PLDT Group corners 2/3 of Phl mobile market

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) wireless group continued its dominance and accounted for two-thirds of the country’s total mobile market with a subscriber base of 73.4 million in the first half of the year.

Wireless subsidiary Smart Communications Inc. (Smart) registered 25.5 million subscribers while Talk ‘N Text had 31.8 million subscribers as a result of 1.3 million net additions for the first half of this year.

Meanwhile, Digitel Mobile Philippines Inc. (Digitel) listed 16.1 million subscribers under its Sun Cellular brand for the same period.

The combined subscribers of the PLDT wireless group is now more than double the subscriber base of rival Globe Telecom Inc. and is five percent higher than the end-December 2012 total.

The PLDT wireless group maintained leadership in postpaid with a total base of 2.2 million as of end June.

“The growth reflects the PLDT wireless group’s strong postpaid acquisition and retention strategy, particularly in offering attractive handset and service packages and engaging content,” PLDT said in a statement..

The PLDT group also leveraged on its more extensive and robust cellular and mobile data networks to win more subscribers.  Smart’s fourth-generation Long Term Evolution (LTE) network for example now cover over 1,100 sites in 170 key cities and municipalities nationwide.

“Our sustained leadership in wireless is a reflection of our long-term strategy in combining innovative services, compelling mobile Internet content, attractive and value-for-money offerings, customizable and attractive device and plan packages and a clearly superior network.” Digitel chief executive officer and Smart wireless advisor Orlando Vea said.

“We are pushing growth further by launching game changing services such as Smart Music and mobile financial services,” he added.

Smart Music is Smart’s online music service that makes available to Smart, Talk ‘N Text and Sun subscribers millions of music tracks from the world’s leading music companies such as MCA Music, Ivory Music and Video and Sony Music at prices that are roughly half of other online music stores.

Unlike other online stores, Smart Music accepts airtime load or postpaid billing as payment for its content.

Early this year, Smart also launched various mobile financial services targeting the bottom of the pyramid market starting with BayadLoad, the breakthrough mobile payment service that uses load for government insurance and benefits that can be used by Smart, Talk ‘N Text and Sun subscribers.