Globe set to sell notes worth P5b

Globe Telecom Inc., the telecom unit of Ayala Corp., plans to issue P3 billion to P5 billion in five-year notes this month, banking sources said.

Manilastandardtoday February 5, 2009

Broadband DSL Rants and Raves

The blog writer writes, I've had 3 different DSL Service Providers in the past 4 years. I want to take this opportunity to give an objective and unbiased review on the experiences I've had with all 3. Hopefully this will help you guys when you make your decision to get your own broadband, be it for gaming, e-mail, downloading, or surfing. For this article, I'll write about my experiences
with Bayantel DSL, SMART Bro, and PLDT MyDSL.

Click the title of article above to read the complete blog writers comments at .Walkster blog 7/1/09

PLDT/Globe/SUN/Banyantel should read the many comments on this blog if they
want to solve some service problems wow.

Some of the comments follow including mine:

Jane Says: My rants with PLDT DSL warrant its own blog post sa haba. To think that I was one of their oldest subscribers -had the old P2,500 plan and got speeds less than 512kbps for the longest time. To cut the long story short, I reached my saturation point and had my DSL cut and moved to another carrier. I should have done that a long, long time ago

7/2/09 comment Pldt = as stated above worst customer service but probably has the best connection almost no downtimes, consistent speeds, doesnt seem to have peak hours etc..

7/3/09 comment I've had experience in both PLDT and Globe Customer service.
while both are bad.. let's just say I wish I had not chosen Globe.

7/4/09 comment guys, you better try sun broadband wireless.actually it's offered intially in metro manila & some parts of cavite.the connection is fast plus the service is unlimited for only Php799/month but if you already have a postpaid plan with suncellular you can bundle it with the broadband by adding php649 only per month ;)

7/7/09 comment PLDT sucks bigtime super!! Got my DSL Feb 2008 and HAVEN'T
received any billing statement to this date EVER!!

7/9/09 comment Try going to any PLDT office. See those employees feeling like they're bank tellers. Tayo dito tayo doon. LOL When it's your turn for the complain."Sir we're very sorry but ". Expect a very very frustrating day. But when it comes to payments, OH MY GOD! They will even sue you for not paying the bills on time. LOL

My comment: Globe bills online only show one month and you must already know the amount to access that even! SMART at least has three months billing available online.

And SMART bills are always late, I wonder why they even waste the money on a carrier (and printing envelopes and paper costing almost a million dollars a year I am sure?) when they just bought Meralco that does a wonderful job of emailing a bill to customers every month and makes the customer so happy as a result where he can pay ontime! Maybe PLDT and SMART should learn some things from Meralco hehe now that they own part of it.

My experience with SMART Bro has been excellent in Cebu but I am near the cell tower. In Manila, it has varied greatly sometimes average and sometimes never so slow I give up They have three different websites for emails, viewing your bills, and signing into your account all with separate logins, and passwords so complicated, its worse than bank passwords. And I wonder why they make customers sign into three separate sites for email, billing, and internet account instead of being under one login? And even yahoo logins are simpler passwords, make it simple someone once said but SMART doesnt seem to take this view in this case at least!

And Globe DSL has a built in auto disconnect every hour which disrupts your browsing and surfing, and disconnects your yahoo and downloads. Seems they should eliminate this as many blogs complain about the constant disconnects for Globe DSL! Or are they even interested in customer satisfaction hehe? But I am sure since many stock analysts and stockholders may read this, maybe they should be interested!

Telcos hit proposal to regulate deals with content providers

TELECOMMUNICATION FIRMS are opposing a move by regulators to fix
revenue-sharing with third-party content providers, adding to the simmering
dispute over the government's decision to tighten industry rules. Click the title of article above to read the complete article at 7/10/09
Manila Times

Phone firms balk at order to extend prepaid loads

LEADING mobile phone service providers yesterday refused to commit to
following government orders extending the validity of their prepaid credits.

Senator Mar Roxas, chairman of the committee on trade and commerce, said the
order to lengthen the validity of the prepaid load was too late and not
enough to address consumer demand for a fair and equitable deal from the
carriers. Click the title of article above to read the complete article at 7/9/09 Manila Standard

‘Star Wars’: Wi-Fi vs WiMax in Zambo

Internet in schools

Globe’s service is part of its Internet-in-Schools-Program (ISP). Under the program, Globe will “provide free Internet for one year to serviceable public schools all over the country.” Those schools are serviced by the Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM), a unit of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Five other public schools in Zamboanga—J-Jireh School, Southcom National High School, Sinunuc ElementarySchool, Zamboanga City High School main campus and the Sinunuc National High School—will also receive free WiMax connection for a year, making them the first WiMax-connected schools in the Philippines.

