PLDT ready for the digital future
Telecom giant Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) is well-positioned to meet the country’s shift to the digital economy after spending P300 billion for its capital expenditures over the past 10 years.
PLDT chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan said the PLDT Group is ready to meet the challenges of the digital economy as well as the rapid digital transformation of its 76.4 million subscribers nationwide.
“We have been taking significant steps in the past decade to ensure that we are ready and prepared for the digital future. We are, however, accelerating our digital initiatives as this future will require engaging our customers from a different set of lenses, as both individuals and enterprises embrace a digital life,” Pangilinan said.
The PLDT Group spent over P300 billion over the last 10 years, an average of P30 billion per year in improving and expanding both its fixed and wireless networks and infrastructure.
It is also aggressively expanding its data center capacity to reach 6,700 racks by the end of the year. It has also allocated P1.3 billion to put up its eighth data center in the country at the Clark Freeport Zone.
PLDT has also invested in ventures such as in Rocket Internet that would transform its local verticals into global horizontals. This partnership has already produced a joint venture that aims to drive the massive adoption of online and mobile payment solutions in emerging markets.
The Group is also developing its own applications and initiatives such as the LockByMobile which is a mobile-based, anti-fraud security service that will empower card users to “lock” and “unlock” their ATM, prepaid, debit and credit cards with the use of their smartphones.
PLDT is also making a strong push for greater Internet access. Its mobile subsidiary Smart Communications recently partnered with Facebook to debut Internet.org in Southeast Asia. This enabled Smart’s over 70 million wireless subscribers to enjoy free access to select web services.
The PLDT Group is also enriching its multimedia content through partnerships with various providers like Disney. It recently expanded its multi-year, multi-platform partnership with The Walt Disney Co. Southeast Asia, through its digital entertainment arm Disney Interactive. After initially providing access to Disney’s popular online games and e-books to Smart, the Disney Interactive portfolio will now be offered at home through PLDT’s home digital services unit PLDT HOME.
PLDT is gearing for higher Philippine ranking in the global Digital Evolution Index (DEI) as it accelerates efforts to enable the country’s digital economy through expanded Internet access, continuous innovation, and increased digital adoption.
Created by US-based Fletcher School at Tufts University using data from 2008 to 2013, the DEI ranked the Philippines on the verge of the high-potential or “break-out” category and noted as one of the “rapidly-advancing countries” alongside China, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam in the global digital topography.
“But the next phase of growth is harder to achieve. Staying on this trajectory means confronting challenges like improving supply infrastructure and nurturing sophisticated domestic consumers,” the study said.
The Digital Evolution Index or DEI was created by the Fletcher School at Tufts University with support from Mastercard and DataCash to compare the readiness for a digital economy of 50 countries which were selected based on the location’s Internet usage.