows subscribers to send 90 Smart-to- Smart and Smart-to-PilTel text messages plus 10 more to other networks and P1 airtime for only P20. The other promo allows PilTel subscribers to send 40 PilTel-to-PilTel and PilTel-to-Smart text messages and five more to other networks for one day.

According to Castelo, PilTel and Smart are extending to each other favorable rates without offering the same to Globe.

Under the first promo, text messages from Smart to PilTel cost only P0.177 per message, while under the second promo, text messages from a PilTel to a Smart subscriber are only P0.12 each. These rates, said Castelo, are far below the prevailing short message service interconnect charge of P0.40 per text message.

When sought for comment, Smart legal head Rogelio Quevedo denied that the cellular units of PLDT are giving preferential rates to one another.

“The discriminatory and predatory accusations do not exist in the Smart-PilTel arrangement because we actually offer the same access charges under the same circumstances to all similarly situated carries,” said Quevedo in an interview.

Castelo said PilTel and Smart are using their facilities management agreement, which had been approved by the commission, as an excuse to legitimize their so-called “insidious pricing scheme.”

Under the said agreement, Smart and PilTel are not interconnected. Smart merely manages the PilTel network.

But Castelo said the agreement does not regard PilTel and Smart networks as one network. “The authority given by the NTC is merely approving Smart’s facilities management, administrative support and customer service management over PilTel. Nothing more, nothing less. It does not authorize the merger of Smart and PilTel and thus exempt them from paying access charges to one another.”

Quevedo said Globe should focus on competing effectively rather than complain on the promotional offer of other carriers.

“The NTC is not the battlefield but it is in the hands of the subscribers who have placed their confidence in Smart and PilTel. Sad to say, Globe is already lagging behind. That is why we have more subscribers than Globe. They should step up their marketing efforts so that they can match the same offerings of Smart and PilTel rather than fight us at the NTC with their complaint,” said Quevedo.

Quevedo also said that Globe’s latest complaint is a rehash of complaints submitted to the NTC.

Castelo said his complaint again involves discriminatory practices. The promos, which Castelo said are clear examples of cutthroat pricing schemes and ruinous competition, must be stopped as this may force carriers to drastically lower their airtime rates with the resulting deterioration of service quality.

“PilTel and Smart have again crossed the line so clearly drawn by the NTC. PilTel, Smart and PLDT are repeat offenders when it comes to the NTC’s policy against discriminatory pricing, dating back from 2005 to the present,” Castelo said.

PLDT was engaged in a similar dispute with Globe when the latter accused the phone giant of engaging in predatory and discriminatory acts for offering unlimited calls to Smart and PilTel subscribers for P10 for 10 minutes.

The issue was resolved only after PLDT pulled out its unlimited offering and agreed to implement existing access charges. Globe, on the other hand, withdrew its administrative complaint against PLDT.

This was the same argument raised by Globe last year when it accused Smart and PilTel of unfair and discriminatory practices in their All Day-Texting 258 Call + Text promo.

The same charges were raised by Globe against the cellular firms’ Load All Text 20 and P10 and P15 Flat Rate service promos.

“With the elimination of other carriers, this promotional scheme smacks then of discrimination, as well as cutthroat competition, in violation of NTC Memorandum Circular 14-7-2000 and the Orders of the Honorable Commission in NTC Case 2005-022,” Globe said.

The commission defines predatory pricing in a 2002 circular as a situation where a rate is below the appropriate cost of supplying the service, and is at a level that is so low that it cannot be sustained in the long term when compared to the charges for interconnect services.

All these promos are garbage. In most networks in 1st world countries, calls between the same network (certain time of the day) are free. What we have are just these free text rubbish that is rather complicated to avail of. Smart, Globe, etc needs more competition. It's high time we really open our telecommunication industry to foreigners.

Instead, why they can't fully deregulate the telecom industry?

does anybody have the data about broadband and internet penetration rates in the philippines and ASEAN/AsPac?

All these promos are garbage. In most networks in 1st world countries, calls between the same network (certain time of the day) are free. What we have are just these free text rubbish that is rather complicated to avail of. Smart, Globe, etc needs more competition. It's high time we really open our telecommunication industry to foreigners.

yeah but you have to have an expensive mo. plan with a two year contract. otherwise you're still charged per minute rates. and texts are not free. they're 25 us cents.

Project to meet broadband demand
PLDT to build RP leg of new Internet gateway
BY Darwin G. Amojelar, Reporter
http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2007/june/28/yehey/business/20070628bus1.html


PHILIPPINE Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) plans to spend millions of dollars to construct a cable landing station and submarine cable network in a province far north of Manila to serve the rising demand for broadband bandwidth.

The country’s largest telecom company is seeking National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) approval for participation in the ownership, construction, maintenance and operation of the Asia-America Gateway (AAG) submarine cable network and for authority to construct the landing station in La Union province.

Fernando M. Sobierra 3rd, PLDT legal counsel, said the project will cost about $553.63 million, with PLDT committing $50 million, for a 9.03 percent share in the venture.

“PLDT’s participation in the AAG submarine cable project including the construction of the Philippine cable landing station ... would be about $62 million, which will be financed through internal[ly] generated funds,” Sobierra said.

PLDT along with other major telcos around the world signed an agreement to build a new submarine cable system from Southeast Asia to the United States.

The AAG construction and maintenance agreement was signed in April 27 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

PLDT said NEC Corp. and Alcatel Submarine Networks will conduct marine survey and install the cables and equipment.

PLDT will be the new cable network’s landing party in the Philippines. The system will connect Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Guam, Hawaii, and California.

Rivals BayanTel and Eatern Telecommunications Phils. Inc are also parties to the AAG agreement.

”This project is expected to meet the forecasted explosive growth in the bandwidth requirements of the country for new and revolutionary broadband applications such as [internet protocol], video, data and other multimedia services and will likewise provide resiliency and diversity to the existing submarine cable systems,” PLDT said.

The service will be operational by end of next year.

yeah but you have to have an expensive mo. plan with a two year contract. otherwise you're still charged per minute rates. and texts are not free. they're 25 us cents.