Ticket to cyber highway

For Jojie Ilagan-Bian, president of the Philippine Call Center Alliance, WiMax is Zamboanga’s ticket to the cyber highway. Both Wi-Fi and WiMax can be used for wireless networking, but the latter is designed to allow higher data rates over longer distances. For example, a person using WiMax can stream videos and download a movie file at the same time. WiMax provides broadband wireless access of up to 50 kilometers for fixed stations, and 5 km to 15 km for mobile stations. In contrast, Wi-Fi is usually limited to only 100 meters.

“By investing heavily in expanding its information and communications services, Globe has not only expressed its confidence in the future of this city and this region, but has helped to create conditions under which other companies will be attracted to the city,” Bian said.

Globe’s Disuanco said the telco plans to open four more WiMax sites in the region.
“It is Globe’s aim that every home in Zamboanga be connected to the Internet,” he said. According to Hoyle Disuanco, head of Globe’s consumer sales for Visayas and Mindanao, the telco has already established WiMax connections in 15 communities in Zamboanga. Click the title of article above to read the complete article at 9/12/09 Philippine Inquirer

Telcos not ready to comply with NTC on extended expiry of vanishing load

TELECOMMUNICATIONS company executives indicated on Wednesday they are not yet ready to comply with Senate-initiated circulars issued by National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) extending the expiry dates of “vanishing” prepaid cellular-phone load and the ban on spam messages sent by telcos’ content providers to their subscribers.
“Of course, we were surprised. We are still trying to digest the impact of [the NTC circulars]. We would like to digest first the circulars and assess our options,” Smart Communications manager Roy Ibay told reporters after attending a Senate technical working group (TWG) meeting with other telco executives on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, a legislator proposed on Wednesday that the NTC require mobile-phone firms to issue a “billing statement” through SMS or text messaging for every worth of cell-phone load consumed. Party-list Rep. Florencio Noel of An-Waray said that with this, cell- phone users would be informed on how their load was consumed and ensure transparency between the pre-paid subscribers and the cell-phone companies. “One possible way of holding cellular-telephone companies accountable for stolen loads would be to mandate them to issue ‘billing statement’,” Noel said

Also, he said that “text billing,” which should be sent free of charge, would be automatically generated when there’s only P5 worth of load remaining.

“But if they could monitor how much is your account balance or know if you have exceeded the ‘consumption date’, they could easily set up a system that would track down the volume and price of text messages and voice calls made,” he said.
7/9/09 `Business Mirror Read the complete article by clicking the headline above

WiMax in Zamboanga

ZAMBOANGA CITY — Globe Telecom, Inc. launched on Monday its Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access or WiMax Internet service in this city, paving the way for business process outsourcing investments. Hoyle Raul E. Disuanco, Globe’s sales head for the Visayas and Mindanao, said at least 15 WiMax sites have been established and another four are the pipeline. Mayor Celso L. Lobregat said the WiMax would boost the city’s bid to become a hub for information and communications technology. Mr. Disuanco said WiMax is designed to enable the deployment of "fourth generation" wireless broadband access as a cost-efficient alternative to cable connections or and DSL, or digital service line. Mr. Disuanco claimed Globe Telecom’s entry-level WiMax plan is up to 33% faster and 25% more affordable than those offered by rival wireless broadband providers.

7/7/09 Bussiness World Click the bold title above to read the complete article

USAID Aids WiMAX Growth In Philippine Schools

Globe Telecom and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have joined together in order to bring advanced Internet and computer education to the youth of Mindanao, an island in the Philippines. The USAID’s Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) will provide WiMAX connections to six public schools in Zamboanga City, the third largest country in the Philippines. 6 July 2009 Blog Quantumwimax Click the bold title above to read the complete article

Globe reorganizes sales, marketing units

Industry observers say Globe needs to shift gears up in order to better compete with rivals. Coming up with more products and service offerings such as the Globe Duo and WiMax may not be enough to cope up with competition especially during tough times when consumer wallet is shrinking. “In other words, they have to deliver and generate more revenues or they will continue to be left behind,” said the sources.

