In Pangasinan, businessmen and store owners have found a dependable business partner in PLDT wireless subsidiary Smart Communications.
According to Lorie de Ramos, a store owner from Alaminos, Pangasinan, selling Smart load has contributed to the growth of her family’s mobile gadgets and accessories business.
“We were unsuccessful with our first business venture, so we thought of opening a cell phone accessories shop that also sold Smart load. The store flourished. Now, when people see us, they automatically associate us with phone load,” De Ramos said.
Smart load sellers are part of the company’s Ka-Partner loyalty and rewards program, which aims to enhance their livelihood while enabling the community to stay connected.
With the earnings from the store, Lorie said her husband, Aldrin, did not need to leave the family to go back to his previous work as a seaman. “Both of us wanted him to stay here for good because our family was growing. When I noticed our store was doing well, I asked him to quit his job on the ship,” she said.
A Smart load retailer for 11 years now, Lorie said the earnings had allowed the family to set aside funds for both expenses and savings, plus other business ventures. The De Ramos couple have four children; the elder siblings have recently graduated from college, while the younger ones are still going to school.
The De Ramoses are known at Suki Market in Alaminos for their mobile and loading store, which is frequented by both locals and tourists headed for the Hundred Islands National Park.
According to Aldrin, most of their customers use the All Out Surf 30 and Giga Surf 50 packages. These data plus call and text packages connect mobile users to Smart’s fast Long-Term Evolution (LTE) connection, allowing them to share with their family and loved ones photos and videos from their island getaway. They also enjoy free access to YouTube for one hour daily.
Smart distributor sales manager Vera Vergara said Smart load retailers had experienced a boost in their sales due to network improvements in the area. “More mobile users are availing of our SIMs and load packages because of our strong LTE connection especially on the island areas,” she said.
Accelerated network rollout
Smart has been accelerating its deployment of LTE, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), and carrier aggregation (CA) all over the Philippines as part of efforts to improve mobile data experience for its subscribers.
In areas where Smart has rolled out network improvements, such as in Quezon City and Marikina, small business owners and retailers have also reported an increase in earnings, boosted by improved mobile internet experience.
These efforts are in line with Smart’s commitment to the National Telecommunications Commission to bring high-speed mobile data using LTE, LTE-A and 3G to over 90 percent of the country’s cities and municipalities.
In 2018, Smart is doubling the number of LTE base stations to about 17,700 nationwide and raising the number of LTE-equipped cell sites to more than 6,800 using frequencies that are compatible with CA-capable smartphones available in the market today.
PLDT has committed historic levels of resources to support network transformation. Capital expenditures are expected to reach P58 billion this year, including allocations for the aggressive rollout of its fiber broadband service, which also supports the stepped-up deployment of the mobile network by providing high-capacity links for cellular base stations.