On top of that, most of the cellular subscribers in the Philippines are prepaid. I find Philippine communications cheaper and reasonable compared here using the latest technologies available.

^^ totoo yan!kaya nga gus2 ko sana bumili ng n80 eh! dahil may wifi! yung kaibigan ko nakakapag internet sa phone niya LIBRE eh ako may 3g nga may bayad naman

Bili ka ng N95 lahat meron..wifi 3g and global positioning..

By Rene Martel
Smart sets out to conquer seas (http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2007/sept/06/yehey/business/20070906bus14.html)



THIS was one occasion that it would have been correct to say that the normally prim and proper and accomplished senior ranks of Smart Communications executives were all at sea

But, let us hasten to add, it was with all good cause since the top guys from the country’s leading wireless services provider—together with their counterparts from global mobile satellite communications provider Inmarsat—me to mark the formal launch of a bigger and bigger Smart Link satellite, and of which the main beneficiaries would be Filipino seafarers who provide the sweat, toil, heart and soul to keep most of the world’s shipping fleets plying the ocean waves.

The evening affair, hosted by Edu Manzano and held in the Makati Shangri-La’s Rizal ballroom, was therefore the occasion when the powered-up Smart Link prepaid wireless satellite phone service made possible through a Smart—Inmarsat collaboration was launched. The Smart Link services will be carried on the Inmarsat-4 F1 satellite, which can support both voice call services and data connectivity.

The partnership, “that opens up a world of possibilities that will benefit Filipinos overseas,” as noted by Smart chairman (and distinguished sporting buff) Manuel V. Pangilinan in his welcome speech, will further expand Smart Link’s geographic coverage to include India, the Indian Ocean, the Middle East, Africa, and the Pacific Ocean.

Smart Link currently has an existing reach spanning 11 million square miles of Asia, from Pakistan in the west to Japan in the east, and Indonesia and Papua New Guinea in the south. This is provided by the Garuda 1 network of Asia Cellular Satellite (ACeS).

By securing a wider coverage, Smart Link will be able to keep communication lines open between seafarers and their respective families. So much so, that going out to sea need not anymore mean losing touch with loved ones and the rest of the world.

As pointed out by Smart president and CEO Napoleon L. Nazareno, “The launch of our enhanced Smart Link service marks a major milestone in our efforts to better service the Smart Pinoy.”

Part of this undertaking is a $5-million investment by Smart to set up a gateway facility and ground infrastructure in Subic, Zambales to support the services that go with the Inmarsat satellite.

Perry Melton, vice president for sales and marketing of Inmarsat, congratulated Smart for “the extension of their service,” and expressed gratitude fro the great opportunity that has been opened up to Inmarsat.

He added: “We haven’t formed a partnership that supplies our services around the world. But in the last year, we’ve been able to develop a multi-dimensional relationship with Smart.”

Given the many good reasons to celebrate, the launch of the much-improved Smart Link satellite service was in fact an occasion for revelry. As such, guests were treated to musical extravaganzas, with no less than maestro Ryan Cayabyab at the helm. These included song numbers by Rachelle Anne Go and the cast of the High School musical, and a medley of romantic songs from that seasoned crooner Martin Nievera.

The party mood turned full blast as the retro boy band Bloomfields performed a string of hits from the 50s and 60s. And never mind that the occasion celebrated technological possibilities slap bang from the 21st century!

may question ako tungkol sa roaming. kailangan mo pa ba bumili ng prepaid card sa pinas? chaka may limit ba yaN?

Nasaan ka ba located? meron akong mga kapatid, sabi sa singapore meron nabibili na activated sim card, may nabibili rin na load, puede ka rin mag text sa kamag anak mo sa pinas pabili ka ng load tapos i ttext na lang sayo ang code.

sa middle east ganun din, mga kapatid ko ganun ang ginagawa.

nasa US po. wala bang mabibili na load sa internet? :)

nasa US po. wala bang mabibili na load sa internet? :)

I prefer
http://load.com.ph/home.asp


than
http://www.loadcentral.com.ph/

Wednesday, September 12, 2007


Smart, UAE telco tie up to offer
remittance service via cell phone (http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2007/sept/12/yehey/business/20070912bus5.html)

SMART Communications Inc. on Tuesday said it has partnered with a United Arab Emirates-based telecom operator to develop and launch an international money transfer service through mobile phones.

In a statement, Smart said the partnership was sealed at the GITEX Technology Week, an international technology trade exhibition held in Dubai.

“Through our mobile commerce platform, Etisalat will be able to offer SIM-based services that allow mobile- phone users to send money to their beneficiaries via a few simple clicks on their handsets. The service will be affordable, convenient and safe. It will also give mobile-phone users greater power to remit money, whenever they wish, wherever they are, and in whatever amounts,” Danilo J. Mojica, head of Smart’s wireless consumer division, said.

Smart will be the technology enabler of the Etisalat service. Etisalat will utilize the Philippine telco’s mobile commerce platform, the Smart Services Hub, a global financial and telecommunications services model based on the Smart Money electronic financial services platform.

Through this platform, telcos and banks can offer mobile phone-based remittances. As an additional security feature, senders will be able to track transactions until the funds reach the designated recipients.

The remittance service will be initially offered in the UAE and will later be rolled out to other Etisalat service areas such as Egypt , Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and to Etisalat’s West African subsidiaries under the Atlantique Group.

Essa Al Haddad, chief marketing officer of Etisalat said, “Migrant remittance is an important source of income for many countries around the world. We are confident that the service will revolutionize the entire remittance process for expatriates.”
--Darwin G. Amojelar

PLDT’s $ 553-M gateway project cited (http://www.mb.com.ph/BSNS20071003104650.html)



By EMMIE V. ABADILLA

The $ 553.63-million Asia America Gateway (AAG) Cable Network, which the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) is jointly constructing with Asian, Pacific and North American carriers, recently won the Most Innovative Project Award from a London-based publication.


The AAG is a 20,000- kilometer long fiber optic cable network that will connect Malaysia , Singapore , Thailand , Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Philippines, Guam, Hawaii, and the US West Coast.

