DITO debuts in Davao, Cebu
We faced the regulators, knowing a good number of people would think that we would fail. They were wrong
It’s “mission accomplished” for DITO Telecommunity Corp chair and CEO Dennis A. Uy as his startup firm, the so-called third major telecommunications player, officially launched its commercial mobile services on Monday.
“We faced the regulators, knowing a good number of people would think that we would fail. They were wrong,” the Davao City-based businessman told reporters Monday.
“DITO is not just a telco. At gusto naming sabihin sa inyong lahat na DITO na kami, DITO na tayo, at magkikita-kita tayo diyan soon (We want to emphasize that DITO is already here, be with DITO and we will see you soon),” Uy said.
In a press conference following its ceremonial launch, DITO chief technology officer Rodolfo Santiago disclosed that the network is aggressively moving to activate the network’s mobile number portability to boost market share.
Under the Republic Act 11202 or the Mobile Number Portability Act, consumers can keep their mobile number even if they switch service providers or change their subscription from postpaid to prepaid, and vice versa — free of charge.
“At only 37 percent population coverage, we cannot achieve 30 percent of market share with that number — that would be impossible. (But) our (real) target is to get 30 percent of the market as soon as possible,” Santiago stressed.
“It should be achievable if we have at least 84 percent population coverage or higher. By that time, our population coverage will be at par, if not better than the incumbents,” he added.
Santiago, who is a retired Major General, reiterated that DITO “will be fighting toe to toe for market share” to become profitable “as soon as possible.”
Meanwhile, DITO administrative officer Adel Tamano affirmed confidence to gain significant market share “once things equalize in terms of services and coverage.”
“Once the fight becomes service versus service, then our target market share will take care of itself. Because pretty soon, we will have mobile number portability that’s coming this year... That’s why, to be honest, I’m not really concerned about it, that’s gonna be good for the consumers,” Tamano explained.
Free SIM, phones for ‘frontliners’
Departing from the usual commercial launch with a grand celebration, DITO kicked off commercial rollout by giving away 3,000 SIM cards and 300 mobile phones to frontline health workers in Davao City.
Tamano noted that “frontliners” are the network’s celebrity endorsers. He previously said that DITO does not plan to spend millions for A-list celebrities and Korean superstars as brand ambassadors.
“The public is our best endorsers. We would rather spend our money to improve our network rollout,” he said.
DITO is now commercially available in 10 pilot areas in Metro Davao and five in Metro Cebu.
As a “welcome offer,” new subscribers purchasing a DITO prepaid SIM card get unlimited data, DITO-to-DITO calls and DITO-to-DITO texts for 30 days upon activation of the promo.
Subscribers must have a load of P199 and the DITO app installed on their devices to avail of the promo, which will run from 8 to 31 March.
The public is our best endorsers. We would rather spend our money to improve our network rollout.
According to Tamano, DITO will be available in Metro Manila “in just a few weeks” with an even better welcome deal that he refused to disclose “to tickle customers.”
DITO consortium is composed of Dennis Uy’s Udenna Corp., its subsidiary Chelsea Logistics Holdings Inc., which owns 60 percent of the firm, and state-owned China Telecommunications Corp., which owns the remaining 40 percent.