Business
PLDT expects more broadband users as PCs become less costly
By
Nov 23, 2008 - 6:52:44 AM

CEBU CITY, Nov. 24 (PNA) -- The increasing popularity of broadband, coupled with the influx of affordable PC hardware, is feeding the optimist outlook of the DSL team of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) for next year despite the global financial crisis.

Even though the information technology sector noted a low PC penetration rate in the Philippines, the PLDT DSL group is still confident that the entry of cheaper but sophisticated computers like netbooks would boost their campaign in pushing for broadband Internet connection in the country.

”The lowering of the prices of PC hardware and the growing appreciation for broadband would spell the explosion for broadband next year. We’re projecting that next year will be the biggest year for broadband,” said Gary Dujali, PLDT assistant vice-president and category head for DSL.

Broadband refers to the high-capacity, two-way link between and end user and the Internet connection while using regular phone lines.

Dujali said he noticed a growing number of subscribers for PLDT DSL monthly, encouraging the company to target one million subscribers for PLDT myDSL next year.

At the end of 2007, there were 264,000 PLDT broadband subscribers in the country. This grew to 388,000 at the end of the first nine months of 2008, according to the company’s November press statement that contains its unaudited financial results for the first nine months this year.

PLDT DSL generated P3.9 billion in revenues for the first nine months of 2008, up 41 percent from P2.8 billion in the same period in 2007.

Dujali said Cebu is, by far, the city with the biggest number of PLDT DSL subscribers compared to other cities like Makati and Quezon.

He declined to give Cebu’s share of their subscriber base but said that the province has more than 50 percent market share for DSL.

”Moms are the key to this growing appreciation for broadband, especially when they approve of the subscription plan and mode of payment like including it in their monthly bill. So we reach out and establish relationships with them,” he said.

To help double its DSL subscriber base in 2009, PLDT myDSL partnered with PC dealers and vendors in Cebu like Accent Micro, NGenius, PC Express and Thinking Tools so that consumers can avail of desktops or laptops at lower prices and with free DSL.

”We’re changing the way we do business now. There is nothing wrong with a customer coming to our business center to apply for a DSL connection. But consumers nowadays want things right away. Through this, he can already avail of a PC and a DSL at the same time without having to line up,” said Dujali.

PLDT, myDSL offers bundles packages like Plans 990 with a speed of up to 384 kilobytes per second or KBPS, 1299 up to 512 kbps, 999 up to 1 megabytes per second or Mbps, 1995 up to 2 Mbps, and 3000 up to 3 Mbps.

In promos that run until December this year and January 2009, these plans come with free first month subscription, free installation, and free PLDT to PLDT NDD calls for a year.

Dujali said that these promos and campaign comprise part of the team’s preparation for 2009.

”We are just making it simple and convenient for the consumers and at the same time we don’t want to limit their choices,” said Dujali, adding that this is what sets PLDT apart from the competition.

He cited a latest independent study that placed PLDT myDSL as the most preferred service out of all the broadband providers with the level of preference three times higher than its closest competitor.