Global Telecoms Business, a magazine for senior managers of communications providers worldwide, cited AAG under its International Fixed Network Infrastructure category.

The AAG project, which starts carrying commercial traffic by February 2009,will meet the explosive growth in Asia ‘s bandwidth requirements for new and revolutionary broadband applications such as Internet Protocol (IP), video, data, and other multimedia services.

Likewise, it will provide connectivity that can be expanded in the future to Australia , India , Africa, and Europe.

AAG will support services such as broadband Internet and broadband applications, and will provide the redundancy needed to avoid major disruptions such as those caused by the recent multiple cable cuts related to undersea seismic activity in routes close to Taiwan.

"This award is a recognition of our project team’s efforts to to meet the needs of Southeast Asia for large bandwidth to North America," commented PLDT Carrier Marketing Management Center Head Genaro C. Sanchez.

PLDT is one of the lead operators and major owners of this first direct terabit-scale submarine cable network between Southeast Asia and North America.

Other AAG Initial Parties include the Government of Brunei, AT&T (USA), Bharti (India), CAT (Thailand), PT Telkom (Indonesia), TM (Malaysia), Telstra (Australia), StarHub (Singapore) and VNPT (Vietnam ).

PLDT will land AAG at a new Cable Landing Station being built in La Union in Northern Luzon to provide diversity to the existing Batangas Cable Station. The cable corridor in the Batangas area is already crowded by many international and domestic cables installed in the area.

La Union will be the station that will connect the trans-Pacific segment from the US and the Asian segment that comes all the way from Thailand.

Furthermore, AAG will also help support the country’s future economic growth as telecommunication requirements increase. "The Philippines is all set in becoming Asia’s new hub for regional and trans-Pacific cables," Sanchez concluded.

BayanTel eyes wireless coverage nationwide (http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2007/oct/03/yehey/business/20071003bus4.html)


BAYAN Telecommunications Inc. (BayanTel) on Tuesday said it plans to provide wireless landline service nationwide in three to five years.

On the sidelines of a management conference, Tunde Fafun-wa, BayanTel chief executive consultant said that offering wireless landline service nationwide would cost the Lopez-led company about P25 billion.

At present, the telco has rolled out its service to key Metro Manila cities of Marikina, Manila, Caloocan, Pasay, Pasig and key cities in Visayas and Mindanao.

BayanTel’s wireless landline service uses code division multiple access (CDMA) technology, allowing limited mobility for a fixed monthly charge and value added services such as unlimited call and text mes-saging.

Fafunwa said the company is targeting more than 100,000 subscribers before the end of the year. Its subscriber base as of the third quarter stood at more than 70,000.

He said the telco is allotting P1.5 billion to P2 billion in the next two to three years to finance its expansion plans.

Fafunwa said the capex will finance the company’s additional network base stations, telecommunication infrastructure backbone and support systems.

He said the company plans to go public in three to four years, once it sustains its revenues as it expects top line to grow at least 10 percent this year.

According to the Securities and Exchange Commission, a company must have been profitable for the preceding three years before it can undertake an initial public offering.

As of June, the company paid more than P2 billion in interest and principal to its creditors. The telco is under a rehabilitation program aimed at settling its obligations to creditors.

BayanTel’s total debts amounted to about $300 million. Among its creditors are the Development Bank of the Philippines, the United Coconut Planters Bank and the Land Bank of the Philippines.
--Darwin G. Amojelar

Smart sees subscribers to hit 30 million
(Sun Star Manila, 10/05/2007)


The leading telecommunications firm Smart Wireless Communications announced on Thursday that their subscribers would reach 30 million by end of December.

Danilo Mojica, Smart's head of consumer wireless division, said as of October 1, the combined subscribers of Smart and Talk 'N Text already reached 28.5 million.

"Yes, it is possible to hit 30 million (subscribers) by end of the year," Mojica told reporters during the launch of their partnership with leading online gaming provider Level Up.

Asked why the number of their subscribers went up, Mojica said "we're doing very aggressive promo efforts".

"And certainly we're active in looking at other avenues (of growth)," he noted.

"Having reached more than 28 million is beyond our expectations," added Mojica.

From January to June 2007, Smart already posted a total of 27.1 million users or an addition of nearly two million new subscribers.

According to Mojica, their partnership with Level Up is also seen to boost further the number of their users since online gaming is another potential source of mobile phone users.

"This (partnership) will represent partly incremental to our (number of) subscribers," he declared.

Jake San Diego, marketing director of Level Up, said they have at the moment a total of 600,000 users and expecting to increase this to 20 percent in the next four weeks with their partnership with Smart.

"We're hoping to get 20 percent of (Smart subscribers) more players out there," San Diego said.

At present, there are three million estimated gamers in the Philippines.

"We're expecting double digit growth (because of the team-up with Smart)," added San Diego.

Under the partnership, all smart subscribers and Level Up users will have the chance to play their favorite online games through their mobile phone by downloading and linking to the Level Up site.

The cost of the download would be P15.00 and the registration would be P2.50.

Once the registration is completed, mobile phone users can now access all services of Level Up and even the games.

Monday, October 15, 2007


Other industries moving in for the kill

Telcos cashing in on OFWs (http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2007/oct/15/yehey/business/20071015bus1.html)

By Darwin G. Amojelar, Reporter

TWENTY-FOUR-year-old Rosemarie, a daughter of an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) deployed in Hong Kong, said constant communications with her mother abroad helps ease the pain of distance. “We always call or text my mother to chat and say thank you,” she said.

Rosemarie is only one of millions of other Filipinos whose parents or siblings have to work abroad, and whose remittance-fueled spending on calls and text messages has propped up the multibillion-peso telecommunications industry.

According to a fresh survey by Nielsen Media Research, communications between OFWs and their loved ones back home is often done once a week by more than a third of respondents. Close to a fifth do that once a month, and another fifth use the phone twice a week. Nielsen sampled 300 remittance recipients, aged 18 years and above, from all socioeconomic classes.

