United Nations Net-Connectivity Report

The United Nations (UN) has projected that 2.7 billion people or 40 percent of the world’s population will be connected to the Internet by the end of 2013. In its International Telecommunication Union-Information and Communication Technology (ITU-ICT) Index, the UN said mobile broadband is the fastest growing segment of the global ICT market today.

The ITU-ICT Index ranked 157 countries, including the Philippines, based on their level of ICT access, use, and skills. It said that 250 million people were connected online in 2012, but 4.4 billion remain unconnected. Of 1.1 billion households worldwide not yet connected to the net, 90 percent were in developing countries, mostly in Africa. The high cost of net access in developing countries was restricting uptake and causing a “digital divide,” it noted.
South Korea led the world in ICT development for the third consecutive year, followed by Sweden, Iceland, Denmark, Finland, Norway, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Luxembourg, and Hong Kong (China). The Philippines was ranked No. 98. Governments are prioritizing ICT as major lever of socio-economic growth, the Index said, projecting that by the end of 2013, there would be 6.8 billion mobile-cellular subscriptions worldwide.
The Index described as “digital natives” those “15-24 years old with five or more years of online experience.” About 30% of world’s young people fall into this category, the ITU-ICT report said. In developed countries, 86% or 145 million young Internet users are digital natives. Of 503 million young Internet users in developing nations, less than half are digital natives. The digital native population in these regions is expected to double by 2017.
We congratulate the United Nations headed by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and International Telecommunication Union Secretary-General Hamadoun Toure, for their coordinative efforts to monitor for policy-making how countries and their citizens are able to keep in step with new technologies and breakthroughs in the digital age in our Republic of the Philippines and worldwide. CONGRATULATIONS AND MABUHAY!

United Nations Net-Connectivity Report

The United Nations (UN) has projected that 2.7 billion people or 40 percent of the world’s population will be connected to the Internet by the end of 2013. In its International Telecommunication Union-Information and Communication Technology (ITU-ICT) Index, the UN said mobile broadband is the fastest growing segment of the global ICT market today.

The ITU-ICT Index ranked 157 countries, including the Philippines, based on their level of ICT access, use, and skills. It said that 250 million people were connected online in 2012, but 4.4 billion remain unconnected. Of 1.1 billion households worldwide not yet connected to the net, 90 percent were in developing countries, mostly in Africa. The high cost of net access in developing countries was restricting uptake and causing a “digital divide,” it noted.
South Korea led the world in ICT development for the third consecutive year, followed by Sweden, Iceland, Denmark, Finland, Norway, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Luxembourg, and Hong Kong (China). The Philippines was ranked No. 98. Governments are prioritizing ICT as major lever of socio-economic growth, the Index said, projecting that by the end of 2013, there would be 6.8 billion mobile-cellular subscriptions worldwide.
The Index described as “digital natives” those “15-24 years old with five or more years of online experience.” About 30% of world’s young people fall into this category, the ITU-ICT report said. In developed countries, 86% or 145 million young Internet users are digital natives. Of 503 million young Internet users in developing nations, less than half are digital natives. The digital native population in these regions is expected to double by 2017.
We congratulate the United Nations headed by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and International Telecommunication Union Secretary-General Hamadoun Toure, for their coordinative efforts to monitor for policy-making how countries and their citizens are able to keep in step with new technologies and breakthroughs in the digital age in our Republic of the Philippines and worldwide. CONGRATULATIONS AND MABUHAY!

Google Wi-Fi Passport launches in Indonesia, offers cheap Internet access

Google has rolled out a service in Indonesian capital Jakata, which allows users to hop on Wi-Fi hotspots for free or at affordable rates. The service, called Wi-Fi Passport, is exclusively for Android users via an app.

"It's way quicker than congested 3G connections, and there's no need to keep entering passwords or re-registering on hard-to-use Web sites either," said Google on its site. Users are allowed usage of up to 3GB of data in a single day, or 7GB over seven days, and 10GB over 30 days.

Currently voucher codes that allow free usage for the first 10 days are available at promotional events. Otherwise, the service costs 20,000 rupiah (US$1.86) for 20 days or 50,000 rupiah (US$4.65) for 50 days via Google's partner MOGPlay.

