Empowering a digital economy

Transforming to a digital economy has fast-tracked to keep pace with the demands during the so-called new normal, and now with the rapid emergence of innovations. What has been enabling this accelerated shift are the telecommunication service providers.

In the Philippines, one such provider supporting the country’s digitalization is the PLDT Group.

“In parallel with Government’s digital initiatives, PLDT is focused in providing connectivity needed to transform the Philippine economy into a digital economy,” PLDT Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan (MVP) said in the telco’s annual report for 2022. “We believe that such transformation can only happen with the help of strong network and digital infrastructure from telcos such as PLDT.”

PLDT’s range of products includes fixed and wireless network services, as well as ICT solutions like data centers and several digital platforms.

Across Filipino households, PLDT Home offers connectivity through its fiber internet services. As of December 2022, PLDT Home has 2.9 million fiber subscribers, with 514,000 net additions for that year.

“Powering the nation’s digitalization aspirations, we further expanded our total fiber footprint to approximately 1.1 million kilometers. Homes passed reached some 17.2 million homes in 68% of the country’s cities and municipalities,” PLDT and Smart President and CEO Alfredo S. Panlilio said in the report.

PLDT attained a five-peat win after being recognized at the Ookla Speedtest Awards 2022. The telco was named as the fastest fixed network during the first until the fourth quarter of the previous year.

Apart from enabling the digital lifestyles of consumers, PLDT further pushes for a digital economy by delivering fixed line, wireless, and ICT services to businesses to support their transformation through the group’s corporate business unit, PLDT Enterprise.

“PLDT Enterprise is an important growth pillar for our Group, being a critical partner among industries, enabling the nation’s digital pivot towards economic growth, and supporting the digital transformation needs of our business customers,” Mr. Panlilio said.

In the area of mobile network, Smart Communications, Inc., a wireless subsidiary of PLDT, provides millions of Filipinos with mobile communications services and connectivity to access digital services through its range of postpaid and prepaid offerings.

Smart is also recognized in the Speedtest Awards 2022 as the Best Mobile Network and the Fastest Mobile Network in the first to second quarter as well as in the third to fourth quarter last year. Smart continued to have such recognitions in the first to second quarter of 2023.

Smart said that its 3G, 4G/LTE, and 5G network covers 97% of the population in the country, as of end-March.

Moving beyond connectivity, the digital economy has to be backed by data centers as well. ePLDT, the group’s data center and multi-cloud solutions arm, is seen to have kept its lead in terms of having the most extensive data center network in the country. And it would further expand its data center presence.

ePLDT is currently constructing its 11th data center VITRO Sta. Rosa. The capacity of its VITRO data centers in Makati and Parañaque are also being augmented.

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Mr. Pangilinan envisioned ePLDT to become “a regional presence in the cloud business.”

“Our data centers will likewise drive growth, as we pursue an active expansion program in this space,” the chairman said.

In addition, PLDT has invested in the Jupiter Cable System, Asia Direct Cable, and Apricot Cable systems, which are anticipated to “help meet future hyperscaler industry requirements for massive data capacity and high-speed connectivity,” said Mr. Panlilio.

The PLDT CEO considers such as “nation-building initiatives” by the PLDT Enterprise, which “allow our Group to holistically support the government’s digitalization agenda.”

And just as the PLDT Group will continue delivering connectivity services to Filipinos, it also promotes financial technology (fintech).

“The company will continue to support the digital adoption of financial services such as payments, savings, and credit as an essential component of the digital economy and will provide the required connectivity and broadband services,” Mr. Pangilinan said.

PLDT’s fintech affiliate Maya, a digital bank, lets users access an array of financial services such as credit, insurance, and cryptocurrency. As of the end of 2022, Maya serves 1.5 million customers and has P14.7 billion in deposit balances.

By providing digital banking services, Maya not only serves to reach the unbanked Filipinos but also provides financial services that micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises as well as merchants might need for payment options.

PLDT also continues to bring digital services to Filipinos even beyond the Philippines through the PLDT Global Corp. (PGC). The technology services company serves more than 5,000 corporate and enterprise customers as well and is present in over 10 countries.

Last year, PGC launched TinBo (Tindahan ni Bossing), a one-stop online gateway that offers various services for overseas Filipinos. Even far from the Philippines, TinBo allows them to pay bills in the country, such as utilities, phone and internet, and to the government. They can also send prepaid load to their loved ones back home through the platform.

TinBo registered a 72% increase in users since its release in August last year, according to PLDT’s annual report.

PLDT has been serving in the Philippines since 1928 and has since grown to provide diverse telco and internet service offerings. “As we approach our 100th year, we forge ahead in pursuit of the Group’s north star — enabling a digital life for every Filipino and becoming a partner to the Government in transforming the economy into a digital economy that will usher in a new age of entrepreneurship, create an expanded base for the middle class and democratize access to a better life and prosperity for every Filipino,” Mr. Pangilinan said.

Outside of the PLDT Group, another telco is helping in the digital economy by bringing data, internet, managed, and cloud services to businesses.

Radius Telecoms, Inc. provides such services through an end-to-end full fiber optic network that reaches over 5,000 kilometers in Metro Manila and nearby provinces, as well as in Cebu.

The telco also offers connectivity to Filipino homes through RED Fiber, which it launched in 2021. One of RED Fiber’s plans, Dual Play, gives customers a variety of high-definition Internet Protocol television channels, offered in partnership with Cignal TV, a subsidiary of PLDT Group’s media partner MediaQuest Holdings.

Radius is wholly owned by Manila Electric Co. (Meralco). Meralco and MediaQuest are chaired by MVP. — Chelsey Keith P. Ignacio