PLDT – Maniolas

PLDT to sustain growth in wireless broadband

Economy

Apr 142014

MANILA, Philippines – Dominant carrier Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) is confident of sustaining the momentum of its wireless broadband service that booked strong growth last year.

PLDT HOME Fixed Wireless Solutions head Ava Española said the revenues of Home Bro reached P4.5 billion since 2012.

“This 2014, we continue this thrust as we launch our new bundles to respond to the needs of families for laptops and printers in their homes so that kids no longer go out to accomplish their school assignments,” Española said.

Launched last January 2014, one of HOME Bro’s new bundle offers is Plan 1799 which gives subscribers unlimited Internet at 2 megabites per second, an HP Laptop, and an HP printer for just P60 per day.

At the same time, Plan 1069 which comes with unlimited internet at 2 Mbps and an HP printer, was also launched.

“With the continuous growth in revenues and subscribers of HOME Bro, we are offering more innovative plans and bundles for all our customers,” Española stressed.

Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1

HOME Bro is a service that provides subscribers with high-speed broadband for the home. It uses PLDT’s nationwide network to wirelessly deliver internet service to Filipino families. It made several process enhancements last year to ensure applications could be processed and activated within 24 hours.

Together with these improvements, she added that the brand also introduced low-cost plans for first time internet users with basic internet needs with a full marketing campaign last April 2013.

She pointed out that the significant increase in HOME Bro’s subscriber base could be attributed to its becoming an important part of the Filipino family as an enabler of education for children.

“We believe that the Internet is society’s great equalizer as it enables a large number of people to get an education. HOME Bro is keen on making its reliable service available to all Filipino families to level the opportunities for everyone,” Española said.

PLDT’s core income went up by five percent to P38.7 billion last year from P36.9 billion in 2012 exceeding the P38.4 billion target for last year.

The PLDT Group’s service revenues increased three percent to P164.1 billion last year from P159.7 billion as its wireless revenues grew three percent to P116.7 billion while its fixed line business expanded by five percent to P61.9 billion.

The group’s revenues from data business surged 35 percent to P35.4 billion last year from P30.6 billion in 2012 while revenues from short messaging system (SMS), domestic voice, local exchange carrier and satellite business remained steady at P101.8 billion from P101.3 billion.

On the other hand, revenues from national long distance as well as fixed international voice and cellular international voice fell four percent to P26.9 billion from P27.9 billion.

Smart’s LTE to cover major cities, 25 towns

Economy

Mar 172014

Smart’s LTE to cover major cities, 25 towns

MANILA, Philippines – Smart Communications Inc., the wireless arm of dominant carrier Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT), is expanding its 4G (4th Generation) long-term evolution (LTE) footprint as part of the PLDT Group’s P32 billion capital expenditures this year. Rolando Peña, technology head for PLDT and Smart, said the expansion would allow the company to cover all major cities as well as 25 more municipalities all over the country. “This move is seen to extend the reach of Smart’s 4G LTE network to close to 50 percent of the country’s population, maintaining its position as the mobile company with the most extensive 4G LTE network in the Philippines,” Peña said. 4G refers to the fourth generation of mobile communications technology, which includes HSPA+, Wimax and LTE, with LTE being the fastest commercially available mobile Internet service in the world, offering data speeds of up to 20 times more rapid than 3G connections. With such data speeds, users are able to stream high definition (HD) videos, download large files or upload photos and videos on their mobile devices without lag or delay. “We are expecting a tremendous growth in data traffic, and we hope to sustain the pace of our aggressive LTE roll-out in order to keep up with the demand of our subscribers,” he said. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 He pointed out that the expansion of the 4G network is being pursued in response to the growing demand for faster mobile broadband services. “Around Read More …

PLDT unit to provide high speed connectivity to Koreans in Phl

Economy

Feb 252014

PLDT unit to provide high speed connectivity to Koreans in Phl

MANILA, Philippines – PLDT Alpha Enterprise, a unit of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT), has tied up with IT.Corea Inc. to provide integrated connectivity service to the growing Korean community and businesses in the country. Jovy Hernandez, first vice president of PLDT and head of Alpha Enterprise, said the partnership would allow Koreans in the country to avail and communicate their information technology (IT) requirements without the language constraints from coordinating with local firms. “By tapping PLDT’s robust international and domestic high speed fiber network, IT.Corea will be able to provide the Philippine-based Korean community with business and communications solutions for their various needs,” Hernandez said. While many Koreans come to the Philippines as English language students, others have been attracted by business opportunities in various industries including manufacturing, import and export as well as food service. Through IT.Corea, Hernandez said Koreans could now avail landlines for their home or business, mobile pre-paid lines, and Internet from PLDT, and avoid application issues like the language barrier in acquiring these services. “There are so many things that our companies can do in synergy and the great thing about this kind of collaboration is that both PLDT and IT.Corea play an active role in ensuring that our customers get the right solutions for their needs,” he added. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 IT.Corea Chairman Jae J. Jang said the company is looking forward to providing Koreans in the Philippines through the partnership with PLDT Alpha with the Read More …