As part of Google's push to get "the next billion" online and using its services, various initiatives it's launched so far include Free Zone which debuted in the Philippines, which allows Web access on featurephones for free as long as they visit the site via Google Search. It also launched the service in India via a tie-up with telco Airtel.

In June, the Web giant kicked off Project Loon, where a string of networked balloons helped deliver broadband signals to people living in rural and remote areas.

Tattoo leads tablet revolution

Now that you have the whole world at your fingertips, there has never been a better time to spark a revolution.

Tattoo welcomes us to the tablet age with the most affordable bundle plans for tablet devices. With the Tattoo Tablet Bundles, get three free devices in one amped-up plan harnessing high-speed mobility and connectivity all in one super-power bundle. More than that, Tattoo also allows you to maximize the features of your tablets by offering ultra-fast Internet speed. of 7.2 Mbps giving everyone a great tablet experience both for personal and business use.

Offering the synergy of unlimited Internet browsing and mobile text and calls is Tattoo’s Tablet Bundle starting with Plan 1298. Coming with three free supercharged devices — a free Skyworth S73 tablet or a Cloudpad 705W, a Blackberry Curve 9220 mobile phone, and the country’s fastest broadband Wi-Fi stick which can power up to ten devices, Tattoo Bundle Plan 1298 gives you the experience of seamless connectivity wherever you are. The Tattoo Bundle plans combined these three powerful communication devices together to answer the increasing need to always stay connected. With more and more people going mobile, the Tattoo Bundle plans allow you to manage and share more so you are always in touch and always available.

“Tattoo is the authority when it comes to tablets. We have proven this already as we introduced our very first branded tablet with the Mediapad. Since then, Tattoo has always been exciting the market with compelling offers. This time Tattoo gives subscribers more ways to stay connected with a complete bundle — a tablet, a phone and a mobile WIFI device that gives seamless connectivity only from the country’s most preferred broadband,” said Dong Ronquillo, vice president, Globe Tattoo Nomadic Broadband Business.

Other Tattoo Tablet bundles are also available with varying numbers of free browsing hours together with unlimited calls and texts on the free mobile phone and connectivity through the free mobile Wi-Fi. Plan 998 has 85 browsing hours coming with a Cloudpad 705W for a one-time cash out of P1499 and Blackberry Curve 9320 phone; Plan 798 also has 85 browsing hours coupled with a Skyworth S73 for a one-time cash out of P1499 and a Cloudfone Excite 352G; Lastly, Plan 598 includes 50 browsing hours, a Cloudpad 705W for a one-time cash out of P2999 and a Cloudfone Excite 352G.

Subscribers can also choose from Tattoo’s other dynamic tablet-only offers that also come with its very own mobile wifi device. With a wider Tablet portfolio, Tattoo offers models that range from the Cloudpad 705W for one-time low cash out of P499, while the Skyworth S82 and the Cherry Fusion Bolt tablets come at a one-time cash out of P999. Android-disciples can also get their hands on the popular Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 at P12, 999.


From reading, surfing the net, sending e-mails or just simply playing online games with your tablets on your commute, to unlimited calls and texts and mobile Internet connection, the Tattoo Bundle plans give you the best deals in the market today.

NTT doubles down on cloud services bet with Virtela, RagingWire acquisitions

NTT Communications is enhancing its cloud services portfolio by acquiring Virtela, a managed and cloud services provider, for about $525 million, as well as an 80 percent stake in data center provider RagingWire for $350 million.

By combining Virtela's service platform with NTT Communications' global ICT infrastructure, the combined company will be able to better address multi-site cloud service opportunities. When the deal is completed next year, NTT will expand its global network services coverage to over 190 countries and regions.

Through its global operations and delivery centers in the United States, India and the Philippines, Denver-based Virtela today serves over 500 customers, including a number of large multinational corporations. NTT Communications offers ICT outsourcing, including its Arcstar Universal One virtualized network services and customer-premise-to-data center and cloud-to-cloud services, which use software defined networking (SDN) technologies.

