Microsoft, PLDT tie up for common services

Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) and Microsoft Philippines, a subsidiary of the world’s biggest software company, have entered into an agreement that would soon bring about forward-looking solutions and services for both companies’ clients.

Under the memorandum of understanding recently signed, PLDT and Microsoft will come up with solutions for corporate clients that would combine both companies’ strengths.

PLDT will provide the telecommunications infrastructure and its expertise on emerging markets while Microsoft will provide the software technology and its knowledge of the global market.

PLDT president and CEO Napoleon Nazareno said there is great potential in the synergy between PLDT and Microsoft.

"This is really exciting for us. This forges what we hope to be a sustainable partnership moving forward. The objective really is to give more value to our customers through relentless innovation. Together with Microsoft, which is a very innovative company, we can have more meaningful innovations that would benefit the consumers. It’s a win-win-win situation for us," Nazareno emphasized.

For his part, PLDT senior vice president for corporate business group Eric Alberto pointed out: "It would mean great value to our clients and would eliminate a lot of the costs for them. This is just the beginning and our clients will be the big winner here."

PLDT and Microsoft will take advantage of the facilities of the PLDT InnoLab in Mandaluyong to develop these new corporate solutions. PLDT InnoLab is PLDT’s facility for undertaking research and development in telecommunications technologies together with the academe, government, and business partners. It is also a venue for demonstrating various solutions for corporate clientele.

Antonio Javier Jr., Microsoft Philippines managing director, said this is part of Microsoft’s efforts to look for alternative distribution models for its products.

"We’ve realized that in order to reach a broader set of the market, we have to look into a more innovative business model, a model where both business users and consumers can get to enjoy the benefits of our products on a pay-per-use basis. It’s a model that is pretty new to our company but it has already been mastered by telecommunication companies, particularly PLDT, which is undoubtedly the leading provider in this part of the world. I think this MOU is significant to us today because it solidifies that specific endeavor. We’re quite excited about this. In fact, a number of applications have already been identified for this project," Javier explained.

He added: "This partnership will pave the way for other key innovations to reach the broadest market, thanks to PLDT’s unmatched network. We look forward to a deeper and more significant relationship between the two companies."