Ramon Isberto, Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) public affairs head, said OFWs are an important market as it contributes a significant share of its revenues.

“Many of the OFWs are supplying finances in the Philippines. A portion of this goes to the telecom companies. “It’s a large market considering that there are about six to eight million OFWs worldwide including migrants,” he said.

The Nielsen report said that majority of OFW households spend between P101 and P499 a month to communicate with their loved ones. Another 13.7 percent spend between P500 and P999, while less than 10 percent spend more.

The great majority at 97.4 percent uses prepaid cards.

Smart Communications Inc., a PLDT unit, edged out rivals with 64 percent of the market, followed by Globe Telecom Inc. with 36 percent, Sun Cellular with 17 percent, Talk ’N Text of Pilipino Telephone Corp., another PLDT unit, with 5 percent, and Touch Mobile, a Globe unit, with 2 percent.

Jones Campos, Globe public affairs head, said the OFW market is the most dynamic segment, which telcos cannot afford to ignore.

“[The OFW] is [an] important segment because being away from families, communication is a very vital instrument. Because of that potential or opportunity we give very important consideration [to this market],” he said.

Just how important? The telcos failed to provide specific numbers, but looking at the two leading players already indicates the size of the market. Last year, PLDT’s consolidated revenues and profits reached P133.64 billion and P35.1 billion, respectively. Globe registered P10.8 billion in profits on consolidated revenues of P57.034 billion.

In light of this, Globe and Smart early on introduced special subscriber identification module (SIM) cards for OFWs. Globe offered a dual SIM, while Smart recently launched SIM cards for seafarers.

Capturing more of OFW spending

The revenue potential doesn’t end with making calls or sending text messages, as the country’s two largest telcos have also entered the remittance business to capture more of the OFW spending.

PLDT introduced the “Smart Padala,” a cash remittance service via text messaging that promises to be a faster and cheaper way of remitting money from an OFW to his or her beneficiary.

The company said the usual means of remitting money to from Hong Kong costs from HK$15 to HK$35. With Smart Padala, the cost to the subscriber runs to only HK$1 per text message using his or her Smart money account.

Smart’s remittance partners include companies in Greece, Hawaii, Hong Kong, Ireland, London, New Zealand, Palau, Qatar, Saipan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, and the United States.

Besides the affordable call and text messaging rates, Smart offers a 24/7 all-Filipino customer service and other value-added services such as Smart Load, Pasa Load, Startext, StarCaller and Catextism.

Not to be left behind, Globe offers GCash, which also enables OFWs subscribing to Bridge Mobile Alliance member-operators to open their own money accounts outside the Philippines for fund transfer to other GCash users, merchants and institutions in the country.

Bridge Mobile Alliance is Asia Pacific’s largest mobile alliance group, which counts among its members Asia’s leading operators and global technology firms. This offers greater flexibility and convenience to OFWs in terms of fund transfer and management using Globe roaming SIM cards.

The Nielsen survey showed that more than 75 percent of OFW beneficiaries receives money once a month. The majority or 80.8 percent receives P20,000 and below, while smaller percentages receive higher amounts.

Other companies jump on bandwagon

More companies, and not just telcos, have since jumped on the OFW bandwagon. Nielsen data showed that corporate advertising spending for the OFW market reached P3.56 billion at end-October this year.

Of the total, banks spent P1.36 billion for OFW commercials followed by telcos, P1.27 billion; auto companies, P438.67 million; and real-estate firms, P493.83 million.

Last year, corporate advertising expenditure aimed at the OFW market reached P5.12 billion.

Jay Bautista, Nielsen executive director for the Philippines, said advertisers continue to chase the OFW market to tap the multibillion-dollar remittances sent home every year.

Government data showed that deployment of workers overseas already hit the one-million mark last year, while remittances reached $12.8 billion. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas expects remittances to grow by 10 percent and reach $14.7 billion this year, and $15.4 billion in 2008.

“Banks, telecoms, car and real estate companies are preparing more marketing activities primarily to target the OFW market,” Bautista said.

Some of the companies already targeting that market include Banco de Oro, Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co., Toyata Motors Philippines Corp., and the Ayala group.

According to the Nielsen survey, nearly a fifth of OFW families plan to buy real estate in the next 12 months. A little over 10 percent is eyeing high-tech gadgets, cars and household appliances.

Emerging from poverty

Bautista said the power of the purse is evident from the above-average consumer lifestyles of OFW beneficiaries. Compared with the general population, OFW families are more inclined to go to malls, supermarkets, and fast food or restaurants.

Government data showed that consumer spending remains the main engine of the country’s economic growth, with OFW remittances fueling that expansion.

Although personal consumption still hogs the biggest share of their spending, a growing number of OFW families however have moved on to setting up businesses. Nielsen said more than a fourth of its respondents own a business, typically a sari-sari or neighborhood retail store. A little over 10 percent rent out apartments or condos, while less than 10 percent operate public transportation services, meat shops, or corner-store restaurants.

Bautista said the remittances sent back home allowed about 25 percent of the 1.06 million OFW families last year to emerge from poverty. And despite their exposure abroad, many OFWs—or seven out of every 10—prefer to stay in the Philippines.

“In effect, [OFWs] are the real heroes of the economy. We have [a] lesser number of poor Filipinos because of them,” he added.

if smart or globe would penetrate the US market do you think it would survive?

ZTE wins prestigious award in Germany for telecom services

BERLIN, Germany —– ZTE Corp. of China bagged the prestigious InfoVision Award for providing the world state-of-the-art yet highly affordable telecommunication services, including Internet protocol television (IPTV) and high-definition video-on-demand.

"We are very proud of this achievement," said ZTE Vice President Chen Jie on the award received by ZTE during the Broadband World Forum Europe 2007 held in Germany.

"It is a great encouragement for ZTE as it recognizes our research and development efforts to develop superior access network products," added Ms. Chen, who is also ZTE’s general manager for Wireline and Service products.

A leading global provider of telecom equipment and network solutions, ZTE received the InfoVision Award for the Access Network Technologies and Services category

ZTE was cited for its GPON+VDSL2 solution, particularly its ZXA10 C220+ZDXL 9806H product series.

