Leading integrated telco network PLDT Inc (PLDT)'s wireless subsidiary Smart Communications, Inc (Smart) posted sequential quarterly growth in 2023, buoyed by value-packed promos and innovative products and services.
"We continue to deploy differentiated offers, with longer validities, larger bandwidth, and ultimately better experiences, supported by our expansive network across the country," said Alex O. Caeg, Head of Consumer Business-Individual at Smart. "As we re-accelerate our network rollout, we are boosting our capabilities to deliver product lines that are relevant and of value to our customers."
Average data usage per subscriber grew by 19% to 11GB compared to 2022, while active data users hit 39.0 million in 2023.
"Also driving this increase in data usage are Smart’s higher velocity top-up products, and the recently launched eSIMs," said Kristine A. Go, SVP for Consumer Wireless Business, adding that Smart's roster of innovations pushing for higher velocity offers, larger top-up denominations, and more engagement channels continue to support Filipinos' increasing appetite for data.
The individual segment's mobile data revenues grew by 6% to ₱71.1 billion for the period, driven by an 11% year-on-year increase in mobile data traffic to 4,898 Petabytes. Worth noting is the robust growth in revenues registered in the fourth quarter which saw prepaid and postpaid revenues rise by 6% and 4%, respectively, versus the same period last year. Wireless Consumer Mobile Data revenues now account for 87% of total Individual Wireless revenues, which hit ₱81.8 billion in 2023, up by 2% or ₱1.5 billion year-on-year.
Supporting this level of performance is Smart's mobile network, which covered 97% of the population with 4G/LTE and 5G as of the end of 2023. This mobile network is supported by PLDT's fiber infrastructure, which was at over 1.1 million cable kilometers, including international and domestic fiber.
Smart's initiatives to offer relevant mobile data services to Filipinos are aligned with the PLDT Group’s endeavors to narrow the digital divide and provide connectivity to all, supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG), particularly on SDG No. 9 – Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure. These also reinforce PLDT Group’s support for the Government's overall digitalization thrust.
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