Of late, Globe has been experiencing network glitches. The problem, the company claimed, is limited only to the 3G (third-generation) service that affected some parts of Makati, Manila and Pasay.

Irate Globe subscribers complained of difficulty in making calls, sharing load credits and delays in text messaging service.

Globe also relaunched its fully mobile broadband service branded as Globe Broadband Tattoo but some subscribers still complained of slow Internet connection.

My comment: Their DSL service has a terrible problem built in! It is programmed to disconnect your service at least every hour and then reconnecting, making downloads, yahoo chat, etc cut off, such an inconvenience. They should make their service more reliable and do a major shakeup to achieve customer satisfaction! The costs are reasonable for dsl but many online newsgroups complain about his auto disconnect problem!

Click here to read complete article July 2, 2009 Business Mirror

How not to be No. 1

IT’S no secret that Globe Telecom Inc. wants to be number one. (read article mid column in link)

Then and now, Globe has always had problems with its after-sales service—or follow-up care for loyal customers needs to be given priority, a reform one hopes would be part of the improvements now ongoing under Mr. Cu’s helm.

Consider the Globe DSL subscribers in Mandaluyong, San Juan, and Pasig. Since mid-June, they’ve had intermittent service due to system repairs and nobody in Globe seems to know when these repairs will be completed.

Worse, Globe’s monthly billings do not reflect the interrupted service (read: subscribers are charged the same monthly amount regardless of service disruption).

The worst part is the vaunted hotline. More often than not, it’s a computer-generated message that answers the caller. If an irate subscriber does finally get in touch with another person (and has not banged the phone after listening endlessly to the company jingle), some 15 minutes plus have passed, enough to order a take-out burger meal and have it delivered.

Hey, don’t take my word for it. Maybe Globe executives could check out the hotline, using a pay phone instead of their executive phones. Maybe, they should check how many days in June Globe was actually servicing subscribers in Mandaluyong, San Juan, and Pasig and then check whether, as a responsible company, it deducted from the aggravated subscribers’ monthly billings the periods of disruption (read: no deductions so far).
Click here to read complete article 7/6/09 Business Mirror

Making cell phone companies behave

The cell phone companies have been a pampered lot. They are some of the most profitable business operations. Yes, they put in big bucks when they started. But they recovered their investments very quickly.

NTC, a toothless watchdog. And something must be done to set up some kind of “social pricing” for the poor. These poor people need the use of their mobile phones more urgently than rich people, when they have a desperate problem.
Click here to read complete article 7/5/09 Manila Times

Telcos caught off-guard by new rules

Telecommunication firms were caught off-guard by new rules extending the validity of prepaid credits released by regulators, reserving the right to question the order in court. (my comment: But NTC says Telco's were consulted?)
Click here to read complete article 7/4/09 Business World

How Much is iPhone 3GS from Globe Telecom?

Check out the price and plans here click

Globe's New Clothes

Globe has done a major website overhaul. The site shed it's old school Internet look and now has that flashy colorful young feel. Looks more like a cool gadget magazine in my opinion. The only thing is the fonts, icons and the inconsistencies of lines (much like that of my stores and prices comparison hehehe). Globe should implement the font they used with their logo on all the site's fonts similar to what Smart Buddy did. Globe's icons aren't standard in terms of resolution and design. They just all look different (refer to Manage Globe Services icons and Barkada News icon). Sorry for the small image but you may check Globe's website at www.globe.com.ph

or just follow the link.

Smart's website on the other hand still has that "corporate feel" which does not appeal, at least, to me. I'm talking about Smart's ho-hum landing page at www.smart.com.ph. Smart has separate pages for Buddy & Gold's subscribers that is if you look at the right-hand side of the page and click on the teensy-weensy Buddy & Gold's icons will lead you to the page. I think that Smart's page lacks the flashiness of Globe's improved website but the former has icons uniform in size and color and very clean. Smart's website maybe boring but fonts & icons are all consistent and the clean look is easy on the eyes.

By the way, I'm not a website designer and I am a Smart user.

Click here to read the complete article Pinoy Gadget blog

Why Globe Visibility/ Tattoo and Globe Broadband sucks

From an evangelist to whatever the antonym of evangelist is, yes.. that is me!
Don't use Globe Visibility if you don't want headaches!!! Even Globe Broadband!

