Smart Bro Dashboard lets users manage subscriptions, settings

WITH bulk of its market identified as prepaid users, the wireless broadband service arm of Smart Communications Inc. launched the Smart Bro Dashboard, a web portal where prepaid users can access real-time data about their broadband accounts.

In a press conference on Monday, Smart Mobile Broadband senior marketing manager Richard Mathew N. Dimagiba said the company is the first to offer such a service to consumers. He said the Smart Bro Dashboard was built using feedback from the company’s users.

Dimagiba said their study showed that prepaid users encounter problems on such things as knowing the account details of their device like its phone number, the promo it is subscribed to and the remaining credits of the device. He said many users load credits to their portable Wi-Fi device by taking out its SIM and inserting it into a phone to process loading of credits.

With the Smart Bro Dashboard, Dimagiba said, all prepaid broadband users of Smart can seamlessly view their current load balance, SIM number, promo subscription validity and broadband packages, among other information.

Dimagiba said prepaid users account for 90 percent of the 1.55 million total Smart Bro subscribers.

The dashboard can be accessed by Smart Bro prepaid users through any web browser. Postpaid LTE users can also access it.

Also included in the Dashboard is the “Load Protect” feature, which when turned on, prevents subscribers from incurring unintended data charges once their Unlisurf, Flexisurf or Always On subscriptions expire.

“This way, subscribers are fully aware that they are not being charged beyond the packages that they subscribed to,” the company said in a press statement distributed during the event.

Due to the market’s heavy consumption of social media sites, Smart Mobile Broadband manager Melo Del Gallego added that Dashboard included a free access to Facebook and Twitter feeds through SmartNet, which users can see in the dashboard interface.

Along with the rising popularity of Video on Demand (VOD), music streaming sites, and games, Smart Bro also included in the dashboard an access to music site Spinnr, movie streaming Clickplay, and online games site e-Pins from GameX.

Del Gallego said the potential of the prepaid broadband market is “very big,” citing the present “multi-platform setting” of the Philippines.

He said the dashboard is initially available to all prepaid Plug-IT, Pocket Wifi, SIM-only subscribers and postpaid LTE users.

Mandalay Digital Expands Relationship with Smart Communications

Mandalay Digital Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: MNDL), a leading provider of mobile technology solutions, announced today that it has expanded its relationship with Smart to include direct billing connectivity with its DT Pay product.
"We are excited to further solidify our relationship with Smart, Philippines' largest mobile operator," said Peter Adderton, Chief Executive Officer of Mandalay Digital. "The addition of DT Pay will allow Smart an additional way to earn from mobile applications. The direct billing access will be extended to support Digital Turbine's other products including DT Ignite, DT IQ, and DT Content Management."
About Mandalay Digital Group
Mandalay Digital Group, Inc., through its wholly owned subsidiary, Digital Turbine, provides mobile solutions for wireless carriers globally to enable them to better monetize mobile content.  The company's products include mobile application management through DT Ignite, user experience and discovery through DT IQ, application stores and content through DT Marketplace, and content management and mobile payments through DT Pay.  With global headquarters in Los Angeles, and offices throughout the U.S., Asia Pacific and EMEA, Mandalay Digital's solutions are used by more than 31 million consumers each month across more than 20 global operators.  For additional information, visit www.mandalaydigital.com.
About Smart
Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) is the Philippines' leading wireless services provider with 55.4 million subscribers on its GSM network as of end-March 2014. Smart has built a reputation for innovation, having introduced world-first wireless offerings such as Smart Money, Smart Load, Smart Padala, and the Netphone. Smart offers 3G, HSPA+, and LTE services, while its satellite service Smart Link provides communications to the global maritime industry. Smart Broadband, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary, offers a wireless broadband service, Smart Broadband, with 2 million subscribers as of end-March 2014.
Smart is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Philippines' leading telecommunications carrier, the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company. For more information, visit http://www.smart.com.ph.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this news release concerning future results from operations, financial position, economic conditions, product releases and any other statement that may be construed as a prediction of future performance or events, including statements concerning the company's strengthening its position in the Asian marketplace are forward-looking statements that involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements.  These factors include the inherent and deal-specific challenges in converting discussions with carriers and other business partners into actual contractual relationships, product acceptance new products such as the DT product suite in a competitive marketplace, the potential for unforeseen or underestimated cash requirements or liabilities, the company's ability as a smaller company to manage international operations, varying and often unpredictable levels of orders, the challenges inherent in technology development necessary to maintain the company's competitive advantage such as adherence to release schedules and the costs and time required for finalization and gaining market acceptance of new products, changes in economic conditions and market demand, rapid and complex changes occurring in the mobile marketplace, pricing and other activities by competitors, and other risks including those described from time to time in Mandalay Digital Group's filings on Forms 10-K and 10-Q with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), press releases and other communications.

