Globe Telecom to relaunch ‘Lamborghini’ broadband stick

GLOBE Telecom Inc.’s “Tonino Lamborghini” broadband stick brand—which was the subject of a licensing controversy last year—is going to resurface soon. “It’s coming back…It’s all about lifestyle,” the cellular firm’s President Ernest Cu told reporters on Friday night at the relaunch of Globe Tattoo sticks. Cu, who refused to give additional details, said the misunderstanding was “not our fault,” referring to accusations hurled on Globe for reportedly violating the international intellectual property laws. The cellular firm has said it obtained valid authorization to use the name and logo Tonino Lamborghini on its 4G broadband sticks after allegations of trademark infringement. Globe said it was authorized by Primo Mobile, a Singapore-based company that has a master license agreement with Italy-based Tonino Lamborghini s.r.l. Primo Mobile is the master franchisor of mobile device-related products for Tonino Lamborghini and is authorized to sublicense the brand in exclusive territories, including the Philippines. The design of the Globe Tattoo Tonino Lamborghini 4G broadband sticks was even reviewed and given the go-signal by Primo Mobile. Cu said the licensing matter had been settled. The Globe official was present during the unveiling of Globe’s new Tattoo broadband sticks on Friday. The new USB dongles assure will supposedly provide faster and continued connectivity to the Internet. “For this year, we are relaunching the whole Tattoo portfolio…to give superior products and services to our subscribers,” said Globe head of nomadic broadband business Dong Ronquillo during the relaunch on Friday night. The new USB sticks now come in three variants: Tattoo Sonic is the most affordable device at P995. Its speed reaches up to about 3.6 megabits per second (Mbps). The Tattoo Flash costs P1,245 and runs under the 4G (fourth generation) umbrella with speeds reaching to 7.2 Mbps that comes with 25 days free Facebook usage. The Tattoo Superstick prepaid, meanwhile, is also powered by 4G technology with speeds of up to 7.2Mbps but costs P3,895 since it comes with 25 days of free Facebook usage. Tattoo’s postpaid portfolio starts at P299 and P499 a month. Both come with the 4G-powered Tattoo Bolt that reaches 7.2Mbps. Tattoo Magnum at plan P999 has speeds of up to 12Mbps while the Tattoo Superstick at plan P1,299 that promises speeds of up to 21Mbps. Both runs on 4G network. Globe also offers add-ons. Speed boosts can go for up to 12Mbps for an additional P100 a month; up to 21Mbps for P150 a month and up to 42Mbps for P250 a month. Wider bandwidth also becomes more accessible with the Volume Boost that starts with an additional 5 gigabytes (GB) for P200 a month; additional 10GB for P300 a month and a Surf-All-You want option for only an additional P400 a month. “We maybe a challenger but we are a strong challenger and we are actually defining the market. We want to resist limitations, mediocrity and uniformity…we have chosen some new ambassadors this year to represent the brand, to represent the youth to better themselves,” said Ronquillo.