Ron Haigh, Virtela's President, told FierceTelecom in an e-mail that "NTT and Virtela share a global cloud vision and passion for support and we are excited to accelerate our efforts together to further strengthen our offerings for customers worldwide."

NTT Communications said it will enhance its broadband network services in "nearly every country of the world" by leveraging Virtela's service activation and advanced management infrastructure.

In addition, the Japan-based service provider will upgrade its cloud-based network services with Virtela's network function virtualization (NFV) technology, enabling it to virtualize customers' network equipment, such as firewalls and WAN accelerators. The two companies said that their enterprise customers will be able to get instant service activation and reduce IT service costs.

The service provider reached a separate deal to acquire approximately 80 percent equity interest in RagingWire, a U.S. data center provider. Besides doubling its data center space in the United States, NTT Communications will take advantage of the data center provider's patented 2N+2TM design, which it says "offers double the redundancy of a standard data center design at a lower cost."

Similar to other deals NTT Communications has made with cloud and data center providers, RagingWire's founders and management team will continue to operate the company as a platform under the RagingWire brand and maintain a minority interest in the company.

NTT Communications' recent moves reflect the company's overall strategy to build its cloud and data center service reach by purchasing other companies that have expertise in these areas. Earlier, the service provider acquired Solutionary and Centerstance, which gave it greater managed security and business transformation capabilities.

A thousand smiles & surprises from Globe at MassKara

It may very well be the “happiest” festival on these islands. Now in its 34th year, Bacolod City’s annual MassKara festival may also be the most colorful with thousands of people wearing hand-painted masks and dancing in the streets.

Coined by the late Ely Santiago when he was president of the Art Association of Bacolod in 1981, MassKara comes from the words “mass” and the Spanish word “cara” or face. It is indeed a “multitude of faces” come festival time in the city known for its smiling people.

It’s an exhilarating sight — hundreds of people in costumes and masks painstakingly beaded and hand-painted, glittering under the sun. The festival has grown bigger with each passing year, attracting local and foreign tourists to Bacolod.

Globe Telecom joined in the festivities with its own slew of surprises this year. They set up the Globe Mobility Store-on-the-Go at North Capitol Road, transforming the street into a Globe Village and serving as the city’s center of festivities and fanfare.

With a Mardi Gras theme, Globe set up several game booths for its different brands: Globe Prepaid and MDS, Globe Postpaid, Tattoo (mobile and broadband), and Globe partners Pixable, Samsung and CloudFone.

The Globe Mobility Store-on-the-Go was opened by Globe Retail Transformation and Management head Joe Caliro and Globe and CloudFone endorser Xian Lim.

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During the four days that it was open, it offered everything that a Globe Business Center does, giving customers who are far from a center easy access — and amid a festival atmosphere, too!

More than 5,000 people went into the village to inquire about and apply for the latest postpaid and broadband plans as well as avail of other Globe promos while on the go. Device partners CloudFone and Samsung showcased their latest roster of gadgets and mobile phones for customers to choose from.

Globe showcased its lineup of prepaid, postpaid, and Tattoo broadband offers, exclusive MassKara deals and fun games and activities. It also gave away raffle prizes to subscribers who availed of Globe Prepaid, Postpaid and Tattoo offers, with exciting prizes up such as tablets, handsets, and gift certificates from partner-establishments.

The Globe Mobility Store-on-the-Go also set up game booths including a roulette called “Around the Globe”; Globe MySuper Cans (knockdown cans), Tattoo speed bullet (shooting) and Black Jack. The four-day event was open to the public and Globe subscribers who registered were given food treats and freebies.



 The Globe Village also featured performances by Perkusyunista Negrense Drumbeaters, Artians Dance Squad, Elaine & Mike, Joanne Bernal with Jessa and Yani, B.O.B., Ritmo Verde, DJs Zeetrex, Erick Gella and Ryan Seares.

Tattoo also took over the night scene with a 2-day roofdeck party at Bacolod’s L’Fisher Chalet in partnership with Republiq. The best DJs in Manila came over to give Bacolodnons two unforgettable nights of non-stop music alongside personalities like Vice Ganda, Sam Pinto, the De La Salle Green Archers’ Sam Perkins, Arnold Van Opstal and Jeron Teng, and the Philippine Volcanoes who all showed support and joined the party.

