Globe rolls out prepaid LTE SIM cards

Hello to all my readers. I’ve been quite busy in the past few months and didn’t post anything new since September. But there’s this news that I think is worth posting.

So, Globe just announced that prepaid LTE SIM cards are now (finally) available. And we’re not talking about the Tattoo Prepaid LTE SIM cards that were out since September 2012 – what they have now is the LTE SIM cards for Globe Prepaid accounts.

The Globe Prepaid LTE SIM cards will come in dual-cut (mini and micro) and nano sizes. The dual-cut ones cost P40 while the nano ones are P75. For those who don’t want to let go of their phone numbers, you can have your SIM replaced with an LTE one at Globe Stores.

You’d need a Globe Prepaid LTE SIM card if you have an LTE device such as an iPhone (5/5c/5s/6/6 Plus), Samsung Galaxy (S5/S4) or other smartphones that support LTE.

For more info, check out their website.

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Price of fast home internet in the Philippines is going down

The beginning of 2014 has been through a rocky start — at least on the side of the networks. Globe started to strictly enforce its fair-use policy for mobile data connections which garnered a lot of mixed, mostly negative reactions from their subscribers. They should work that out.

Anyway, the main reason I wrote this post is to share an interesting development on home broadband. A couple of years ago, PLDT and Globe introduced fiber connections to the market. Fiber used to cost a lot of money back then. A 100-megabit connection came at P20,000 a month — PLDT still charges the same today. Fast forward to present day and it’s already down to P11,999 on Globe. I know, still a bit expensive. But that’s a huge difference!

Hopefully Globe will expand its fiber coverage so they can get this kind of fast home internet to everyone and PLDT will follow their new pricing.

See it for yourself. Head over here to check Globe’s Tattoo Platinum Plans and here for PLDT’s Fibr Plans.

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Globe wants to give you an iPhone every year on its iPhone Forever Plans

Globe Telecom today announced their new iPhone Forever Plans. The new plans allows you to sign up (or renew) a 2-year contract and get an iPhone every year for without paying anything (aside from the monthly plan, that is).

So how does the Globe iPhone Forever Plans work? Let’s say you want to get an iPhone 5s. The lowest plan for the 5s costs P1,599 a month and includes 1GB of LTE data and P601 of consumable amount, which I assume you can use to avail of combos like texts and calls. Now, on the 13th month of your contract, you can get a new iPhone (assuming that the next one is out) without paying anything and without extending your contract — as long as you trade in your old 5s that you got when you signed up. Once your 2-year contract is up, you can renew again and get another iPhone by doing the same process.

Below is the table of the iPhone Forever Plans on Globe.

iPhone Forever Plan	Plan 1599	Plan 1999	Plan 2999	Plan 5599	Plan 6999
Device	iPhone 5c (16GB)	iPhone 5s (16GB)	iPhone 5s (16GB)	iPhone 5c / iPhone 5s (32GB)	iPhone 5s (64GB)
Contract Period	2-year	2-year	2-year	2-year	2-year
Inclusions	•P601 consumable •1GB LTE data	•P601 consumable •1GB LTE data	•P101 consumable •Unlimited LTE data •Unlimited calls and SMS to Globe	- - •Unlimited LTE data •Unlimited calls and SMS to all networks •Platinum Blue	- - •Unlimited LTE data •Unlimited calls and SMS to all networks •Platinum Blue •P1,000 consumable for roaming services

Those who will sign up for Plans 5599 and Plan 6999 will get a Platinum Blue membership with perks like dedicated hotline, priority handling at Globe Business Centers, and discounts and other privileges at partner merchants and establishments.

Want to sign up already? Here’s the table of the eligible devices that you can trade in.

Device to be traded in	Upfront Payment
Tier 1: iPhone 4S, iPhone 5	-
Tier 2: iPhone 4, Samsung Galaxy S4, Samsung Galaxy Note 2, BlackBerry Q10, HTC One	P4,999
Tier 3: iPhone 3GS, Samsung Galaxy S3, BlackBerry Z10, BlackBerry Curve/Bold/Torch, Samsung Galaxy S3 mini, Nokia Lumia	P9,999
Tier 4: All other devices	P11,999
No device	P12,999

All said, the iPhone Forever Plans is only suited for those who want to get a new phone every year without breaking or renewing their contract. It would have been better though if Globe has an option wherein you can keep your current phone at a fee.

For those that prefers the normal plans, the iPhone 5c is available at Plan 999 with P800 monthly cashout while the iPhone 5s starts at P1,799 with P400 monthly cashout. Both plans come with unlimited LTE data and consumables that you can use towards combos and boosters.

The iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s will be available starting November 15.

Those who want to apply may visit Globe’s website.

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Globe first to offer unlimited calls and texts to all networks

Globe Telecom has announced that they are now offering unlimited calls and texts to all networks, a first in the country.

The new offering, however, is initially available for Globe Platinum subscribers only — specifically, those who subscribe to the new All-Net Plan 5000 and All-Net Plan 10000. Those subscribers get unlimited data and unlimited calls and texts to all networks (Smart, Sun Cellular, Globe).