The aforementioned technology solution enables carriers to cost-effectively deliver next generation services to their customers, including Internet TV and video-on-demand.

The International Engineering Consortium (IEC) recognizes, through the InfoVision Award at the Broadband World Forum, the technologies, applications, products, advances and services that are most unique and beneficial to the telecommunication industry.

"The IEC’s InfoVision Awards give tribute to the top broadband technologies in deployment today. We’re pleased to recognize ZTE Corp. for its entry in the Access Network Technologies and Service Category," said IEC President John Janowiak.

ZTE submitted two entries, the second being its ZXMP M800 Metro DWDM System, and both qualified among the top finalists for the award.

The win once again brought to the fore ZTE’s in-depth understanding of GPON and DSL technologies and its strategic position in the international market.

ZTE’s winning entry, the GPON System, supports tripleplay services that combine voice, data and video services, as well as support mixed plug of EPON and GPON boards in one platform.

As of July 2007, ZTE has pending application for over 9,300 patents worldwide, including application for CMMB, 3G, NGN, WiMax and optical systems. It has more than 60 engineers and executives’ managing the licensing of the patents.

Having established partnerships with the world’s top telecom operators in Western and North America, ZTE’s terminal products and new services have been adopted by such telecom giants like Vodafone, Italia Telecom and Sprint Nextel, among others.

The company’s shipment of handsets has exceeded 150 million units in the first half of 2007, including high-end units shipped to Canada and WCDMA handsets adopted by Huchison Italy and Orange.

But ZTE is not one to rest on its laurels. Fact is that it commits around 10 percent of its annual turnover to research and development and takes a leading role in a wide range of international bodies developing emerging telecom standards.

It is China’s only listed telecom manufacturer, with shares publicly traded on both the Hong Kong and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges.

As a result of its warm welcome in the European, North American, Asian and other markets, ZTE has increased by 43.85 percent to RMB15.232 billion its revenue for the first half of 2007.

link (http://www.mb.com.ph/BSNS20071016105861.html)

if smart or globe would penetrate the US market do you think it would survive?


no, it won't. americans hate text messaging:lol:

Congrats to ZTE. What kind of crazy person would reject ZTE?

no, it won't. americans hate text messaging:lol:

but they made the sidekick for txt messaging...

kung ang globe at smart ay magpipiggyback sa networks ng big 4 sa america, siguro makakaya! ganito kase ginagawa ng virgin mobile... ginagamit niya cellsites ng sprint :D

Congrats to ZTE. What kind of crazy person would reject ZTE?


:lol:

mga buang lang.:lol:

naliso ang tornillo.

but they made the sidekick for txt messaging...

kung ang globe at smart ay magpipiggyback sa networks ng big 4 sa america, siguro makakaya! ganito kase ginagawa ng virgin mobile... ginagamit niya cellsites ng sprint :D

MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) ang tawag dyan, bariQ.:)

Smart introduces int’l roaming service at sea (http://http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Business&p=49&type=2&sec=27&aid=2007102520)
By Mary Ann Ll. Reyes
Friday, October 26, 2007


Smart Communications subscribers will no longer have to wait till they dock from cruise ships and luxury liners to use their cellphones to call or text friends and family back home.

With Coastline Roaming, they can now roam on their Smart mobile phones while on a cruise on board luxury liners in a number of major destinations. The service benefits Smart’s international roaming subscribers who previously resigned themselves to limited or no communication access while at sea.

Smart recently tied up with AT&T (Cingular), USA; Telecom Italia (TIM), Italy; Manx Maritime, Isle of Man and Maritime Communications Partner (MCP), Norway to offer mobile roaming connectivity on board cruise ships and luxury ferries worldwide. OceanCell of Iceland is another upcoming partner.

The leading wireless services provider is the first in the country to offer international roaming on board cruise ships and other coastline-traversing vessels.

Coastline Roaming allows postpaid and prepaid Smart subscribers to send and receive calls and text messages on select cruise ships and liners, using their own cell phone, phone number and subscription.

“With Coastline Roaming, we are extending the reach of our international roaming service to the luxury liner and cruise ship, to offer our subscribers the same roaming benefits they enjoy when on land,” said Danilo J. Mojica, head of Smart’s wireless consumer division.

The partnerships forged with the four maritime roaming agencies ensure coastline connectivity for Smart subscribers.

AT & T serves cruise line ships under Carnival, Celebrity, Disney, Island, Norwegian, Princess, Regent, Royal Caribbean International, Seabourn, Semester at Sea and Windstar which sail to destinations that include Alaska, Asia, Australia, Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada and New England, Carribean, Europe, Galapagos, Hawaii, Mexico Pacific Northwest, Panama Canal, South America and Transatlantic countries.

Globe targets 20-million subscriber mark by year-end (http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2007/nov/08/yehey/business/20071108bus8.html)


GLOBE Telecom, Inc., the Philippines’ second-largest mobile-phone service provider, aims to end the year with 20 million mobile subscribers, company executives said Wednesday.

Gerardo Ablaza, Globe president, said SIM (subscribers identification module) purchase has increased by 34 percent compared with the same period last year.

“[We] intend to further expand [our] mobile business by tapping the provincial masses,” Ablaza said.

He said that Touch Mobile, a brand name of Globe designed for the lower-end users, has contributed about 57 percent to the telco’s total prepaid subscribers, numbering around 18.5 million as of the end of third quarter.

“Globe might be able to add two million subscribers by year-end, reaching about more than 20 million,” Ablaza said.

He attributed the fast growth of subscribers to the overall economic environment, saying “the overseas Filipino workers have driven the sim sales, while the business-process outsourcing industry has generated a lot of jobs, thus more and more people are buying cellular phones as primary phones and as their second phones.”

Delfin Gonzalez, Globe’s chief of finance, said the company will spend $300 million up to the end of the year to expand its reach, trimming the original capital expenditure of $500 million.

“There have been a series of delays on wireless broadband infrastructure, though all projects in the pipeline are still on going,” Gonzalez said.