I subscribed to your 3mbps broadband connection last 4th quarter of the year. To date, the first 15 days was the only satisfying dates we ever had. The rest is history gone bad. Everytime I download a file at night, my internet would be wonky the next day!!! I thought this was an unlimited broadband service? To make matters worst, I don't even reach 1mbps of surfing speeds!!!!

To tell you the truth, I am someone who spends more than 5,000 pesos a month and isn't happy even a bit!

2,000 broadband
2,000 Visibility
1,000 prepaid handyphone
500 postpaid handyphone

Globe please do email me at chef_tonio@yahoo.com and I will wait for it.
Click here to read the complete article 6/25/09 blogger concern

‘Digital robbery’ Telcos face raps over 'vanishing loads'

A CONSUMER watchdog group will file a class action Thursday against major telecommunication companies (telcos) for allegedly "victimizing" the public through "vanishing" cell phone loads and other "scams."

Consumer group Cellphone Owners and Users of the Philippines, Inc. (COUP) accused the country’s three top telcos of "digital robbery" and swindling, asking the NTC to stop what it claimed were illegal activities.

The Cellphone Owners and Users of the Philippines (COUP) represented by human rights lawyer Rod Domingo will file the case against Smart Communications Incorporated, Globe Telecom, and Sun Cellular before the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) at 9 a.m. Thursday.

The group said "digital robbery" nets billions of pesos yearly from more than 60 million subscribers nationwide.

COUP also complained of poor signal "despite [telcos’] advertisements claiming wide network coverage and advanced telecommunication facilities."

“Even just a single centavo illegally collected or charged from each of the unsuspecting subscribers for every call or text message being sent easily translates to millions of pesos illegally collected everyday from the victims of the telcos that have combined revenue of over a billion of pesos daily,” according to the group’s petition.

COUP added that its members were victims of call interruptions or dropped calls but were made to pay for the full charge for each call instead of being billed for each second used.
Domingo said among the issues that will be raised by the complainants are the disappearing loads, false advertisements, dropped calls, spam, unsolicited messages illegally charged against consumers and users, illegal charges of deduction of loads for failed messages, and full charge or load deduction for missed calls and interrupted calls.

To read the complete article click here 7/1/09 Philippine Breaking News blog
To read the complete article click here also here at Business World 7/3/09

Globe to launch iPhone 3GS in the Philippines on July 31

“Globe will launch iPhone 3GS, the fastest most powerful iPhone yet, in the Philippines on July 31. Reservations will be accepted starting July 15. Customers can reserve by calling the Globe hotline at 730-10-00, through Globe iPhone3G, or by going to any Globe Business Center. For more information on iPhone 3GS please visit Apple iPhone.”

Question is, will Globe consider 3G plan holders an upgrade deal from 3G to 3Gs? That would be great for 3G plan holders and so everyone would be tempted to get one.
Read the blog entry here by clicking

Contact Information for PLDT and Globe

PLDT – Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company Directory and contact information

Click here to access the details Directory and contact information
http://www.whitepages.com.ph/communication/pldt-philippine-long-distance-telephone-company/

Click here to access the details For Globe Telcon Telephone Directory and contact information

http://www.whitepages.com.ph/communication/globe-telecom/

Globe Telecom’s Corrupt Tech Support

Let me just rant here for awhile on my frustration with Globe telecom’s annoying broadband service.

The first week of June we had our broadband connection installed in our new apartment. I was excited because this time we had requested an exclusive internet line only because both me and my husband are doing a lot of online work. I had Globe broadband before in my mom’s house and even if there were a lot of problems with the line before, my loyalties were always with them.

I tried to make small talk, asking about the possibility of us using a wireless modem in the future. The installation guy had the nerve to tell me “Pwede ko pong gawin yan Ma’am pero may bayad, kasi po bawal yan sa Globe” (It’s illegal to do that ma’am but i can fix it for you for a fee)
To read the complete blog writers complaint click here

Globe Tattoo vs Smart Bro vs Sun Broadband?

WHICH ONE IS THE BEST? This is the million dollar question of all mobile internet users in the Philippines nowadays :)

Is cost a good measure? Not really. The cost of connection is not a factor since all the 3 networks are offering very comparable rates.

How about speed? All 3 providers are also offering HSDPA, 3G, EDGE, & GPRS connectivity.

