Telcos post huge growth in mobile data business

PHILIPPINE Long Distance Telephone Co. and Globe Telecom touted gains in their mobile data businesses in the first nine months of 2015, signaling that the digital shift is ramping up for both players.

In a statement, PLDT’s Smart Communications said combined mobile Internet and broadband revenue posted strong growth during the period to reach P15.6 billion, a record growth for the said business segments. Data traffic on its network grew by 139 percent during the period.

Globe said separately that mobile browsing and other data revenues reached P15.1 billion for the first nine months of 2015, up 48 percent. Its mobile data traffic increased by 89 percent from previous year’s level as subscribers increased.

Smart partly credited gains to partnerships that provided services to a younger, digital-savvy audience.

These include tie-ups with iflix, FOX, MCA Music and Sony Music, as well as with leading digital firms such as Uber, the world’s most popular ride-sharing service, and most recently, Airbnb, the world’s leading community-driven hospitality company.

“We’re now seeing the effects of a revitalized digital strategy for mobile,” Ariel Fermin, executive vice president and head of consumer business at Smart, said in a statement.

He said these would “continue to drive data growth as more users access the Internet on their smartphone devices.”

Globe also cited tie-ups, including an agreement with technology giant Google to bring Chromecast to the Philippines.