PLDT expands share of broadband market

MANILA, Philippines–Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. said its broadband subscribers exceeded 4 million in 2014, which it said was up almost a fifth over the previous year and sealed its status as the “most preferred” provider for the period, a statement showed.

The PLDT Group that includes PLDT Alpha Enterprise, PLDT SME Nation, PLDT Home and mobile subsidiaries Smart Communications and Sun Cellular cornered almost 60 percent of total broadband subscribers in the country.

“We are pleased to see that the PLDT Group remains the preferred broadband provider in the country, whether among corporates, at home, or on the go, as we continuously strive to bring the most innovative products and services to our subscribers that allow them to live connected,” PLDT President and CEO Napoleon Nazareno said.

“We have seen a significant jump in our wireless broadband subscribers following the “Free Internet” offer in the last quarter of 2014. This is part of the suite of services under our “Internet for All” advocacy which is expanding rapidly,” Smart Chief Wireless Adviser Orlando Vea said in the same statement.

Nazareno said PLDT’s integrated network allowed it to offer  broadband plans  at different price points depending on the speed and volume needed by the customer.

PLDT spent over P34.8 billion in capital expenditures in 2014 as it expanded its fiber network to nearly 100,000 kilometers.

It said the network  was needed for broadband services that can simultaneously deliver voice, video, and data offerings at faster speeds and larger capacities through various devices from computers, tablets, and mobile phones to television sets.

In anticipation of greater data usage, PLDT plans to spend another P39 billion in capital expenditures in 2015.

PLDT’s total fixed broadband subscribers jumped 13 percent to 1.1 million, representing over 70 percent of the total market, and now accounting for almost 50 percent of the fixed line subscriber base.

Smart’s broadband subscribers increased by 21 percent from the previous year to over 2.3 million in 2014, about 1.8 million of whom were on Smart Broadband’s prepaid service. On the other hand, Sun Cellular’s broadband subscriber base grew by 24 percent to over 676,000.  On combined basis, the PLDT group’s wireless broadband subscriber base of nearly 3 million accounts for about 56 percent of the market.