Globe’s net income for the first nine months of the year rose 4 percent to P9.7 billion from last year’s P9.3 billion.

The company, owned by Singapore Telecommunications Ltd. and conglomerate Ayala Corp., increased its profit for the period backed by a strong wireless subscribers growth.

Excluding the impact of foreign exchange and mark-to-market gains and losses and the nonrecurring bond redemption costs, Globe said its core net income climbed to P10.5 billion, growing 20 percent year-on-year.

Its consolidated service revenues for the first nine months increased by 11 percent year-on-year, soaring to a new high of P47.2 billion on the back of 12 percent and 6 percent revenue growth from its wireless and wireline businesses.

“We are encouraged by the record performance of our wireless business, and are very excited by the rapid growth of our broadband business,” Ablaza said.
--Katrina Mennen A. Valdez

Mobile landline poses challenge to handy phones (http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2007/nov/12/yehey/business/20071112bus1.html)

By Darwin G. Amojelar, Reporter

MOVE over handy phones, as the age-old landline has turned mobile. This is not yet the writing on the wall, but a not-so-new kid on the block may upset the ongoing battle for subscribers that is largely being fought between the two biggest telecom companies in the Philippines.

The question is, can the challenger hack it? Bayan Telecommunications Inc. is on its third year of a court-approved 19-year restructuring of $325 million in debts. At end-September, it has paid P1.75 billion in interest, and P360.6 million of the principal amount.

But the telco has opted to nurse its wounds not just on the sidelines. After years of failing to roll out its cellular phone service—and given the dwindling profits (if any) of the landline business—Bayan chose to do something different.

It launched early last year its wireless landline service, which combines the features of a traditional fixed line and cellular phone. The service has the standard features of a mobile phone such as directory, caller ID, stopwatch, timer, call logs and others. It also allows text messaging to Bayan subscribers and existing mobile phone users of other telcos.

Jay Bautista, executive director of the Nielsen Media Research Philippines, said the only reason Bayan is offering this kind of service is because of the landline business in the country is an unprofitable proposition.

“Rather [than] compete with the big [telcos head on], [Bayan would] rather find a niche. I think they found it,” he said.

“Consumers want something that provides the same benefits [of a cellular phone] but at a lower cost and very reliable. That’s why it is the one benefit that attracts consumers [to Bayan],” he added.

The Nielsen executive said Filipinos are text savvy right now because of text messaging, also called short messaging system (SMS), is cheaper than voice services. In other markets wherein mobile phones are prevalent, people however use their handy sets for voice service because it is cheaper, he said.

“In the Philippines, it costs P5 to P6 a minute, [so Filipinos would] rather text than call,” he added.

Put pressure on prices

Edgardo Cabarios, head of the National Telecommunications Commission’s common carriers and authorization division, said there is a market for this kind of service as people want mobility at a cheaper rate.

“The trend now is that people want to move because of the cell phone. They [Bayan] see it and capitalize [on] it. While a person is moving the service is still a local service,” the NTC official said.

He said Bayan’s service offering may put pressure on rivals’ pricing strategies. “If you are a cell-phone company and there is a company offering at cheaper rates, you have the pressure you cannot raise your prices,” he said.

“They called it pressure created by the market, it is not the regulator mandating it but it is the pressure of the market,” he added.

To date, the local telco industry is dominated by Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT), which is controlled by Hong Kong’s First Pacific Co. Ltd. and Japan’s NTT group, and Globe Telecom Inc., which is led by the Ayala group and Singapore Telecom. Both firms account for about 95 percent of the local market for both handy phone and fixed line businesses.

Bayan is a distant third compared with the two leading industry players, especially since the Lopez family-led telco is hamstrung by debt. Bayan’s landline subscribers stood at 300,000 as of last year. In contrast, PLDT had 2 million; its unit Pilipino Telephone Corp., 46,202; Globe unit Innove Communications Inc., 329,908; Bell Telecom, 271,000; Philcom, 53,098; Eastern Telecommunications Philippines Inc., 22,467; and PT&T, 14,193.

Defying industry trends

Tunde Fafunwa, Bayan’s chief executive consultant, however, said the performance of its wireless landline service is set to revitalize the landline industry. He projected a 10-percent to 15-percent compounded annual growth rate in subscriber take-up within the next two years, reversing a trend of negative growth last year.

According to Frost and Sullivan’s Asia Pacific Residential Voice Market study released last June, the Philippine landline subscriber base contracted for the first time last year, mirroring the trend throughout the world.

The study said more people opted for mobile phones as their primary mode of communication. The study showed that the residential landline subscriber base contracted 3.3 percent.

The study also said that revenues derived from the traditional residential fixed line market are estimated to dwindle by 7.8 percent over the period 2006 to 2013, with more operators shifting focus to data services to augment their voice revenues.

Fafunwa said the performance of Bayan’s wireless landline service, however, defies industry trends, as it is set to end the year with 100,000 subscribers, effectively growing its landline subscriber base by 30 percent.

At present, Bayan has rolled out its service to key Metro Manila cities of Marikina, Manila, Caloocan, Pasay and Pasig, as well as to key cities in Visayas and Mindanao.

“The success of Bayan Wireless Landline is proof that there is significant demand for basic voice services. This is deeply ingrained in the Filipino psyche of wanting to always keep in touch with family and friends through talking and not just sending SMS messages,” Fafunwa said.

“We know that the traditional landline is still the most cost efficient way of making voice calls, but [Bayan] adds the mobility feature within the local calling area which people now expect from their communication device,“ he said.

Fafunwa added that 80 percent of Bayan’s subscribers still prefer traditional desktop units with the right technology such as wireless landline. Just when everyone thought the landline has spiraled downward to insignificance, it has proven to be useful once again, he said.

“With [wireless landline], we’re giving Filipinos their voices back,” he added.

Is bandwagon developing?

The top two telcos said they are unfazed by Bayan’s rebound, but a bandwagon appears to be developing.

Jones Campos, Globe spokesman, said the company has yet to see any effect the Lopez family-led telco is having on its business. “We don’t know yet. It is not comparable with the wireless,” he said.

