Rival telcos draw up postpaid plans ahead of Samsung Galaxy S5 launch

MANILA, Philippines - Rivals Globe Telecom Inc. and Smart Communications Inc. have unveiled plans for postpaid subscribers for the much anticipated launch of the Samsung Galaxy S5 next month.

Raul Macatangay, head of postpaid business and devices of Globe, said its roster of postpaid plan offerings for Samsung Galaxy S5 would give customers the most affordable and unbeatable deals to enjoy the latest smartphone with its fully-customizable mySUPERPLAN.

“We are excited to welcome the arrival of the much-anticipated Samsung Galaxy S5 in the country with our most unbeatable offers and bigger plan value, allowing users to maximize the features of the device and enjoy a wonderful postpaid experience,” Macatangay stressed.

For as low as P1,699 monthly, customers could avail of the Samsung Galaxy S5 at Plan 999 with P700 monthly cashout over a 24-month contract period.

Customers would get five gigabyte (GB) worth of consumable mobile internet surfing monthly, plus free calls and texts to all networks. 

The Samsung Galaxy S5 would also be available for as low as P1,799 monthly at Plan 1299 with P500 monthly cashout for a 24-month contract period, complete with five GB monthly consumable mobile surfing, plus 25 minutes of calls and 500 texts to all networks. 

Alongside a fully-customizable postpaid plan, customers also get one-month free Gadget Care as well as free access to Facebook until April 25, 2014.

Customers availing of the Samsung Galaxy S5 from Globe also get the exclusive privilege to buy apps from the Samsung App Store and do in-app purchases, which amount would be charged to the bill of postpaid customers and would be deducted from the prepaid load of prepaid customers.

Meanwhile, Smart postpaid marketing head Kathryn Carag said Samsung’s latest flagship device would be available for free starting April 11 under Smart Postpaid’s UnliSurf Plan 2000 that comes with unlimited mobile long term evolution (LTE) surfing, 150 minutes of calls and 200 of texts to all networks under a 30-month contract.

Carag said the Galaxy S5 would also be available for only P1,799 a month under UnliSurf Plan 999, with P800 monthly handset cash-out for 24 months that covers unlimited surfing for one month plus calls and texts.

“We’ve already said that Smart’s reliable LTE network is the perfect match for the Samsung Galaxy S5, but we’re throwing in additional exclusive perks so our subscribers can best enjoy this new flagship device with the leader in mobile,” she stressed.

According to her, subscribers prefer to enjoy their Samsung smartphones with Smart’s robust LTE network of more than 10,000 4G-capable sites (HSPA+, LTE/LTE-A) nationwide backed by 78,000 kilometers as reflected by the sales volumes of the Galaxy S4 and the Galaxy Note 3 that almost tripled last year.

Pre-registered subscribers of a Galaxy S5 plan would get exclusive premium deals including free one month unlimited music streaming plus access to millions of tracks via a SPINNR VIP subscription and a chance to win one of 10 Samsung Galaxy Gear devices to be raffled off on launch day.

Additionally, the first 200 individuals who subscribed to a Samsung Galaxy S5 plan on the first day of availability would be entitled to a one-year free insurance under Smart Gadget Shield.