PLDT group's broadband, Internet revenues up 32% in 1H

By: Darwin G. Amojelar, InterAksyon.com
August 21, 2012 2:06 PM

InterAksyon.com means BUSINESS

MANILA - The group of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. expects to sustain the strong growth in its broadband and internet business on the back of robust demand for connectivity from overseas Filipinos and the popularity of social networks.

“We have clearly maintained our leadership position in broadband and internet as our subscriber base continued to grow, hitting more than 3.1 million as of end-June this year,” Napoleon Nazareno, president of PLDT and Smart Communications Inc., said.

The PLDT Group's total revenues from broadband and internet grew by 32 percent to P11.6 billion in the first half of the year.

Nazareno said rich opportunities exist in broadband that are expected to grow, as smartphones become more affordable to a broader segment of the population.

“The large population of overseas Filipinos, high literacy rate, popularity of the social networks, and our relatively young domestic population underpin the robust demand for broadband connectivity,” he said.

The wireless broadband revenues of the PLDT Group improved 42 percent year-on-year to P5.98 billion in the first half. Of this amount, Smart contributed P3.3 billion.

Orlando B. Vea, Smart wireless adviser, said mobile internet use continued to strengthen, with the group’s mobile internet revenues growing by 97 percent to P1.4 billion.

For Smart alone, mobile internet revenues grew by 63 percent to P1.2 billion in the first half of the year.

“Now that we have 'super-charged' our network, we are pleased that consumers have recognized our service and quality advantages as evidenced by the ongoing shift in subscriber preference,” Vea said.

PLDT’s My DSL had the biggest contribution to broadband and internet revenues at P5.2 billion in the first six months of the year, growing by 13 percent year-on-year. Its DSL subscriber base grew to more than 877,000 at end-June.

Digitel contributed P1.6 billion to the group’s broadband and internet revenues, with 636,000 DSL subscribers.