PLDT Inc. will spend up to P92 billion next year to make its mobile and fixed-line services at par with those of other Southeast Asian countries, a top executive said over the weekend.
“With the surge in demand for data, we are prepared to invest between P88 billion and P92 billion next year to meet the requirements of all our mobile and fixed-line customers,” PLDT chief revenue officer Alfredo Panlilio said.
“Providing good customer experience remains to be our ‘North Star,’ as we aim to elevate PLDT and Smart to the level of global operators,” said Panlilio, who is also the president and chief executive of Smart Communications Inc.
The company invested P73 billion last year and about the same level of capex this year.
“Our capex commitment next year is at a level that will be 20 to 25 percent higher than this year’s capex, focused on expanding our fiber footprint and our wireless coverage,” Panlilio said.
“We want to benchmark ourselves, not just with local competition, but with our neighboring countries like Thailand and Vietnam, as we would want our network performance to ultimately be at par with global companies,” he said.
Meanwhile, PLDT Global Corp., the international arm of PLDT, strengthened its partnership with Japan-based carrier SoftBank Corp. to provide a stable and secure internet service for small, medium, and large enterprise clients in Japan.
Under the partnership, PLDT Global will offer SoftBank’s “SmartInternet Suite Ether” which is an internet connection service that can help businesses address their needs for a higher-grade internet environment that suits diverse work styles and evolving business areas.
SmartInternet Suite Ether also allows businesses to access a customer portal that will help them manage and monitor their internet service and usage, apart from providing stable traffic and secure, low-latency and efficient internet connection.
It will also allow clients in Japan to directly connect with major telco carriers, ISPs and content providers.
“Internet connectivity is the foundation of our digital economy. We have been focusing on supporting digital ecosystems needed by our customers, and we are excited to partner with SoftBank to achieve this purpose,” said Katrina Luna-Abelarde, president and chief executive of PLDT Global.
“This partnership is part of a broader PLDT Group initiative to improve customer experiences in and outside of the Philippines,” she said.
PLDT reported a net income of P19.9 billion in the first three quarters, up from P16 billion a year ago as service revenues improved by 9 percent to P126.6 billion from P116.2 billion.
