PLDT starts TVolution offer

MANILA, Philippines -  PLDT Inc. is set to begin offering its next generation TVolution streaming box which will come with over 50 streaming channels to provide superior entertainment content to customers beginning next month.

The telco and digital services provider worked with streaming pioneer Roku Inc. for the new product.

“Filipinos will be the first in Asia to stream the best in entertainment using the proven Roku® streaming platform,” Oscar Reyes Jr., PLDT first vice president and head of Home Business said in a statement yesterday.

He said PLDT Home subscribers would be able to enjoy the Roku Powered™ TVolution boxes with their fiber broadband connections which have speeds up to one gigabit per second.

The device’s streaming channels include pay TV provider Cignal, Southeast Asia’s biggest video-on-demand provider iflix, the world’s leading internet television service Netflix, as well as video sharing website YouTube.

“More Filipinos are streaming their favorite TV shows at home. By combining the best of the Roku Channel Store with leading local streaming services, PLDT will offer the most compelling video portfolio in the Philippines,” Reyes said.

He said PLDT intends to make more channels available on the TVolution streaming box to provide the most superior entertainment offer in the country.

PLDT Home Fibr, DSL, and Ultera customers can avail of the TVolution streaming box starting next month for an additional monthly service fee of P299.

Subscribers can opt to have free content or purchase paid content from different providers with minimal additional charges and no contract.

“With so much great content available from global and local streaming services in the Philippines, PLDT’s Roku Powered TVolution box is a simple, cost-effective way for customers to watch the best TV shows and movies right on their televisions,” Andrew Ferrone, vice president for Pay TV at Roku said.

With the home segment seen to be among the drivers of growth for PLDT, the group is working on improving its broadband services by expanding aggressively its fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) facilities that can provide ultra-fast internet speeds.

PLDT expects its FTTH lines to cover 4.4 million homes by the end of the year.

As of end-2016, PLDT’s FTTH network covered around 2.8 million homes.

In addition, PLDT is deploying hybrid fiber technologies such as Huawei Technologies’ G.fast which can boost data speeds up to 600 to 700 Mbps over existing copper lines.