PLDT keeps heavy spending plan in 2021 to maintain edge over competitors

Telco giant PLDT Inc. will continue heavy network spending through 2021 to sustain its edge over current and new competition.

The company just announced a capital spending program of up to P92 billion next year, most of which would be deployed for the expansion of its mobile and fixed-internet networks.

“To sustain its competitive advantage in the industry, PLDT announced pouring in more investments to further build its infrastructure and capacity in gaining more coverage in the country through its fiber optic network,” PLDT said in a statement.

PLDT chair and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan said the company’s integrated business model has allowed it to serve more customers and also capitalize on growth across several avenues even during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Moving forward, he said PLDT would continue significant spending as demand for data in business and entertainment surges higher.

“At the end of the day, it’s a question of the customer’s experience. It’s what they are happy about, what they are looking for that could make them enjoy the service,” Pangilinan said.

“And the network element is a strong factor because consumers now want the service wherever by content, the coverage wherever they are, whenever they need it and the kind of content or product that they wish for,” he added.

A major area of growth in 2021 will be home broadband.

“There is going to be a big push in the home broadband while we expect to grow the wireless segment,” Pangilinan said.

“Even in the enterprise, despite the impact of the pandemic on the enterprise sector of our economy, they grew this year by 3 percent and by 2021 they should grow by a percentage higher,” he added. —Miguel R. Camus