 Guests were also able to experience the latest offers from Tattoo like the newest Tablet Bundle plans as part of the Tattoo Tablet Revolution wherein subscribers can get a free tablet, phone and a broadband Wi-Fi stick which can power up to 10 devices all in for Plan 1298.

Bacolod is the third place to have the Globe Store-on-the-Go, following Batangas and Bonifacio Global City.

Alcatel-Lucent job cuts will have 'minimal impact' in Australia: Sean O'Halloran

Amsterdam: Australian jobs are unlikely to go as telecommunications equipment maker Alcatel-Lucent undertakes global restructure, according to the company's local managing director.

Speaking with Fairfax Media in Amsterdam, where the Broadband World Conference was held last week, Sean O'Halloran said he believed the reduction of staff in Australia would be "very, very minimal" and that he didn't "see much of an impact" from the global cuts.

"Australia is a very healthy business for Alcatel-Lucent, especially with the new strategy we have around the Shift [Plan] which includes the direction around the job cuts," he said.

The plan was first unveiled by global chief executive Michel Combes in June. It aims to "reposition Alcatel-Lucent from a telecommunications equipment generalist to an industrial specialist in IP networking and ultra-broadband access (mobile and fixed) at the heart of next-generation networks".

Last week, Mr Combes told radio station Europe 1 the company's future was at risk if it could not execute the turn-around strategy. "Yes, this company can disappear," he said.

The Franco-American group previously unveiled plans to slash 10,000 jobs worldwide, from a workforce of 80,000 by the end of 2015. It argues the cuts were its last chance to stem years of losses. This includes 3800 jobs from the Asia-Pacific region, 4100 from Europe, Africa and the Middle East, and 2100 from the Americas. It would also halve its business hubs around the world.

So far there has been no indication of the number of jobs at threat in Australia. Mr O'Halloran wouldn't quantify the potential losses, but said its Australian business hub was "not at all" at threat of closing.

"We see ourselves being around for a long time," he said.

"We've been here for over 115 years," he added, describing how one of the companies Alcatel acquired helped build the first telephone exchange in Australia.

"We actually feel very much a part of the ecosystem," he said.

Alcatel-Lucent's Australian business has already cut about five per cent of its 700 to 800 person workforce in recent years and embarked on further cost-cutting measures.

The latest global cuts were aimed at "getting back into good business practice", Mr O'Halloran said.

"If you look around in business it's not an unusual practice. The scale might be bigger than some but it gets us back to the right sort of ratios in the industry.

"It's a financial imperative if you like ... we can't keep burning cash."

The redundancies add to simmering ICT job losses in Australia due to offshoring and cuts by other giants such as HP and IBM.

IBM alone is expected to offshore more than 1500 Australian jobs this year and has already made several hundred employees redundant.

Technology workers in banking and other large industries have reported being fired but only after training people in India, China or the Philippines or workers on 457 visas to do their jobs. Government agencies have also shed IT jobs, with the Queensland government announcing in June that 1700 IT jobs were likely to go.

Asia at risk of missing Internet opportunities

As with so many other industries — medical tourism, electric cars, phablets — Asia is widely considered to be the future of the Internet. There is, however, one very big "if": If only the governments can get over their tendencies toward overregulation and censorship.

Almost half the world's Web users live in the region. Asia boasts some of the world's fastest broadband speeds, as well as the fastest rate of growth in mobile broadband. Its share of the global e-commerce market stands at one-third and growing.

So why are Asian governments working so hard to sabotage this glorious rise? In its Freedom on the Net 2013 report, Freedom House ranked 12 Asian nations as "not free" or "partly free." Only two — Japan and the Philippines — qualified as "free." Half of those nations slipped in the rankings from last year.

These are sorry numbers. Most of the world's attention naturally tends to focus on openly repressive regimes such as those in China and Vietnam. The Chinese deploy more online censors than soldiers, and draconian new laws governing microblogs have stifled its once-vibrant social media. Vietnam's Orwellian new Decree 72 bans any content that might "go against the state of the socialist republic of Vietnam."

