Sun Cellular beefs up 3G network in Mindanao

MANILA, Philippines - Mobile service innovator Sun Cellular, a unit of dominant carrier Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT), is beefing up its third generation (3G) network coverage in Mindanao to cope with the increasing demand of subscribers.

Sun Cellular chief operating officer Charles Lim said in a statement that the company has increased its 3G coverage to add 20 new areas in Mindanao as more of its subscribers in the region are shifting to smartphones resulting for higher demand for mobile internet.

“We are moving to stay ahead of the increasing demand for mobile internet, especially for our growing base in Mindanao. We have optimized our coverage in over 20 new areas in Mindanao, and are now even looking at provisioning mobile internet speeds of up to 7.2Mbps,” Lim stressed.

Lim pointed out that the 3G network expansion program is intended to enhance customer experience through faster browsing speeds and more extensive 3G coverage.

He added that the expansion areas of Sun Cellular include the provinces of Zamboanga, Agusan, Lanao, North and South Cotabato as well as Bukidnon.

“Aside from an established presence in the major areas and key cities of Mindanao, we also aim to provide an enhanced mobile browsing experience for the locals and tourists in the coastal, as well as in and inland areas of the region.”

The PLDT Group has completed its P67.1 billion network modernization program in the middle of last year.

“This is a vital part of our nationwide network expansion in coordination with our sister companies in the PLDT Group,” Lim said.

On top of its network expansion efforts, he added that the brand sees sustained growth in its data services through the introduction of user-oriented offerings and strategic partnerships with content providers.

Sun Cellular has complemented its regular browsing services by introducing its series of “Forever Loads” which offer unlimited access to top social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and Yahoo!.

Under the same product line, the network has also partnered with top lifestyle pages like ClickTheCity and Sulit.com.ph to reach out to the burgeoning market of deal seekers online.

Data showed that the PLDT Group’s total cellular subscriber base reached 71.7 million as of end-March with the net additions of 1.8 million new subscribers. Wireless subsidiary Smart Communications, Inc (“Smart”) had 25.4 million subscribers while value brand Talk ‘N Text followed with 30.6 million, and Sun Cellular with 15.8 million subscribers.