So what's the verdict?
- Use Smart Bro when surfing on remote places in the Philippine
- Globe Tattoo is the neutral choice but definitely not the fastest. (Personally, I use Globe tatoo since I can easily use my Globe Post Paid line to add some load to it):)
- It's advisable to use Sun Broadband when you're not too mobile and just surf on coffee shops on key cities in Metro Manila and in the Philippines. If I don't have the convenience of having a Globe Post paid line to reload my Tattoo,I'll definitely go for Sun Broadband. :)

To read complete article click here 6/25/09 blog funwithmymini

Yahoo answers comment Globe Tattoo vs Smart Bro vs Sun Broadband?

I am experienced with Globe, Globe Tattoo, Sun, Sun Wireless, Smart Bro, Smart Wireless, and PLDT DSL. Now back to Smart Bro.. if you are Using LAptop and roam around in Manila better Smart wireless prepaid or postpaid(1900 pesos). If you are stay at home better use Smart Bro (999 pesos /month).

Smart BRo speed 41-45KB/s (320-388Kbp/s)
Smart Wireless speed 23-30KB/s (180-240 kbp/s)
Globe Tattoo speed 12-26 KB/s
Globe wireless speed 29-35 KB/s
Sun depends on Area..
PLDT is wired connection...
Bayantell is wired connection..

4/09 yahoo answers

Globe tattoo, Smart bro or Sun Broadband Wireless?

=if you are an urban guy and wants good quality - go globe. globe has the best investment in 3g and 3.5g technology and has excellent signal quality in urban areas

if you are a traveller and relies on good coverage - go smart. smart has signal where globe and sun does not have one.

if you living in manila and wants value for money - go sun. unlimited is the way to go!

=Well said, exactly what I'm thinking as well, not to mention personal experience about the three providers. To add to that, Sun has been rolling out the newest technology among the three and it's just a matter of time before it overtakes the other two providers in terms of wireless broadband products.
To read complete article click here PhilMug blog replies

Best Deals Rate Chart of Mobile 3G Internet Providers

So we could better see which 3g internet provider is giving us the best deals, I made this simple chart to compare postpaid and prepaid mobile 3G plans of Globe, Smart and Sun Cellular.

The chart is short and simple — compare rates for prepaid mobile 3g surfing, postpaid plans as well as ongoing bundled promos.

Both Smart and Sun Cellular are running bucket offers — Smart has the Php50 per 5 hours and Php100 per 12 hours promo, while Sun Cellular is offering their SWB at Php100 per 6 hours and Php300 per 24 hours. Globe doesn’t have this kind of bucket plans.

For postpaid, both Globe and Smart offer 60 hours free internet for Php799 a month. However, Sun Cellular is offering unlimited internet for the same monthly rate.
That gives Sun Cellular the cheapest offering at Php1.1 per hour, followed by Smart at Php12.50 then Globe at Php13.30/hour.

To read complete article click here 5/13/09 Yugatech blog

Globe holds 45 MHz within 2.5-2.7GHz spectrum

THE country’s second-largest mobile firm Globe Telecom Inc. now holds the most number of frequencies in the 2.5-2.7 gigahertz frequency range after the broadcasting firm acquired by the telco’s retirement fund group last year was recently allowed by regulators to operate again despite protests from industry players.

To read complete article click here 6/20/09 Business Mirror

Globe moves a step closer to offering broadcast service

The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has given the greenlight to Globe Telecom Inc.’s foray into broadcasting with the extension of Altimax Broadcasting Co. Inc.’s permit to rollout multi-channel multipoint distribution system (MMDS) service nationwide.

Altimax is the broadcasting firm recently acquired by Globe Telecom’s Retirement Fund.
The regulator’s approval of Altimax’s provisionary authority (PA) from June 29, 2005 to June 29, 2012 would pave the way for Globe to offer MMDS triple play service. Specifically, the company would offer wireless cable TV, high speed broadband Internet and Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP).

To read complete article click here 6/30/09 Manila Times

Consumer rants

Now that Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile himself has been victimized by that cell phone scam that’s been around for years, I hope that something will finally be done about it. Actually, there’s something more shocking than disappearing prepaid loads—unclear mechanics around the use of Internet accessibility and global roaming through cellular phones. I know quite a number of people who have had to fork over thousands of pesos because they didn’t know—and the service providers conveniently didn’t go out of their way to inform customers—that the service required certain procedures that needed to be complied with to enjoy more reasonable charges.

To read complete article click here 6/30/09 Manila Standard