Campos said the company is concentrating on its broadband business to attract subscribers. “We feel that broadband is more urgent to serve the market,” he added.

Ramon Isberto, spokesman of the country’s largest telco, said PLDT has its own initiatives.

The telco already launched its own wireless landline service dubbed as Landline Plus, which is also capable of text messaging and voice calls.

Isberto said that PLDT is ahead of Bayan particularly in terms of coverage of the major cities and provinces nationwide.

“In areas without cable, we offer wireless landline as an alternative landline service,” he said.

The appeal of wireless landline can be seen from the numbers Bayan is showing.

Revenue-growth driver

Fafunwa said that for the second half and moving forward, the company expects to derive revenue growth from its increasing subscriber base in wireless landline.

At present, the service contributes bout 20 percent of the company’s revenues.

For the first half of the year, Bayan’s revenues grew 12 percent to P2.60 billion from P2.32 billion during the same period last year.

Voice revenues, comprising monthly rates paid by telephone subscribers and local and international long distance revenues, went up by 6 percent to P1.57 billion from P1.47 billion in the first half last year.

This was driven by a 10-percent increase in local exchange revenues with additional subscribers from the wireless landline service and a 2-percent growth in international long distance revenues.

Bayan posted a net income of P820 million, a 169 percent turnaround from the P1.19 billion losses posted during the same period last year.

“Our financial performance indicates that our core businesses have delivered a steady stream of revenues and that our new business initiatives are paying off,” Fafunwa said.

He said that Bayan plans to provide the wireless landline service nationwide in three to five years—a venture that would cost the debt-saddled company about P25 billion.

The telco is allotting P1.5 billion to P2 billion in the next two to three years to finance this expansion, which include additional network base stations, telecommunication infrastructure backbone and support systems.

Smart to expand payphone service (http://http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2007/nov/14/yehey/business/20071114bus9.html)


SMART Communication Inc. said it will spend nearly a billion pesos over five years to finance its payphone service expansion in unserved and underserved areas nationwide.

In documents submitted to the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), the unit of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) said it will invest about P885 million, with P177.14 million earmarked for the first year.

Through its Public Access Department, Smart will operate and manage the nationwide payphone service using PLDT facilities.

The telecom company will install 9,600 payphones, of which 7,100 will be operated through phone cards and 2,500 using coins.

At present, Smart has installed 7,955 payphone stations, or 83 percent of its total roll-out plan.

The company said it expects gross revenues of P1,950 a month per payphone for card-operated and P1,175 for coin-card operated during the first year.

The telco projects to earn P165.14 million in the first year, P160.29 million in the second, P155.07 million in the third, P150.97 million in the fourth, and P149.83 million in the fifth.

“For conservatism we assumed a gradual decline in revenue over five years primarily because of the increase in penetration of cellular service,” Smart said.

Smart will charges its users P1 per minute for local calls, P3 per minute for national direct dial (NDD), P6.50 per minute for mobile phones calls, and $0.40 per minute for international direct dial (IDD) calls.
--Darwin G. Amojelar

RP leads survey of top wireless investments sites
(Inquirer, 11/13/2007, Lawrence Casiraya)

Manila, Philippines -- The Philippines emerged as the top destination for investments in the wireless industry due to increasing mobile spending and overall economic growth, according to Russian telecom investor Altimo.

Altimo's Mobile Development Index is a survey in collaboration with Cambridge University, the London Business School and the New Economic School in Moscow. The index attributes investment ratings to 77 markets worldwide.

The survey shows three Southeast Asian countries -- the Philippines, Indonesia
and Vietnam -- as the most desirable markets for wireless investments based on factors including expected growth in ARPU (average revenue per user) and GDP (gross domestic product) growth.

In a statement found on its website , Altimo said Southeast Asia will be the key region for investment for 2008 to 2012 driven by strengthening economies, growth in mobile spending and rising penetration. Thus, the region offers outstanding investment opportunities.

"South East Asian countries with large populations and growing economies are likely to keep the highest growth rates in mobile revenues and offer the most attractive profit margins between 2008 and 2010," Altimo said in its statement.

Altimo said it has been aggressively targeting Vietnam and Indonesia as investment markets. The company has also bought into Cambodia's Sotelco.

On the other hand, Altimo's index shows declining ratings for India and Eastern Europe due to increasing competition, high penetration levels and modest growth prospects.

In general, the survey found that global mobile ARPU has been decreasing by two percent every six months and this downward trend is likely to continue next year.

Smart allots $10M more for 3G project
(Business Mirror, 11/20/2007, Lenie Lectura)

Smart Communications Inc. is spending $10 million more to finance the expansion of its 3G (third generation) mobile-phone network, president Napoleon Nazareno said.

In an interview, Nazareno said that the $10 million is on top of the $60 million it has spent so far for the 3G project.

“We will be spending $10 million more or less for our 3G [for the rest of the year]. All in all our 3G investment will amount to $70 million,” he said.

The additional investment will be spent to put up additional base stations starting this month until the second quarter of 2008. “We will install 50 more base stations,” Nazareno added.

In a report to the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) last month, Smart said its 3G network then has total coverage of 217 cities and towns. The cellular firm now offers 3G services to all chartered cities and provincial capital cities. But in provincial capital municipalities and additional cities and municipalities, Smart’s network coverage is 39 percent and eight percent, respectively.

The company told the Board of Investment (BOI) that it has programmed some P33 billion to bankroll its 3G operation for the next six years. Based on its five-year roll-out plan, a total of 1,611 cities and municipalities, ranging from 1st class to 6th class, will all benefit from the project.

Smart is expected to incur losses during the first two years of its 3G operation, and breaking even only in the third year.

However, considering the slow 3G subscriber take-up being experienced by Smart, losses might extend up to the fourth year of operations, the company wrote the BOI last year.

Nazareno said there are 400,000 to 500,000 Smart subscribers who subscribe to 3G services.

Smart is a unit of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT). The phone giant’s chairman said 3G business is doing better. “We are seeing better service revenue in 3G as more facilities for Internet access are opened up,” Manuel Pangilinan said in a separate interview.

