Array of best devices boosts Globe postpaid and mobile data business

Manila, Philippines -  Globe Telecom is eyeing further growth in its postpaid and mobile data businesses by offering its subscribers an expanded line-up of smartphone devices under its suite of unlimited data plans.

For the second quarter of 2012 alone, Globe launched three flagship smartphones from the world’s leading device manufacturers. In April, Globe exclusively launched the Nokia Lumia 800, Nokia’s latest smartphone device that runs on the Windows platform, featuring Internet Explorer 9, free voice-guided navigation services, and free music and image storage.

Globe subscribers can avail themselves of the Nokia Lumia 800 for free at Unli Surf Combo 1799 complete with unlimited mobile surfing, P800 monthly consumable amount for calls and text messages, and three text, call and surf freebies that can be changed monthly.

In May, Globe became the first Philippine telco to offer the BlackBerry Curve 9220 and BlackBerry Curve 9320, the two new BlackBerry Curve smartphones available for the middle market segment.

The BlackBerry Curve 9220 is free at My Super Plan 499 plus a P99 unlimited BlackBerry Chat subscription which gives users P499 monthly consumable amount for calls and text messages, unlimited access to BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), and two text, call and surf freebies.

The BlackBerry Curve 9320 comes free at My Super Plan BlackBerry Unli Surf Combo Plan 999 with unlimited surfing, P400 monthly consumable for calls and text messages, and one text, call or surf freebie.

Just this month, Globe unveiled the best and most affordable offer for the Samsung Galaxy S III, where subscribers can get Samsung’s newest flagship smartphone for as low as P1,699 monthly under Unli Surf Combo 999 with P700 monthly cashout, complete with unlimited data and one freebie.

Subscribers can also get the phone for free at Unli Surf Combo 1799 with P200 monthly cashout bundled with unlimited data, P800 monthly consumable amount for calls and text messages to any network, and three text, call and surf freebies.

“With the continued rise in smartphone and mobile data use in the Philippines, Globe is taking advantage of this trend by offering a complete line-up of devices and handsets that cater to the different market segments of our growing postpaid subscriber base,” said Martha Sazon, head of Globe Postpaid.

“Our strong partnerships with the world’s leading device manufacturers allow us to launch the latest smartphones ahead of others and pair them with our fully customizable plans bundled with unlimited data, freebies, and excellent after-sales support that no other telco can give,” Sazon said.

Globe offers the widest selection of handsets under its roster of postpaid plans, offering the latest Android devices for free for as low as Plan 299.

According to Singapore-based research firm GfK Asia, the Philippines was noted as the fastest-growing market in smartphones, with the value of smartphones sold growing by 402 percent in the first quarter of 2012 versus 2011. Smartphone sales in the Philippines were valued at an estimated $265 million in the first quarter of the year.

Globe cemented its lead in the mobile postpaid segment in the first quarter of 2012 with a subscriber share of 43 percent and a 34 percent growth in subscriber base from previous year’s levels.

Postpaid service revenues are at P5.3 billion with revenue share of 57 percent, way higher than the combined revenues of its two main competitors.

On the other hand, its mobile data revenues increased by six percent year-on-year to P8.2 billion from P7.7 billion, now accounting for 49 percent of total mobile service revenues.

Direct mobile browsing revenues also increased by 33 percent from previous year’s levels with the telco’s strong lineup of data plans.

Backing up its robust portfolio of handsets and data plans is the Globe network which is in the thick of a massive modernization program that will modernize thousands of its cell sites across the country to cater to the emerging mobile data traffic due to the growing number of smartphones.

Globe will also be rolling out 10,000 kilometers of fiber optic in the implementation of Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology that will bring high-speed data to mobile phones and other data terminals.