ePLDT unit partners with HK-based Nexusguard

Economy

Feb 012014

ePLDT unit partners with HK-based Nexusguard

MANILA, Philippines – IP Converge Data Services Inc. (IPC), a unit of e-PLDT of dominant carrier Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT), has tapped Hong Kong-based Nexusguard to provide Internet security for its enterprise customers. Nexusguard vice president for sales and marketing Bill Barry said the partnership would help further strengthen IPC’s product offerings and protect Philippine businesses from what experts consider to be the most costly cybercrime particularly the distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. “IPC is a respected technology provider in the Philippines, and it is an honor to partner with such an established organization. This partnership is not only important for our regional efforts, but will serve as a template of success for Nexusguard’s global initiatives,” Barry said. He said the partnership would enable enterprises in the country to avail of world-class and industry-leading anti-DDoS services with truly localized support with Nexusguard’s technologies and IPC’s market leadership in cloud and data center services. “It will also set a standard for ISPs in providing future integrated, holistic solutions for DDoS protection,” he added. Escalating in size and complexity in recent years, he warned that DDoS attacks attempt to prevent a machine or network resource to be accessed by its intended users. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 It is generally comprised of strategies to interrupt services of a host connected to the Internet. DDoS attacks are able to bring down networks and websites for days at a time. Hackers have launched DDoS attacks for various Read More …

PLDT unveils new cloud-based product

Economy

Dec 282013

MANILA, Philippines – PLDT Alpha Enterprise, a unit of dominant carrier Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., has unveiled a new product giving companies faster and more efficient speed-to-market application deployment. Jovy Hernandez, first vice president and head of PLDT Alpha Enterprise, said the new PLDT Cloud Platform as a Service (PaaS) would further improve the competitiveness of companies. “As global business becomes even more fast-paced, it is imperative for enterprises to innovate instantly in order to stay ahead of their competition. With PLDT Cloud PaaS, companies can harness the infinite possibilities of the cloud, to quickly create solutions that make them more productive and more efficient,” Hernandez stressed. The PLDT Cloud PaaS gives enterprises the ability to develop and deliver various applications with unprecedented ease. Enterprise developers could begin creating their applications in a standard web browser using pre-built templates, significantly reducing development lead-time through an 80 percent drag-and-drop and 20 percent coding model. Pre-built templates on its starter package can be used instantly to develop applications for numerous organizational needs such as sales and marketing, human resources, IT, and other functional areas. They also have an option to purchase more advanced application templates that specifically benefit industries such as banking and finance, retail and manufacturing, and real estate. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 PLDT Cloud PaaS is initially offered for P2,500 per user per month to include the platform development tools, starter application templates, a PLDT Cloud IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) resource with up Read More …

PLDT unit extends services to government IP program

Economy

Oct 192013

PLDT unit extends services to government IP program

MANILA, Philippines – IP Converge Data Services Inc. (IPC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of e-PLDT is working closely with government agencies to help serve the general public more efficiently. IPC president Reynaldo Huergas said the company has been tapped by the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) to put in place within its organization a system by which its employees can communicate and collaborate more efficiently among themselves and with their stakeholders. Huergas said IPC has deployed Google Apps for Business, providing IPOPHL with a suite of web-based, user-friendly applications by which the government organization could collaborate internally and with its partners, businesses and the general public in a more responsive and efficient manner. Aside from deployment of Google Apps, IPC also provided change management activities to IPOPHL. “In terms of public service, IPOPHL will derive great benefits from the cloud service and Google Apps as these will definitely reduce IPOPHL’s capital expense for information and communications technology requirements and increase productivity through real-time collaboration,” he stressed. He explained that IPOPHL’s MIS personnel could now focus more on the mission-critical systems and services offered to stakeholders and the public as IPC would handle the maintenance of the computing facility. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Ricardo Blancaflor, director general of IPOPHL, said the agency would become a more efficient intellectual property organization as it would benefit from the Google Apps for Business provided by IPC. “Communication within and outside of the IPOPHL circle will be more efficient, Read More …