Just as damaging, however, are measures taken by Asia's democratically elected governments to limit what their citizens can see, say and share online. These rules are often well- meaning — efforts to restrict hate speech, for instance, or to block pornographic material. Yet vague, badly written laws and murky or nonexistent oversight easily lend themselves to abuse. Asia's regulatory morass hobbles Internet businesses.

With growth forecasts dimming, these countries cannot afford to strangle one of the most potentially dynamic sectors of their economies. Models of clear, well-written legislation — such as the European Union's E-Commerce Directive — exist. The Internet is also a potential catalyst for countries hoping that innovation and entrepreneurialism will one day drive their economies. If Asia misses this opportunity, its own leaders will bear part of the blame.

Affordability will drive mobile broadband growth

The increasing availability of affordable smartphones and high-speed wireless networks offered on more spectra will make mobile broadband service accessible to all Thais, according to Ericsson Thailand's new president, Camilla Vautier.

She said that Ericsson Thailand would continue to work closely with its customers, which are private and state telecom operators, to offer their subscribers improved mobile broadband services.

Vautier's appointment to head Ericsson Thailand took effect on October 1. She has more than 18 years' experience in Ericsson, having held senior roles in sales and marketing management in several regions, including Europe and Asia. Before this appointment, she was the head of commercial management for Western and Central Europe.

She said Thailand had experienced significant growth in smartphone and tablet penetration, and this presented a wealth of opportunities for operators and users alike.

Ericsson ConsumerLab's analysis suggests smartphone penetration in urban Thailand doubled, and tripled for tablets, in the first quarter of this year compared with the same period in 2012. In addition, more than one-quarter of urban Thai tablet users are watching television or other video content on these devices, while one in three smartphone users are using their video-streaming features.

"I am delighted to be in Thailand at such an exciting time of mobile-broadband growth," Vautier said.

She said that the key drivers of such mobile-broadband growth would be the increasing availability of affordable smartphones and of affordable wireless broadband networks using both high-speed packet access (HSPA) and long-term evolution (LTE) technology.

A recent "Ericsson Mobility Report" shows that mobile data traffic doubled globally between the first quarter of last year and the same three-month period this year, and is expected to grow 12-fold between 2012 and 2018, driven mainly by video. Thailand will soon face a similar situation.

LTE technology gives a superior user experience when it comes to stability, throughput and latency. The increased capacity will bring new and better services to users. For operators, LTE also offers low long-term capital and

operational costs. The other key driver of the growth in mobile broadband service will be the additional spectra to assure affordable services for all.

"With such enormous data growth, we can say that without additional spectra, operators may face challenges in planning, expanding and managing their networks to ensure affordable mobile broadband services to Thai society, especially in the dense areas with heavy mobile-broadband usage," Vautier said.

Many operators in developed markets of information and communications technology markets have multiple frequency bands, allowing them to build and operate a cost-efficient network infrastructure to assure the affordable mobile broadband services for all as well. The Ericsson Mobility Report also shows that network performance is the principal driver of loyalty to mobile operators, followed by value for money. The report shows that addressing network performance has twice the impact on customer loyalty compared with measures such as improving customer support.

Vautier said all of the above drivers would make mobile broadband service affordable for all Thais.

Since Ericsson is present in markets with huge data uptake such as Japan and the United States, it can also leverage the knowledge and experience from these markets and apply them here in Thailand, she said.

In August, Real Future, a subsidiary of True Corp, chose Ericsson as a key supplier to expand its third- and fourth-generation coverage in Thailand.

The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) last December awarded 2.1-gigahertz spectrum licences to three winners of its auction. They are Real Future, Advanced Wireless Network of Advanced Info Service, and DTAC TriNet of Total Access Communication. Since then, all three have invested heavily in expanding the 3G network across the country.

At the present, Real Future is the only NBTC licence holder offering both 3G and 4G wireless broadband services on this 2.1GHz spectrum.

The NBTC intends to auction the 1,800-megahertz spectrum next September.

This spectrum can be used to provide the 4G service.

Talking about the overview of 3G and 4G markets in Southeast Asia, Vautier said consumers would continue to be the driving force of the uptake of smartphones and mobile broadband service.

