MANILA, Philippines - Globe Telecom ended 2011 with over 30 million mobile phone subscribers, up 13 percent from the previous year’s 26.47 million and three percent higher than the third quarter’s 29.1 million, the company said in a statement.
Gross acquisitions soared to a record 6.1 million in the fourth quarter and brought full year total additions to 23.2 million, seven percent above the 2010 level of 21.8 million. With higher gross acquisitions and significantly lower churn rates, Globe full year net additions of about 3.6 million was 11 percent higher than the 3.2 million net acquisitions in 2010.
Globe said it maintained its dominance in the postpaid segment, fueled by customizable plans and the launch of Apple iPhone 4S towards yearend, closing 2011 with nearly 1.5 million postpaid subscribers, 36 percent above the previous year’s 1.1 million.
Globe postpaid net additions surged 81 percent to an all-time high of 389,000, aided by lower churn rates. The quality of acquisitions has also improved with about 21 percent of regular postpaid net adds signing up for plans with monthly service fees of P999 and above, compared to just six percent a year ago.
Officials said Globe postpaid now has the most differentiated offer with its worry free plans, no bill shock guarantee, a phone warranty for newly-acquired plans, and exclusive 24/7 access to its expanded customer service channels.
On the other hand, Globe prepaid, boosted by the all-network offers and a new campaign focusing on the aspirations of the Filipino youth, registered over 50-percent net additions from about 786,000 a year earlier to over 1.6 million in 2011. It ended 2011 with total subscribers of 15.5 million, 12 percent higher than the 13.8 million in 2010.
Globe’s lower-end brand TM, which also benefited from combo voice and data services, all-network offers and recently mobile browsing, posted full year gross acquisitions of 11.2 million, up seven percent from the 2010 level of 10.5 million. TM subscribers reached 13.1 million in 2011, up 13 percent from the previous year’s 11.6 million.
With the growing number of subscribers, Globe came out with more customer service channels to provide differentiated experience for its customers. These new channels feature faster response time to a specific customer inquiry, as well as uninterrupted and seamless service with a conversation tracking feature.
For instance, with the new online channels, Globe subscribers are given a variety of options for after-sales support. Those in the country and abroad can get real-time feedback from customer service representatives (CSR) who are on duty 24/7through the chat functionality available on the Globe website or by adding the Talk2Globe account (Talk2GLOBE–CHAT) on Yahoo!Messenger. In addition, local subscribers can get assistance through SMS by texting HELP to 1234 for free.
The new customer touchpoints are on top of the existing channels available for Globe subscribers such as the Talk2Globe Hotline via 730-1000 (toll-free via Globe landline) or 211 (toll-free via Globe/TM mobile), official Talk2Globe social networking accounts in Facebook and Twitter, and the Talk2Globe email account (talk@globetel.com.ph).
Globe also launched *143#, the newest and easiest quick-service menu that allows subscribers to know more about the latest Globe promos at the touch of a button for free. All subscribers using this innovative service can quickly access billing and load details, as well as call, text and surfing promos, do GCash transactions, download related services, and share prepaid load to Globe and TM users without having to memorize registration codes and access numbers.