Waiting for the next train at the MRT stations in Ortigas and Guadalupe may be a wee bit tolerable now that there’s free internet provided by Globe Telecom.
Difference between Globe GoSURF50, Smart Giga Surf 50
You gotta love competition. A day after Smart Communications revealed a P50 promo that lets you consume 1GB of data within three days, Globe Telecom also announced they have upgraded their GoSURF50.
PH’s largest telco provider may be in more trouble than we thought
Dark clouds continue to loom for the Philippines’ largest telecommunications service provider, as PLDT earlier this week reported that its consolidated core net income in 2015 dropped six percent to P35.2 billion from P37.4 billion the year before.
Uh-oh, it’s official: Yahoo is for sale
Has Yahoo hung up a “for sale” sign on the window? If you ask company chairman Maynard Webb, the answer would be a soft “yes,” following a press statement that said the Silicon Valley Internet giant will “engage on qualified strategic proposals” amid efforts to reverse its failing fortunes. Which is to say that reasonable offers to purchase the business, or parts of it, will be entertained.
Is a Chinese takeover over the global smartphone market imminent?
The short answer is yes, at least according to one market research firm. The latest report from TrendForce is out, and the survey shows that smartphone shipments in 2015 grew 10.3 percent year-on-year to 1.293 billion units, nearly half of which, or 539 million, came from brands from the Far East.
Globe Telecom brings largest Star Wars fair to PH
It seems like you can’t go anywhere these days without seeing anything about Star Wars, arguably the most beloved movie franchise on the planet, especially now that we’re at peak Star Wars: The Force Awakens season and only a few days removed from seeing Episode 7 hit local theaters. And in case you haven’t gotten your Star Wars fix yet, Globe Telecom has put together the country’s largest Star Wars fair at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.
PH’s first online bazaar to go live December 18
Bazaars are now a fixture during the holiday season, but fulfilling your gift-buying duties in places where the finds are most often cheaper than goods being sold in malls, not to mention unique, can be a hassle these days. Metro Manila traffic alone is enough to dissuade even the most zealous of last-minute shoppers.
PLDT intros PC-on-a-stick broadband add-on… again
It seems PLDT is enjoying a successful run with its PC-on-a-stick broadband add-ons. Otherwise, why else would the local telecom giant bring in another product that’s admittedly very similar in pricing and features to the Intel-branded TVolution Stick PLDT released a couple of months ago?
Globe Telecom rolls out 100Mbps public WiFi service in PH
While the government’s public WiFi initiative seems to be in limbo at the moment, one company has doubled down on its efforts to provide the masses with free and, perhaps more importantly, fast Internet, albeit in only one address for the time being.
Globe intros Plan 499 with 3GB of data, unlimited calls and texts
Globe Telecom has announced a new low-tier, SIM-only postpaid plan that costs just P499 a month, but comes with a decent amount of data and unlimited calls and texts to Globe and TM subscribers.
Samsung head for handset business steps down
The biggest Samsung-related news of today has nothing to do with the company’s Galaxy line of devices, or the homegrown Exynos chipsets that power some of them. Rather, it has everything to do with the chief executive behind them: Samsung co-CEO JK Shin is stepping down from his leadership role in the handset business to focus on new growth areas and long-term strategy.
Megabits, not megabytes: 5 things you should know about PLDT Home Fibr
As you’ve probably heard, PLDT’s fiber-to-the-home connections are now more affordable and available than ever. And while so much has been said and written about the telecom company’s fiber offerings, I feel that the subject remains in urgent need of clarification. Case in point: Some people in the local tech community, judging by their Facebook posts, have confused megabits with megabytes.
Globe outs P150 GCash Mastercard w/tap-to-pay support in LRT, MRT
Earlier today, Globe Telecom announced an improved GCash Mastercard prepaid credit card that can be used to pay for train fares. It’s among the first payment solutions in the country that supports tap-to-pay payment terminals found in MRT and LRT stations. Up until now, the issue of considerable queuing in stations had not dealt with. So, as credit cards in usa go this is a pretty impressive development, as there has been huge demand for changes to be made to this system.
PH’s top phone brand is now in the telco business… sort of
Cherry Mobile has announced a partnership with Globe Telecom that will see the Philippines’ top phone brand foray into the cutthroat telecom business with the new Cherry Prepaid mobile service.
SkyCable rolls out up to 300Mbps broadband service in Metro Manila
You may have heard that local Internet service providers PLDT and Globe Telecom are now offering ultra-fast fiber broadband service to residents in select upscale condominiums and communities in Metro Manila. What may have escaped your notice, however, is that SkyCable has also updated its broadband offerings to lure higher-paying customers who want faster Internet speeds sans the constraints of a monthly data cap.
Smart prepaid, postpaid users get free P2,500 Airbnb voucher
For a limited time, local telecom Smart Communications is giving its customers another reason to book their accommodations on Airbnb, the wildly popular short-term rental platform, which currently has over 2 million listings in 34,000 cities and 190 countries. Think Uber, but for accommodations in the Philippines and abroad.
Harsher penalties, not competition, is key to improving PH Internet speed
Slow Internet? I hear you. If you’ve lived in the Philippines long enough, you may have come to the realization that local broadband speeds could conjure images of a turtle slow-walking on a swath of peanut butter, something you wouldn’t find distractingly cute or hilarious if you were in the position of the guy waiting — for weeks — for a game he had bought from Steam to finish downloading. Having the same issues? You could look for faster internet by searching broadband deals site like usave.co.uk.
NTC: PH Internet service providers fall short of speed claims
You may have heard in the news earlier this year that the NTC [National Telecommunications Commission] is looking to crack down on the telecom industry and bring Internet service providers to task if they fail to hit the NTC-set minimum downstream of 256Kbps or don’t deliver on their advertised broadband speeds.
Comparison: Globe’s 1Gbps broadband vs other countries’ offerings
Tomorrow, Globe Telecom will begin offering its fiber-broadband network at adjusted rates that won’t be prohibitively pricey for many, albeit initially only in upscale communities and condominiums. The top-tier offer promises superfast speeds at one gigabit, or 1,000 megabits, per second, by far the fastest commercially available broadband plan in the Philippines.
Is Globe seeking price cuts on fiber service? (UPDATE: Yes!)
(UPDATE: Globe has just confirmed new pricing tiers for its fiber-based broadband service: 50 Mbps for P2,499 per month; 100 Mbps for P3,499; 200 Mbps for P4,499; 500 Mbps for P7,499; and a whopping 1 Gbps for P9,499. Check how it compares with plans being offered in other countries here.)