Sky Cable spending P1.5-P2 B to sustain broadband growth

Sky Cable Corp., the pay TV arm of ABS-CBN Corp., is spending between P1.5 billion and P2 billion for its capital expenditures this year to help sustain the strong growth in its broadband service.

SkyCable chief operating officer Rodrigo Montinola said in an interview with reporters that the amount would be used to expand its pay TV business nationwide as it sees subscribers hitting one million over the next 24 months from the current level of 800,000.

“I think for what is covered by cable, the mid to upper end of the market we have satisfied with the way we cover the market. Our objective is to basically cover the entire country as well so we can also provide the content in cable to other customers,” Montinola said.

Montinola pointed out that half of the budget would be allocated to expand the service of Sky Broadband in major cities nationwide.

“Broadband is obviously growing much faster in terms of rate. Right now we are about 100,000 and we are growing roughly at 20 to 25 percent year-on-year and we expect that trajectory to continue,” he said.

According to Montinola, only 15 percent of the TV population in the Philippines are pay TV subscribers that is expected to increase with the continued improvement in the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate.

“Currently the penetration rate for pay TV is just 15 percent. As the economy grows, people who cannot afford to do the monthly payments would be finally able to do that. So I think there is still room for growth there,” he said.

Meanwhile, SkyCable launched the Sky On-Demand service to allow subscribers to catch-up on their missed episodes or relive their favorite movies directly on TV.

Made possible by the impressive and growing video-on-demand library of iWant TV, SKY On-Demand allows every member of the family to catch-up on episodes of local and foreign cable TV shows using their big TV screen at home.

The newly-launched service runs on the most advanced digibox to date – harnessing the capabilities of SkyCable and Sky Broadband subscriptions to utilize the popular video streaming site, iWant TV.

Digital Turbine Expands Relationship with Smart Communications

Digital Turbine APPS, +0.61% a leading provider of mobile technology solutions, announced today that it has expanded its solution offering with Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) for the deployment of Digital Turbine IQ™ and Digital Turbine Marketplace™ to distribute EA Mobile Games and Applications. This multi-year agreement will provide content, games and application delivery to the more than 69 million combined subscribers of Smart and Digitel Mobile Philippines Inc. (DMPI) branded Sun Cellular, both wireless units of PLDT PHI, +0.36% (pse:TEL). The program is expected to launch within the next 90 days.

"We are excited to officially announce the expansion of our relationship with Smart Communications and Digitel Mobile Philippines Inc. through the addition of Digital Turbine IQ™ and Digital Turbine Marketplace™ as well as the existing Digital Turbine Pay product to their subscribers," said Bill Stone, Chief Executive Officer of Digital Turbine. "IQ & Marketplace will allow Smart Communications to deliver relevant, targeted content delivery to their subscriber base including games and applications. This deepened integration will allow more effective monetization solutions on current and new revenue while creating a cohesive content experience for their subscribers."

Digital Turbine IQ offers an easy way to search and organize apps and games across categories while providing relevant recommendations based on a subscribers current content usage. This added feature to Smart's subscriber base will provide smarter organization, better search capabilities, and more seamless downloads.

Digital Turbine Marketplace is a robust application and content store that can be deployed by both OEMs and Carriers to provide rich marketplace experiences in driving discovery of apps, games and music. Smart Communications will deploy Marketplace to their subscriber base for all games, content and apps.

"We believe that Digital Turbine IQ™ will allow us to provide a more meaningful and relevant content user experience," said Mellissa Limcaoco, First Vice President of Smart. "As our subscribers are discovering more digital content, we want to provide our users with the best experience and most value."

About Digital TurbineDigital Turbine works at the convergence of media and mobile communications, delivering end-to-end products and solutions for mobile operators, device OEMs and other third parties to enable them to effectively monetize mobile content. The company's products include DT Ignite, a mobile device management solution with targeted app distribution capabilities, DT IQ, a customized user experience and app discovery tool, DT Marketplace, an application and content store, and DT Pay, a content management and mobile payment solution. Headquartered in Austin, Texas with global offices in Berlin, Singapore, Sydney and Tel Aviv, Digital Turbine's solutions are used by more than 31 million customers each month across more than 20 global operators. For additional information, visit www.digitalturbine.com.

About Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart)Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) is the Philippines' leading wireless services provider with 69 million subscribers on its GSM network as of end-September 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 over 2 million subscribers. Smart is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Philippines' leading telecommunications carrier, the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company.

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 about timing of the company's launch in Slovakia with Deutsche Telecom and its ability to launch in additional markets 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.

5 factors to consider before applying for postpaid broadband

Internet connection is now becoming a necessity more than a luxury. Most Filipino households nowadays have their own Internet connection at home, and most commercial establishments offer free Wi-Fi access to entice customers.

With the rise of Internet use, broadband options in the market have been increasing over time as Internet speed becomes a big factor and unlimited data plans are prevailing. Before you apply for a broadband postpaid plan, consider the following:

Contract period

When you sign up for a broadband plan in the Philippines, the plan can be locked to your name for 12 months, 18 months, 24 months, and 30 months. Usually, when you finish the contract, there’s a certain loyalty reward like rebate or sometimes free gadget you can claim upon approval of your application. When you’re under a contract, you’re not allowed to change your plan, all the more downgrade it. You have to wait for the end of your contract before you do any alterations. Carefully consider the broadband contracts because you will have to pay the remaining months if you intend to cut your contact before the term ends.

Speed

It doesn’t make sense to get an expensive, high-speed Internet of 10 mbps (Megabits per second) when what you only do with it is just email and network on social media. But, if you have 5 computers at home, it is, and it may even be cost-effective for you.

One Mbps of speed is okay for small-bandwidth websites but will go slow when you download big files. The usual speed in broadband packages is 1 Mbps, 2 Mbps, 3 Mbps, 4 Mbps, 5 Mbps and 10 Mbps. When considering speed, you should take note of the number of users who will connect and the Internet activity of each. Ask your chosen Internet service provider which plans suit your needs.

Data

Because of high demand here in the country (and other countries with high Internet usage), unlimited use of data has been marketed by telecommunications companies. Despite the publicized dismay of the consumers because of the Fair Use Policy implemented in some countries all over the world, including the Philippines, people are still patronizing the limited unlimited services offered by the providers.

After hitting a daily or monthly bandwidth limit set by the provider, the subscriber can still access the web, but will experience browsing at slower speeds. It can massively affect media streaming and downloading. The key is to compare the data charges of each provider and the scope of the so-called unlimited data plans.

Signal

Always ask your prospective broadband provider to check signal in your area. Sometimes, a certain network works best in a specific area in your city but will not work as good when you’re in a different place. Ask your provider if your area is a great location for their services.

Price

Cheapest is not always the best. Check out all the pros and cons before applying for an Internet plan. The cheapest may be fit for your budget, but will not be cost-effective if you need a bigger bandwidth or bigger amount of data or more devices to connect. Monthly cost of broadband ranges from P899 to P2,399 and usually depends on the factors mentioned above.