Telecoms & IT
From The Report: Philippines 2014
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The telecommunications sector continues to evolve with the emergence of new technologies, fierce competition between existing operators and the entry of new service providers. Mobile services dominate the telecoms sector. The mobile penetration rate stood at 107% at the end of 2012, though because many people use multiple SIM cards, the actual rate may be closer to 80%. 3G uptake by Filipinos is expected to be moderate in the coming years, with subscriptions forecast to rise to rise by a CAGR of 12.7% between 2012 and 2016.
As the IT sector continues to roll out new and updated infrastructure, the expanding services exports segment is likely to see growth. One challenge to this, however, may be securing enough skilled local workers to fill positions. If the government continues to extend incentives to new firms, this is a hurdle that could be overcome. This should leave the industry in a good position to see increasing internet uptake, growing exports and a rising number of jobs for locals.
This chapter contains interviews with Manuel V Pangilinan, Chairman, Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT); and Gamaliel Asis Cordoba, Commissioner, National Telecommunications Commission.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Broadening bandwidth: Investing in infrastructure as mobile growth and internet penetration rise
OBG
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The telecommunications sector continues to evolve with the emergence of new technologies, fierce competition between existing operators and the entry of new service providers. Mobile handset penetration is at a saturation point and while profit margins on voice calls and text are tapering off, the country is seeing rapid uptake of mobile data and services, with mobile broadband now set to drive the growth of telecoms. At present, there are just two companies providing mobile services, the government-owned…

Analysis

Towards technology-fuelled growth: New services make telecoms and IT closer partners online
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The telecoms sector is witnessing a rapid change in technological evolution, as the launch of 4G and long-term evolution (LTE) services gets under way. With the prevalence of smartphones and the popularity of social networking, chatting and online video games, high-speed mobile broadband is expected to see robust growth. The two major operators, the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) and Globe Telecom, have been modernising and expanding their networks, and launching services based…

Interview

OBG talks to Manuel Pangilinan, Chairman, Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT)
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Interview:Manuel Pangilinan How can the telecommunications industry capitalise on social media for marketing and services? MANUEL PANGILINAN: The fusion of social media, mobility, cloud, and information has been called the “nexus of forces”, which has transformed the way consumers interact with each other and their data. Given the growing pervasiveness of smartphones, tablets, and other mobile access devices in the local market, social media has become a powerful tool to engage customers…

Interview

Improving access: OBG talks to Gamaliel Asis Cordoba, Commissioner, National Telecommunications Commission
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Interview:Gamaliel Asis Cordoba How can quality of service and coverage by telecoms operators be ensured? GAMALIEL ASIS CORDOBA: The Public Service Act from 1936 is an old law that inflicts minimal penalties for violations in quality service. To compensate, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) currently monitors telecoms monthly and publishes results in the media on a quarterly basis. Given that most telecoms are traded in the stock market, once investors see problems with the…

Overview

Online culture: Smartphones and social websites see increasing uptake
OBG
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The Philippines has been one of the top performers in the global IT and business process outsourcing (BPO) sectors for the last few years. With the government promoting the development of high-growth industries to generate export revenues and create employment opportunities, the IT sector, and in particular the software industry, has witnessed robust performance. Software services are about the most important components of the country’s IT capabilities and it has benefitted from infrastructure…