GRAPHS OF PHILIPPINE WIRELESS INDUSTRY DATA
Fig. 1 : TOTAL NUMBER OF SUBSCRIBERS PER WIRELESS SERVICE PROVIDER
AS OF MARCH 31, 2006
* Globe-Innove uses its own integrated Globe-Isla GSM network to serve its 13,197,163 subscribers on the GLOBE PREPAID PLUS, TM and GLOBE HANDYPHONE brands.
* Smart uses its own Smart GSM network to serve its 15,541,184 subscribers on the ADDICT MOBILE, SMART BUDDY, SMART GOLD, SMART KID and SMART INFINITY brands.
* Piltel resells cellular services using the Smart GSM network to serve its 5,358,447 subscribers on the TALK ‘N TEXT brand.
* Digitel uses its own Sun GSM/GPRS network to serve its 1,800,000 subscribers on the SUN CELLULAR brand.
* Extelcom uses its own analog AMPS network to serve its subscribers on the CELLCARD, UNLIMITED and LMS brands.
* Next Mobile uses its own Nextel iDEN network to serve its subscribers on the IMX and IMX PREPAID brands.
* Bayantel has stopped offering trunk radio services sometime in 2002, but plans to resume offering wireless services by year 2006.
Fig. 2 : TOTAL
MARKET SHARE PER WIRELESS SERVICE PROVIDER
AS OF MARCH 31, 2006
Analysis of wireless market for first quarter of 2006:
The first quarter of 2006 proved to be a challenge for our wireless service providers.
Globe has slashed its text messaging rates to P0.90 per 160 characters in a bid to capture the last few remaining thousands of new possible subscribers, as market growth has already reached its plateau.
Smart in turn slashed its intra-network MMS rates to P1 per message and inter-network MMS rates to P2 per message in a bid to increase usage of its EDGE/3G network.
Talk ‘N Text managed to grab hold of most of the new subscribers as its low priced handset offers continue to attract subscribers from the mass markets.
Sun Cellular added new products in its arsenal, namely “Sun Sulit calls” which allows Sun-to-Sun calls for only P0.50 per minute and enhanced its Text Unlimited offering with FREE 4 hours of Sun-to-Sun calls, to cover up the price increase for its 24/7 Call and Text Unlimited service.
Express Telecom, the one that started this “unlimited” fiasco, is not successful with this strategy because their own plans of adding texting and multimedia services to their network is still pending due to lack of financial support.
As for Next Mobile, it is shying away from the mass market, but its new IMX Prepaid brand (with FREE “push-to-talk” calls) seems to be an eager attempt to get back some of its subscribers lost to the cellular phone companies. IMX has also announced its intention of adding text messaging capacity to its network, but as long as the feature is not yet available, its strategy of FREE push-to-talk calls is not much of an attraction to prospective subscribers.
This challenging market scenario does not prove to be a deterrent for Bayantel, as they recently announced that they already have a fixed wireless network that is readily upgradeable to serve wireless subscribers, hinting that they may jump back again into the wireless arena if conditions are already “favorable”.
- RC Barredo
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