PLDT sees revenue boost from home broadband market

PLDT, Inc. expects the biggest percentage of revenue increases to come from the home broadband market next year.

“There is going to be a big push in the home broadband,” PLDT Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan said in a press release on Saturday.

“Wireless, we expect to grow, even in the enterprise, despite the impact of the pandemic on the enterprise sector of our economy. They grew this year by three percent and by 2021 they should grow by a percentage higher.”

The PLDT group will be using its integrated telecommunications in wireless and fixed connectivity as well as pay TV to compete, Mr. Pangilinan said.

Dito Telecommunity Corp., led by Dennis A. Uy, is scheduled to launch in March next year after it had put up almost 1,900 cell towers.

Moody’s Investors Service earlier this month said that it expected telecommunications revenue growth of emerging economies like the Philippines to remain stable in 2021. It said that increasing data consumptions and broadband use would continue to drive revenue growth, although this would be offset in part by lower demand in voice and messaging services.

Moody’s added that competition from the entry of Dito Telecommunity would weigh on growth. It said that telco revenue would grow 3.5%-4% next year for the entire Asia-Pacific region.

The PLDT group allocated P92 billion in capital expenditures (capex) for next year. The company expects P70 billion in capex for 2020, while its capex from 2011 to September 2020 reached P432 billion.

Smart Communications, Inc., PLDT’s wireless arm, plans to upgrade 40% of its sites to fifth generation (5G) by the end of next year.

Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a majority stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Jenina P. Ibañez