Video streaming and video downloads are currently offered through 3G cellular networks.

“The rate for 3G services such as video calling remains very affordable. It is even pegged at the same rate for local voice calls. So, the rate for 3G services is not the main factor why demand is not picking up. Handset price still remains the major factor,” Nazareno said.

The cheapest 3G phone out in the market carries a price tag of about P6,000 to P8,000. Demand is starting to pick up with the offering of affordable 3G phones to be manufactured by LG.

LG had been awarded the preferred 3G handsets vendor during the annual GSMA (Global System for Mobile Communications Association) meeting in Barcelona, Spain. “Certainly, this will help stimulate demand for 3G services,” Nazareno added.

Smart, he said, will continue to sell other brands of 3G phones, particularly the popular Nokia and Sony Ericsson units.

Apart from affordable 3G phones, Nazareno said Smart will offer more content and applications to spur 3G use among current and future subscribers. “The drop in the cost of handsets is one of the factors that will drive demand. With more applications at affordable rates, we hope that demand will pick up.”

“We went into 3G prematurely given not only the price of the handsets but also the apparent… lack of a killer application in other parts of the world because government wanted us in and because we were counting on the incentives,” Nazareno said in an earlier interview.

The incentives have since been recalled by the BOI.

Smart had appealed to the BOI to reconsider its decision. It stressed that the 3G project, which involves huge capital investment would need tax incentives to help subsidize the cost of accelerating the deployment of 3G technology in less developed areas.


“The impact of an income-tax holiday on Smart’s 3G project would only occur in the medium term. The government will not have any actual foregone revenues in the short-term because of expected tax losses at least for the first two years of the 3G project,” Smart chief financial officer Anabelle Chua wrote BOI executive director for project assessment group Lucita Reyes.

Telcos: No cut in VoIP charges (http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2007/dec/05/yehey/business/20071205bus1.html)

By Darwin G. Amojelar, Reporter

FILIPINOS hoping to spend more time during the Christmas holidays talking to loved ones abroad over the Internet may have to settle for their landlines or mobile phones, as large telecommunications companies bucked a proposal to bring down the access fee they charge voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) service providers, an official of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) said.

Edgardo Cabarios, chief of the NTC’s Common Carriers and Authorization Division, told reporters that Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., Smart Communications Inc., Bayan Telecommunication Inc., and Globe Telecom Inc. have raised their opposition to a proposed cut during the preliminary hearing on additional rules for VoIP.

Cabarios said telcos insisted that access charges should be “negotiated.” He added that the NTC ordered the telcos to submit their position papers next week.

The NTC official said lowering access charges will expand the growth of the VoIP market in the country, adding that current rates remain very high.

A cheap alternative to traditional telephony, VoIP involves transmitting voice calls through the Internet thus making them less expensive.

The regulator’s additional guidelines for VoIP came on the heels of complaints from VoIP service providers and from Congress that the access charge imposed by telcos remains exorbitant.

At present, landline calls are charged an access fee of $0.12, while mobile-phone calls incur $0.16 charge.

Under the proposed rules, the VoIP service provider shall be interconnected to at least one public switched telephone network, which shall be responsible for the routing of VoIP calls to other networks.

The switched network operator will be compensated a transit charge of not more than P0.25 a minute, whereas the access charge on VoIP calls should not be more than P1 a minute.

For mobile telephone interconnection, VoIP service providers should be interconnected to at least one network, which should be compensated a transit charge of not more than P0.50 a minute.

“The access charge paid to [the cell-phone network] where VoIP calls originate or terminate shall not be more than P1.50 a minute,” the NTC rules said.

It added that no interconnection agreement is required if VoIP calls originate from or terminate to broadband access networks.

“The access charge paid to [switched network operators] is different from the access charge paid to [cellular network operator] because of mobility. There is premium in mobility,” the NTC said.

Two years ago, the NTC opened up VoIP as a value-added service, which means that non-telcos may offer it to the public.

Under the VoIP circular, service providers have to register with the NTC and forge an agreement with the local telco. With the service classified as value-added, telcos were required to open their networks to VoIP service providers.

The telcos had objected to the classification of VoIP as value-added since international voice calls have been a major source of their revenues.

Double-digit growth seen in cell-phone subscription (http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2007/dec/07/yehey/business/20071207bus4.html)

By Darwin G. Amojelar Reporter

National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) on Thursday projected that mobile-phone subscription would grow by double digits this year and next, fueled by strong overseas Filipino workers’ (OFWs) remittances and overall economic growth.

Edgardo Cabarios, director of the NTC’s Common Carrier and Authorization Division, told reporters that the number of mobile-phone subscribers this year is expected to reach 55 million, higher than last year’s 42.9 million.

For next year, Cabarios said, that number may rise to between 60 million and 65 million.

“We expect a steady growth in mobile-phone subscribers next year because of the rising OFW remittances and improving economy,” Cabarios told reporters.

At end-September, Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., which cornered about 57 percent of the cellular market, registered a subscriber base of 28.3 million. Its unit Smart Communications Inc. recorded net additions of about 2.7 million subscribers, while its Talk ‘N Text brand under unit Pilipino Telephone Co. added about 1.4 million to end the first nine months with 19.9 million and 8.3 million subscribers, respectively.

Globe Telecom Inc. and Digital Telecommunications Phils. Inc. registered 19.2 million and more than 3 million subscribers, respectively.

The increase in subscribers means higher revenue for these telecom companies.

At end-September, the country’s three largest telcos posted combined revenues of P153.77 billion. Of this amount, PLDT generated P100.5 billion; Globe, P47.2 billion and Digitel, P6.07 billion.

An IDC forecast showed that the country’s telecom market remains upbeat, with an 11-percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in revenues seen over the next five years.

The international research firm attributed the growth to the data services segment, boosted by strong uptake of text messaging and Internet connectivity, as well as price pressures and data communication substitutions on voice services.

IDC estimated that the industry grew by 6 percent last year, generating $2.956 billion in revenues.