PLDT lowers rate, increases speed of its DSL broadband service

Telecom giant Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) has lowered the rates and increased the speed of its digital subscriber line (DSL) broadband service to make high-speed Internet access more affordable to Filipinos.

PLDT vice president for marketing Joaquin L. San Agustin said this is another significant step toward linking more Filipinos to the Internet and allowing them to benefit from this technology.

The new myDSL Plan 1500 only charges P1,500 per month for 45 hours of use, and P1 for each excess minute. Aside from that, the speeds for other myDSL packages have been increased at no extra cost. Rates of BizDSL packages have also been reduced and the speeds increased.

"We are merely offering consumers a very affordable option for them to experience the many benefits of high speed Internet via DSL. The Internet has been changing how we do business, how we interact, and how we get information. There is really no reason why Filipinos should not embrace the Internet. So this is PLDT’s way of making more people experience the Internet and see how it can enrich their lives," San Agustin explained.

He added that personal computers and the Internet are being adopted faster than other technologies that made an impact in the 20th century. The many applications one can do with DSL such as high speed surfing, videostreaming, videoconferencing, WiFi, etc. are becoming a way of life and increasingly people without DSL left at a disadvantage as everyone begins upgrading to broadband Internet.

"PLDT believes that DSL is one of the important catalysts of development for the Philippines. We hope more people will realize this and take advantage of the technology," San Agustin added.

DSL, or digital subscriber line, refers to the technology that increases the capacity of ordinary twisted pair copper wires used in traditional phone lines to handle large volumes of data traffic.

PLDT has provided its existing myDSL subscribers with a 51-day trial period from Nov. 9 to Dec. 31 wherein speeds of myDSL services will be increased at no additional charge.

The myDSL Personal package will now have a speed of 256 kilobits per second (kbps), up from only 128 kbps. For myDSL Professional and Smallbiz Lite, speed will be increased to 384 kbps from 256 kbps.

To make this increase in speed permanent, subscribers would have to renew their subscription for one year or refer five people to PLDT’s myDSL service.

For the BizDSL promo, speeds were increased by 30 to 50 percent as rates were reduced by 11 to 20 percent or by P1,000 to P3,500 a month. PLDT DSL’s coverage areas include Metro Manila and all key cities nationwide.

Meanwhile, PLDT announced yesterday that it has launched its Cybermadness Christmas promo in a bid to increase PC ownership and access to high-speed Internet in the country.

The Cybermadness Christmas promo now offers new and better PC packages bundled with DSL (digital subscriber plan) or Vibe plan at the same low prices.

Early this year, PLDT introduced the Cybermadness promo by teaming up with the largest IT companies in the Philippines and the biggest PC distributors nationwide to come up with the lowest-priced bundled PC and Internet service packages.

San Agustin said the new packages make the PC and Internet access much easier to avail of and more affordable to a greater number of Filipinos.

"The PC and the Internet have become indispensable tools in our community today. These technologies help us become more efficient and able to do more at less the time," explained San Agustin.

San Agustin said there is a world of opportunity to increase the relevance and adoption of IT in the Philippines. He also mentioned that for PLDT, it is part of the company’s corporate responsibility to help in the development and education of our youth through the PC and Internet.