PLDT ties up with Dana Telecom

Economy

Sep 042013

MANILA, Philippines – Dominant carrier Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) has tied up with Dana Telecom (Datelco) of the Durano family to provide telecommunication services in Danao City in Cebu. PLDT president and chief executive officer Napoleon Nazareno said in statement that the company entered into an agreement yesterday to provide services in Danao City in Cebu as Datelco is in the midst of winding down its local exchange carrier (LEC) business. “We welcome this opportunity to further expand our coverage in Cebu where we recently rolled out our fiber-to-the-home facilities,” Nazareno said. Under the agreement, PLDT would take over the existing customers of Datelco. Nazareno said PLDT and Datelco would also embark on joint marketing and promotions of PLDT’s products and services in fifth district of Cebu “Beyond the agreement that we signed today, we are genuinely interested in joining hands with Datelco in contributing to the development of areas north of Metro Cebu city that holds so much promise,” he said. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 After more than 20 years of operations, Datelco president Oscar Rodriguez said the company decided to wind down its LEC business as the cost of upgrading its own network became untenable. “We are pleased to turn over our customers to PLDT who we believe will be able to take care of them very well. Being the largest telecoms company in the Philippines today, PLDT will be able to provide Danao’s residents and business establishments quality voice, data, Read More …

PLDT completes P2.5-B fiber optic project

Economy

Aug 112013

PLDT completes P2.5-B fiber optic project

MANILA, Philippines – Dominant carrier Philippine long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) has completed a P2.5-billion expansion project involving the installation of over 5,000 kilometers of fiber optic cables to support the aggressive roll-out of high-speed data services on its fixed and mobile networks. PLDT president and chief executive officer Napoleon Nazareno said the PLDT Group’s fiber optic network is now over 71,000 kilometers including 7,200 kilometers of submarine-international fiber, over 4,000 kilometers of submarine-domestic fiber, and 4,000 kilometers of wireless access network. The PLDT managed to expand its domestic fiber optic network (DFON) to over 60,000 kilometers as of end-June this year from 54,000 kilometers as of end-2012. “If we include our international fiber optic links and leased facilities, the PLDT Group now has more than 71,000 kilometers of fiber assets. This fortifies our already formidable network advantage as we cover more areas, increase data speeds and provide enhanced redundancies for improved resiliency,” Nazareno stressed. The project that was completed ahead of schedule is accelerating the deployment of PLDT’s fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) service and the fourth-generation mobile data service called Long Term Evolution (LTE) of its wireless subsidiary Smart Communications Inc. “We have built early and we continue to expand as the demand for broadband heavy applications continues to surge. This is what we call future-proofing our network. We want to make sure that the capacity, speed, and reliability are there when our customers need them,” he added. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 For his part, Read More …

PLDT unit hikes stake in BusinessWorld

Economy

Jun 152013

MANILA, Philippines – MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., the media arm of telecommunications giant Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) has increased its stake to take control of business newspaper, BusinessWorld. PLDT chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan told reporters on the sidelines of the company’s stockholders meeting late Friday that its acquisition of more shares in BusinessWorld is a done deal. He said that in a meeting held last week, BusinessWorld’s stockholders approved the increase the firm’s capital. “The details are being worked out as to the amount of new money that we will inject to BusinessWorld,” he said. “We would certainly be north of 50 percent, after it is accomplished,” he said further. MediaQuest holds a 30 percent stake in BusinessWorld. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 It likewise has a 20 percent interest in The Philippine STAR and an 18 percent stake in Philippine Daily Inquirer. Established in the 1990s, MediaQuest is owned by the Beneficial Trust Fund of PLDT. It owns media establishments such as Associated Broadcasting Co. (TV5), Nation Broadcasting Corp. and Cignal Digital TV. In a related development, PLDT corporate secretary Lourdes Rausa-Chan said in a disclosure to the local bourse, the firm’s board of directors has approved the declaration of a cash dividend of P2.438 million on all outstanding shares of voting preferred stock of the company for the quarter ending July 15. The payment date is on July 15. “The cash dividend was declared out of the company’s audited unrestricted retained earnings as Read More …

MVP not keen on SMC’s Meralco shares

Economy

Jun 142013

MANILA, Philippines – The group of Manuel V. Pangilinan is comfortable with its shareholding in the country’s largest power distributor Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) and is not likely to buy out San Miguel Corp.’s (SMC) assets in the firm. “We are comfortable with our current shareholding in Meralco and we would be prepared to assist should San Miguel decide to dispose assets in Meralco,” Pangilinan told reporters following the stockholders meeting of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) yesterday. “There has been no final decision to what extent we may or may not participate, but if we do, we may consider participating in a modest way,” he said further. He said that should the group decide to acquire more Meralco shares, it would not be to the point where their total stake would go over 51 percent. “(We will participate but) not to the point it will trigger tender offer obligation,” he said. A mandatory tender offer is triggered when an investor accumulates more than 51 percent stake in a public company. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 The acquiring company should then offer to buy all shares held by minority shareholders. SMC president and chief operating officer Ramon S. Ang said earlier that the diversifying conglomerate is willing to sell its stake in Meralco. SMC owns around 36 percent of Meralco, making it one of the top shareholders in the company. Beacon Electric Asset Holdings, Inc., a subsidiary of Pangilinan-led Metro Pacific Investments Corp., controls nearly Read More …

Older Entries