PLDT reports broadband subscribers up 10%

PLDT Inc. widened its lead in the home broadband business, luring more subscribers as demand continued to increase.

PLDT said in a statement that its home broadband subscriber base increased 10 percent to 3.88 million users in the first half of 2017. Revenues here jumped 12 percent to P15.8 billion during the same period.

PLDT accounted for around 66 percent of new residences connected with high speed internet, the firm said.

“Along with our enterprise business unit, PLDT Home has continued to set the pace for service revenues, growing for at least six consecutive quarters already,” PLDT chair and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan said. “This springs from their success in executing their digital shift much earlier.”

PLDT said revenues from its home unit were led by data, which rose 15 percent to P9.7 billion during the first semester of 2017. Voice revenues also contributed, increasing 6 percent to P6.1 billion.

PLDT Home began its shift to data and digital services in the early 2000’s when it introduced its DSL home broadband service.

By 2013, it had launched its Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) service. Data and broadband revenues now comprise 62 percent of the revenues of PLDT Home.

PLDT’s fiber network covered 3.1 million homes as of end-June 2017, up from 2.8 million as of end-2016. It is targeting to reach four million homes by the end of 2017.