Home Internet key to connectivity: company

MANILA — A connected home is the first step towards a digitally powered nation, as the home is where most learnings in life start, according to Senior Vice President and Head of Broadband Business Martha Sazon at the recently concluded AfricaCom 2019 at Cape Town International Convention Center in South Africa.

Speaking at a VIP forum, Sazon discussed the business case of growing prepaid Internet penetration in a developing society such as the Philippines, where similar to South Africa, the mid to lower income segments are predominant and prepaid as a payment op

tion is most relevant. She divulged on Globe’s broadband network strategy of pioneering prepaid home internet innovations as one of the primary catalysts in the digital transformation of the Philippines.

“We operate in a country that is small but highly social and connected. According to We Are Social’s PH Internet 2019 report, our internet usage is at 71% vs the 57% global benchmark...and we are very active in social media at 71% vs the global benchmark of 45%,” shared Sazon. “Internet at home in the Philippines is commonly used for entertainment and life enablement. For instance, moms now go online for their home businesses like reselling products from ecommerce platforms such as Lazada. The youth, on the other hand, use the Internet as a “life-hack” tool for acquiring skills such as learning to code, or even getting access to job opportunities.”

Despite this huge demand for home Internet connectivity, there remains to be a huge percentage of Filipino households who have limited to no Internet access. Only 1 out of 5 homes in the country are said to have Internet access, with the majority of unconnected homes (19 million) belonging to the lower socio-economic segments (C2DE). This is due to the lack of more affordable home Internet packages in the market, and limited in-home coverage.