In a recent tweet, Manuel V. Pangilinan, who holds top positions within the MVP Group — which includes PLDT, Smart Communications, and Meralco, among other mega companies in the Philippines — revealed that Cignal will soon offer satellite-internet services on the local market. It is scheduled to launch May 15. Cignal is the country’s largest pay- and satellite-TV provider.
Realme takes top spot in PH smartphone rankings in Q1 2021
We’ve been waiting for local information ever since research firms started releasing their first-quarter reports on the global smartphone market. Now, we finally have it, albeit without any analysis.
Snapdragon 888 Pro being tested, launching Q3 2021?
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 is easily the most powerful chipset we’ve ever tested to date. It can run anything you throw at it without really breaking a sweat. And as we’ve noted time and again in our reviews, such as our test of the ASUS ROG Phone 5, its benchmark scores are much higher than its flagship competition.
Grab PH rolls out PayLater credit service with 0% interest
If you’re running low on cash and the next payday isn’t until a couple of weeks, Grab has something you might want to try out. Assuming you qualify for it, of course.
DITO now in Luzon; P199 prepaid promo bared
More than a month after its March 8 commercial launch, initially covering 15 pilot areas in Metro Cebu and Metro Davao, DITO Telecommunity is finally in Luzon.
Vivo PH’s top smartphone brand in Q4 2020 in Counterpoint report
According to IDC’s report, OPPO was the top smartphone vendor in the Philippines in the fourth quarter of 2020. In another market-research firm’s tracker, there was a different No. 1 — but it’s a brand that’s still part of the same conglomerate that owns OPPO.
LG Mobile shutdown: OS updates, after-sales support, LG business
Earlier today, LG announced it will exit the mobile-phone business by July 31. We can’t say we didn’t see it coming. But it’s also something we didn’t want to happen even if we had sort of a falling out after we published the story No more LG phone business in PH, so G8 ThinQ won’t arrive here, which was picked up by international sites. We’ve always believed that more competition is better for consumers.
Globe Rewards: The best rewards for your points this 2021
Been piling up points on your Globe Rewards account? Great! You should also know that all rewards points earned in 2020 are valid only until the end of the month. That means you may want to start spending them now while you still can, before March 31, 2021.
Tonik digital bank launched in PH. Top-up, send-money options here
There’s a new all-digital bank in town. Tonik has officially launched in the Philippines, with plenty of great features in tow, including individual or group stashes that can earn up to 4.5% per year and time-deposit savings you can grow at an impressive annual interest of 6%.
BDO Pay: How to set it up on your smartphone
Modern finance tools like digital-only banks, mobile wallets, and payment platforms are more popular than ever — and they’re only getting bigger. BDO, one of the biggest banks in the Philippines, is the latest name to throw its hat into the ring with the launch of BDO Pay, a new mobile wallet accessible through your smartphone, similar to GCash and PayMaya.
Xiaomi wins case to block US investment ban on company
In mid-January this year, the Trump administration added Xiaomi to a list of alleged Communist Chinese military companies operating directly or indirectly in the United States. The company fought back, suing the the U.S. Defense and Treasury departments.
DITO SIM card: Everything you need to know
DITO Telecommunity’s commercial 4G and 5G services are expected to launch today, March 8, in the Philippines, with the initial rollout covering 15 pilot areas in Metro Cebu and Metro Davao.
DITO to offer unlimited data, calls, SMS for P199 at launch
DITO Telecommunity, the Philippines’ third telecom operator, recently announced it will offer 4G and 5G services in the country beginning March 8, albeit in limited locations. Its networks will initially cover areas in Mindanao and Visayas, with the rollout expected to reach 17 key cities and municipalities including Cebu City and Davao City.
PH students can now apply for P50,000 gadget loan from LandBank
The Land Bank of the Philippines recently announced it has expanded the coverage of its Interim Students’ Loan for Tuitions towards Upliftment of Education for the Development of the Youth or I-Study lending program to students, allowing them to borrow up to P50,000 (around $1,030) to purchase devices, such as smartphones and laptops, for online classes.
OPPO new top smartphone brand in PH. See top 5 in Q4 2020 here
From third to first. After ending up in third place in the third quarter of 2020, OPPO Philippines leaped to the No. 1 spot in the local smartphone rankings.
FAQ: Starlink 2022 rollout in the Philippines
We reported a while back that Elon Musk’s SpaceX company has been in talks with Converge ICT to bring the Starlink satellite-internet service to the Philippines. Since then, Converge has come out and said those talks were premature, likely in a bid to temper expectations and not get in the way of prospective customers signing up for a Converge subscription now or in the near future.
DITO Telecommunity to offer 4G, 5G services from March 8
It was earlier reported that DITO Telecommunity, formerly Mislatel, passed the National Telecommunications Commissions’ technical audit of its committed service for its first year of operations, registering a minimum 5G speed of 507.5Mbps and 85.9Mbps for its 4G service, according to the regulatory body.
PH mobile download speed up 37%, inches closer to broadband speed
Ookla recently published the January 2021 data of its Speedtest Global Index, and the local results are quite interesting, to say the least.
Southeast Asia’s top 5 smartphone brands in Q4 2020
Apple led the global smartphone market in the last quarter of 2020 — that much we know by now, as we reported here around three weeks ago. But how about in our region? What was the market like?
Huawei introduces new smart home products in PH
Huawei Philippines looks like it’s ramping up its efforts in the non-smartphone space.