Most mobile-broadband devices are, and will continue to be, smartphones.

The growth of 3G and 4G is primarily driven by smartphones ranging in price from about US$100 to $200 (Bt3,100-Bt6,200). Also an increase in local smartphone brands in countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand has resulted in a growing market share of those in the $50-$100 range.

Smart, Sun mesh networks in Mindanao

Smart Communications Inc. on Thursday said it has completed a project that allows Sun Cellular operator Digitel Mobile Philippines Inc. (DMPI) to use the former's network in Mindanao, and vice versa.

Network synergies involve the co-use of infrastructure between the two operators. The practice results in marked improvement in network coverage, as each operator gets to use cell sites of the other operator and vice versa. This optimizes the resources of participating networks, and reduces the need to build new infrastructure.

Smart’s network synergy project with Sun Cellular started in April, covering 25 provinces in Mindanao, including Tawi-Tawi and Sulu.

With the completion of the project, both Smart and Sun Cellular have leveraged on the use of close to 1,300 sites in the country’s second largest island.

Sun Cellular subscribers stand to benefit from the project as the network increased its 2G (second generation) coverage by 152 percent, and its 3G coverage by 64 percent in Mindanao.

For its part, Smart expanded its existing capacity, gaining 35 percent in its 2G coverage and a 57 percent jump in 3G coverage in the area.

The network synergy project was the next step for both mobile services providers when Smart parent company Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) acquired a majority stake in Digitel Telecommunications Philippines Inc (Digitel), parent company of Sun Cellular, in October 2011.

Through the combined and on-time modernization strategy, the PLDT wireless group continues to have the most extensive and robust network all over the Philippines with the most number of cell sites, cellular/mobile broadband base stations and fixed wireless broadband-enabled base stations.

“This supercharged network is what allows us to effectively serve the combined Smart, Talk ‘N Text, and Sun Cellular subscriber base, despite its sheer size, and offer services that are extremely high in value but very easy on the pockets,” said Orlando B. Vea, co-founder and chief wireless advisor of Smart, as well as president of DMPI.

 “While still separate companies, more and more we are leveraging on the combined strengths of Smart and DMPI, and translating them into a tri-net strategy that benefits our subscribers with the most relevant, most reliable mobile services,” he added.

Smart expands 4G network nationwide

Wireless services leader Smart Communications Inc. is expanding  its fourth-generation long-term evolution network which already has over 1,000 sites, covering 180 cities and municipalities, including  Metro Manila, as well as areas in North Luzon, South Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao.

LTE is currently the fastest commercially available 4G wireless broadband service.  Smart introduced LTE in the Philippines in August 2012 and has since been rolling out the service in more areas of the country.

“Our 4G LTE rollout is the cutting edge of our wireless broadband offerings. This technology platform offers our subscribers the best high-speed, multi-media mobile Internet experience,” said Rolando Peña, head of technology services at PLDT and Smart.

“If we count as well our HSPA+ and Wi-Max services, Smart offers the most extensive wireless broadband coverage for both fixed and mobile applications.  All of these services are powered by superior fiber optic transmission network of PLDT and Smart, which is the most powerful and pervasive in the country,” Peña said.

Smart is the only operator to provide 4G LTE coverage for mobile users in Caloocan, Mandaluyong, Marikina, Navotas, Parañaque, Pasay, Pateros and Valenzuela.

Smart is also the only network to offer 4G LTE services in key areas in Albay, Bataan, Batangas, Benguet, Camarines Sur, Masbate, Mindoro Oriental, Pangasinan, Quezon and Zambales.

Moreover, Smart is the sole 4G LTE provider in Capiz, Iloilo, Leyte and Negros Oriental in the Visayas, and Misamis Oriental and Zamboanga del Sur in Mindanao.

Smart said it was the first to conduct tests of LTE Advanced, the next stage of development of LTE. In the past three months, the mobile operator   already tested LTE Advanced in Manila, Davao City and Boracay, Aklan.

“LTE Advanced is capable of delivering data speeds of from 200 to 700 mega bytes per second. This will open up new possibilities for mobile Internet service, especially in multi-media and video applications,” Peña said.

