PLDT sees subscriber surge for wireless broadband service

The wireless broadband service of telecommunications giant Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) is expected to gain significant headway this year as its subscriber base is projected to almost quadruple compared to last year.

As this developed, the board of directors of PhilWeb Corp. approved the investment of ePLDT, PLDT’s information and communications technology subsidiary, in 20 percent (approximately 24 billion shares) of the resulting expanded capital of PhilWeb. ePLDT’s investment will be in the form of a primary issue of Philweb shares.

PLDT senior vice president Eric Alberto, who heads the corporate business group, told The STAR that from 5,500 customers as of end of 2005, the company anticipates that its subscriber base for its WeRoam brand of wireless broadband service will reach 25,000 this year. WeRoam was introduced by PLDT only in March of 2005.

Alberto revealed that much of the growth will come from a prepaid wireless broadband service that they will be introducing soon.

This prepaid offering, he explained, will target transients in the country as well as students and other prospective users who own or have laptops but are not frequent users of wireless broadband service and, therefore, do not need to subscribe to a postpaid service.

Alberto said that PLDT has only reached a small percentage of the market for wireless broadband service.

Data from International Data Corp. (IDC) and Microsoft show that as of last year, the official laptop count in the country is 422,000 units or a 25-percent growth from 2004. The number is expected to grow this year and next year by 23 percent and 21 percent, respectively.

An unofficial count, however, estimates the number of notebook PCs in the Philippines at almost a million units, of which 75 percent are corporate users, and 25 percent, non-corporate individuals. The official data is based on numbers culled from official laptop dealers in the country while the unofficial count is higher because it considers notebooks that are directly brought into the country from abroad and not through dealers.

WeRoam service is primarily geared towards on-the-go executives, roving executives and remote offices, and for far-flung offices local area network or LAN. With PLDT WeRoam Mobile, executives who are traveling most of the time can gain unlimited wireless broadband connectivity from their laptops or PDAs (personal digital assistants) via GPRS (general packet radio service) and EDGE technologies.

In another development, Globe Telecom subsidiary Innove Communications has unveiled the lowest IDD (international long distance) rate in the country today at only P4.50 per minute, allowing customers to enjoy longer calls abroad, through its first prepaid call card service.

Globelines marketing head Jose Antonio Mapa Jr. said "We continue to provide the best services to consumers at the lowest prices possible in order to make our communication services available to everyone. When we make this commitment, we make sure we make good on our promise and our subscribers get the real and the best value for their money." Globelines is Innove’s residential and business brand.

When calling abroad from any Globelines landline or payphone using the Globe1 prepaid card, customers get to enjoy the lowest Globelines IDD rate of only P4.50 per minute.

The P4.50 per minute IDD rate is available for the following 10 destinations or countries: Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and USA.

Globe1, which was launched last year, is Innove’s first PIN-based prepaid call card that can make wireline and wireless local, domestic and international calls. Globe1 can be used to call from any Globelines payphone and landline, Globe Handyphone and Touch Mobile to any landline and mobile carrier here and abroad.

Mapa said Innove offers flexibility and accessibility, as well as affordable call rates, to consumers with the Globe1 prepaid card.