PLDT transforms fixed-line biz with new bundled package

MANILA, Philippines - Telecommunications leader Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) is transforming the face, feel and future of its fixed line business with a new offering that bundles a landline service with a touch-screen tablet and a high speed Internet service all under one service plan.

The PLDT TelPad unit includes a special handset that also serves as a charging dock for an application-rich, seven-inch screen tablet computer. Subscribers can use the handset or the portable tablet computer to make and receive phone calls and access over 100,000 online applications. This is on top of the unlimited broadband access of the bundled service.

“We are reshaping the future of the landline and we are starting to bring it to the market now. We are proud that the PLDT TelPad was conceptualized and developed here in the Philippines using world-class technology,” PLDT president and CEO Napoleon Nazareno said.

The PLDT TelPad tablet is powered by a 1Ghz Cortex A8 processor that enables the device to deliver snappy performance. It runs on Android’s latest operating system Version 2.2, which offers genuine multi-tasking capabilities. Users of TelPad can download a wide range of applications from the Android Market, Google’s online store which offers over 125,000 applications like business apps, e_books and magazines and digital games like the highly popular Angry Birds.

PLDT officials explained that storage will not be a problem as the unit’s two gigabyte-internal capacity can be augmented by an SD card and USB slot for extended storage. The TelPad also carries a two-megapixel front camera for still shots and videoconference calls.

The PLDT TelPad service starts at Plan 1849 with one-megabit-per-second (Mbps) broadband connection and landline service. The PLDT TelPad unit comes bundled with the plan. Existing PLDT myDSL customers only need to add as low as P500/month to upgrade to the TelPad plans.

The other PLDT TelPad plans are Plan 2099 at 1.5 Mbps (P2,099 per month), Plan 3095 at 2.5 Mbps, and Plan 4100 at 3.5 Mbps. All these are inclusive of the landline phone and myDSL broadband service.

PLDT senior vice president Eric Alberto said they have packed the PLDT TelPad with features that will dramatically change how we use landlines.

“The Philippine market, with its growing number of ‘netizens’, is ready for an innovative service such as the PLDT Telpad. We expect TelPad will be very well received and will create a new market of adopters to this new and exciting service. We are bringing back relevance to and expanding the value proposition of the landline in the home,” he added.

Meanwhile, PLDT retail business group head Dan Ibarra pointed out that they have reinvented the landline to take on the emerging digital lifestyle and the growing consumer appetite for rich multimedia content.

He said that the intuitive design allows subscribers to access information, entertainment and lifestyle apps easily with simple touch of the screen. Aside from Android-based applications such as e-readers, news widgets and games, there are other apps being developed for a more enjoyable PLDT TelPad experience, he added.

PLDT vice president for retail voice Patrick Tang also noted that PLDT Telpad highlights the enhanced value of landlines to households and businesses. “The PLDT TelPad tablet has built-in widgets and many applications that can access PLDT-run content-rich portals such as PLDT@Home, askPLDT and very soon, even PLDT Watchpad, which is PLDT’s online multimedia entertainment portal,” Tang said.

Subscribers who enjoy a multimedia lifestyle can also take advantage of the TelPad’s built-in HDMI port which can be plugged into any flat screen TV allowing subscribers to watch movies, play games and very soon, even sing along with the Videoke app on the TV’s larger screen, making the multimedia experience richer. The TelPad tablet can also be used to listen to music, read e-mail and display photo slideshows.

Its web-based interface and multimedia functions also opens the door for new communities and services that provide information and entertainment through its wide range of home-and business-based applications.