Smart’s expanded  4G LTE coverage is supported by the domestic fiber optic cable network of PLDT and Smart which is now over 71,000 kilometers long, as well as PLDT’s extensive international cable networks.

Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. : PLDT HOME dominates broadband market: myDSL AT # 1 AND myBRO AT # 2

Manila, Philippines - PLDT HOME continues to lead the local home broadband market with a dominant 70percent market share as subscribers reached over 1.3 million at endJune 2013, outpacing its rival in the same period. This dominance shows the growing market reach and higher customer satisfaction for the leading telecommunications company in the country.

PLDT HOME said it is poised to keep its dominant position in the broadband market with a majority of customers signing up and switching to the various PLDT HOME broadband services. Latest data show PLDT's myDSL wired broadband captured the most number of subscribers at almost 900,000 while its fixed wireless solution myBro cornered over 450,000 subscribers. This positions myDSL and myBro in the out of 10 new subscribers choose PLDT HOME giving it a three-fold advantage against its competitor which remains at a far third.

"We are proud to announce that PLDT HOME continues to dominate the broadband arena with its top-class communication solutions that deliver the best, reliable service. The numbers prove that PLDT HOME is the broadband consumers choose and trust," said Ariel Fermin, EVP and head of PLDT HOME business.

Ultra-fast Fibr broadband for richer multimedia content

To sustain market dominance in the broadband arena, the telecom giant is expanding reach and coverage of its fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) connectivity with Fibr, the country's most powerful broadband today. It is now available in over 700 subdivisions all over the country, allowing subscribers to enjoy high-speed Internet applications not available previously.

Apart from the aggressive network expansion, PLDT also continues to add more multimedia content and applications to its Fibr service. It recently placed Cignal Digital TV cable on Fibr, directly to the home.

"Fibr is a vital pillar of the connected home," adds Fermin. "It is the most powerful broadband as it not only delivers powerful, dedicated connection to the home but also allows subscribers to watch movies-on- demand with Clickplay and watch Cignal Digital TV simultaneously. It allows our subscribers to stream High Definition (HD) content, play lag-free online gaming, and adopt seamless cloud computing."

Online game enthusiasts can also download popular video games on Fibr's partner site, EA Games, while music lovers are provided with an option to buy original music by international artists via SMART Music.

"All these offers are a testament to our commitment to provide Filipino families with broadband services tailor-fit to their needs. Our subscribers can expect more product enhancements as we continue to bring the strongest connections at home," Fermin said.


Most awarded, trusted broadband service provider by consumers

PLDT HOME's myDSL received the Platinum Award for the Most Trusted Internet Service Provider as voted by consumers in the Reader's Digest Trusted Brands Awards. The Platinum Award is reserved for brands with scores three times more than its nearest competitor with myDSL receiving this award for the fifth time in a row this year.

PLDT was also awarded Broadband Service Provider of the Year in the prestigious Frost and Sullivan Philippines Excellence Awards for rising above competition and demonstrating outstanding market performance.

In the recent Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, the most esteemed competition in creative communications, PLDT HOME showed its strong suit in marketing ingenuity as myDSL's Screen-Age Love Story emerged as the most awarded Philippine campaign.

The campaign best known as Anna Banana won Gold for Best Integrated Content Campaign and another Gold for Best Use or Integration of Digital or Social Media, Silver for Best Use of Social Media and Bronze for Commercial Public Services.

Worldwide broadband CPE revenue hits USD 2.7 bln in Q2

Worldwide broadband customer premises equipment (CPE) revenue reached USD 2.7 billion in Q2, up 8 percent from the previous quarter and up 29 percent from a year ago, according to a study by Infonetics Research. The study indicates intelligent, video-compliant gateways are becoming popular as connected home and multi-screen services continue to grow. Huawei maintains its lead revenue share lead and is also a major early provider of fixed LTE CPE. A number of fixed LTE gateways were shipped in the Middle East, Africa, the Philippines, and other areas of Southeast Asia in the second quarter. Global FTTH CPE sales grew 7 percent between the first and second quarters. In the cable space, Docsis 3.0 shipments now clearly outweigh Docsis 2.0.