PLDT expects better Q2 earnings

Dominant carrier Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) sees better earnings in the second quarter of the year fuelled by the company’s data and broadband businesses as well as fixed line segment.

PLDT chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan said in an interview with reporters after the company’s 2014 Annual Stockholders’ Meeting that the country’s largest telecom company expects higher profits in the second quarter compared to the same period last year.

“It will be better than last year,” Pangilinan said.

PLDT recorded a P10.54-billion net income in the second quarter of 2013 on the back of revenues amounting to P42.14 billion.

Pangilinan said the growth of company’s profits from April to June is being fuelled by data and broadband as well as the company’s fixed line business.

“Typical thing data and broadband but I think the fixed line business has been doing very well actually during the past year and the first quarter of the year,” he said.

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Furthermore, he said the decline in the company’s international and domestic long distance businesses is “norrower and less steep.”

PLDT’s net income climbed two percent to P9.38 billion in the first quarter of the year from P9.18 billion in the same quarter last year as revenues rose four percent to P42.54 billion from P40.96 billion.

Pangilinan said PLDT is looking at a two percent rise in core net income to P39.5 billion this year from P38.7 billion last year.

PLDT president Napoleon Nazareno told the company’s stockholders that the momentum in profitability last year is expected to be sustained this year.

“For 2014, we expect to sustain this momentum in profitability and anticipate core income to rise further by two percent to P39.5 billion,” Nazareno said.

He said the company’s net income dipped two percent to P35.4 billion last year reflecting the combined impact of foreign exchange and derivative losses, losses from Super Typhoon Yolanda, and higher manpower rightsizing program expenses.

Nazareno explained that PLDT operated in a challenging competitive environment in the last two years while it was undertaking important internal changes involving the integration of Digital Telecommunications of the Philippines Inc. and Sun Cellular into the PLDT Group as well as the massive network transformation program.

Globe partners with Malaysia's IX Telecom

Globe Telecom's enterprise arm has partnered with global service provider IX Telecom Sdn Bhd of Malaysia to expand its enterprise coverage in Southeast Asia.

Through the partnership, Globe will provide connectivity services and information communication technology (ICT) solutions to IX Telecom customers in the Philippines.

Globe has been providing businesses with ICT interconnectivity solutions through mobile, wireline, broadband, data connections, internet and managed services.

“Being at the forefront of ICT not only in the Philippines but also in the ASEAN region, Globe Business is honored to partner with IX Telecom as we both synergize our expertise and leadership in delivering world-class connectivity for our enterprise customers not just in our respective countries but also in Southeast Asia,” said Globe Telecom chief operating officer and executive vice president for international and business markets Gil Genio.

Meanwhile, the chief executive of IX Telecom, Noor Mohd Helmi Nong Hadzmi, said the partnership with Globe will strengthen their presence in Southeast Asia and elevate their positioning in the value-chain as IX Telecom explores other business ventures among telecommunication firms in the region.

The partnership was signed during the Specialized Marketing Mission of the Malaysia External Trade Development Corp from May 21 to 24, 2014.