MANILA, Philippines — Fully integrated telecommunications company PLDT Inc. is leading digital inclusion among Asian telcos.
PLDT said it ranked 12th out of 150 companies in the latest Digital Inclusion Benchmark conducted by the World Benchmarking Alliance (WBA).
The company joined global businesses like Apple, Cisco, Samsung and Alphabet in the top 15.
PLDT said it is the top ranked telco from Asia (excluding China), and the highest ranking company headquartered in a developing nation.
“We are proud to be ranked globally with the world’s biggest tech companies in promoting a more inclusive digital economy and society,” PLDT chief sustainability officer Melissa Vergel de Dios said.
“We are encouraged to see that our efforts have been recognized and this recognition motivates us even more to pursue efforts to connect and empower Filipinos digitally,” she said.
The WBA ranked the 150 most influential technology companies in the world on their efforts across four indicators – enhancing digital skills, fostering trustworthy use, innovating openly and ethically, and improving access to technology.
The WBA favorably noted the PLDT group’s initiatives on skills development where it ranked second among companies surveyed.
PLDT also showed strong performance on the “use” category, placing 10th among companies evaluated.
The WBA recognized the company’s investments in its cybersecurity defenses, particularly PLDT’s commitment to keeping a safer online space for its customers, particularly, children.
PLDT has partnered with like-minded organizations to spread awareness on and curtail online abuse and exploitation of minors.
Overall, PLDT said it is one of only 27 companies that received passing marks in this year’s benchmarking.
PLDT said it remains committed to tear down the barriers that are currently excluding billions of people globally from accessing and productively harnessing digital technologies.