Aside from those unlimited services, Plan 5000 customers get P1,000 monthly consumable which they can use for other services like roaming, international calls, landline calls, etc., a 1-month subscription for Gadget Care insurance, an LTE smartphone (iPhone 5 16GB, Samsung Galaxy S4, or BlackBerry Q10), and a Platinum Elite membership.

Plan 10000 customers, on the other hand, get to have a P5,500 monthly consumable which can be shared with up to 2 extension lines, DUO and Gadget Care subscription for the length of the contract, an LTE smartphone (Samsung Galaxy Note 3 + Galaxy Tab 3 Wi-Fi, Samsung Galaxy S4 + Galaxy Tab 3 Wi-Fi, iPhone 5 32GB, or BlackBerry Q10 + BlackBerry 9320), and a Platinum Elite membership.

The rich really get to enjoy great services, no? Let’s hope Globe brings this to their other postpaid plans too, heck, even on prepaid!

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Smart Prepaid LTE SIM card poses for the camera, launching tomorrow for P40 (update)

UPDATED: 5:10 PM August 9, 2013

Have you been wanting to get a prepaid Smart LTE SIM card but always find them to be mostly non-existent at Smart Stores and don’t want to shell out a few hundred or even thousand of pesos for one? Well, your dilemma is about to end real soon.

Smart’s real prepaid LTE SIM card has just been pictured. The SIM card, which bears a P40 price tag, was reportedly purchased at a Smart Store in SM Iloilo. It comes with a dual-cut SIM card for use on devices with a micro and mini SIM. A standalone nano SIM will be available for P100.

The main difference between the Smart Prepaid LTE SIM and the Smart Broadband Prepaid LTE SIM is that the latter does not allow registrations for call and text promos, which is important if you call and text a lot. The regular Prepaid LTE SIM does not come with a free 7-day LTE subscription, as with all other SIM cards sold for P40.

For those living in the south, you can snag one by going to the said Smart Store and ask for the Smart Prepaid LTE SIM — the one for phones (a store employee will ask about this).

For everyone else, you can wait for a few days before it becomes available. You can try checking out your nearest Smart Store, but I cannot guarantee that you will find one. Smart will formally launch the Prepaid LTE SIM card on August 6, that’s tomorrow!

Thanks Amy!

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How to redeem your Globe Rewards at partner stores to get free items

When Globe unveiled their revamped loyalty rewards program last May, I got really excited to try it out mostly because they made it very easy for anyone to use and spend their points that they earned. Globe prepaid subscribers earn points for every top up they make while those who are on postpaid get points based on how much they are billed each month.

Last week, my brother asked me if I wanted to watch Despicable Me 2. And because those minions are so cute, I said yes, why not. I told him why don’t we try to use our Globe Rewards points and share his (and my lola’s) to me. Knowing that the cinemas will be probably packed with the crowd, I fired up my laptop and checked the schedule and seat availability for the said movie on SureSeats.com, Ayala Malls Cinemas’ online website for ticket reservations. After seeing that only one cinema is allotted for the movie and that only one timeslot with few seats is available and not knowing if SureSeats accepts Globe Rewards, I immediately proceeded to reserve two.

We went to Trinoma a few hours early and lined up. I asked the teller if they accept Globe Rewards for SureSeats reservations and, lo and behold, they do! The teller presented me the instructions to pay for the tickets which is really easy. I made sure first that I already have enough points by texting BAL to 4438 before I paid.

For the actual payment, I simply texted <BUY> <NUMBER OF MERCHANT> <POINTS> and sent it to 4438, as shown in the above photo. I then got our tickets, yay! It’s easy as that. Take note that I don’t recommend saving the merchant’s phone number as it could change, who knows. I’ve also included the minimum points required that you should spend at a specific merchant below.

Minimum Points to Spend
Ayala Malls Cinemas - 100 points
Figaro Coffee Company - 50 points
Wendy's - 50 points
Enchanted Kingdom - 100 points
Rose Pharmacy - 50 points
Sunglass Hut - 300 points
Petron - 50 points

We left and roamed around the mall as we wait. We got ourselves some snacks at Wendy’s because we still had enough points.

That’s it. Redeeming your accumulated Globe Rewards points is that easy. What’s really cool is that one point is equivalent to 1 peso, you really get the most out of your points! You can also split the payment and add cash if your points are not enough (e.g. 150 points + P50 for a P200 movie ticket). My only gripe is that when texting the command, one could mistype the number of the merchant and send their points to someone else. They could give the merchants an NFC terminal of sort and pair them with an app on our smartphones with NFC or a physical card that is linked to our mobile numbers for those who don’t have such phones.

Globe Rewards is accepted by the following merchants: Ayala Malls Cinemas, Figaro Coffee, Wendy’s, Enchanted Kingdom, Rose Pharmacy, and Sunglass Hut. KFC and Petron will be added soon according to their website. For more info, just visit the Globe Rewards website.

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Globe to allow porting of prepaid number to postpaid soon?

Every prepaid-phone-user-who-want-to-switch-to-postpaid’s problem ever: losing their much loved phone number especially if they’ve had it for years.

Well it seems like Globe will have a solution to that problem. On their official community forum, several Globe users are asking whether this number porting from prepaid to postpaid is possible. Of course they were answered with the usual no’s and all. But a Globe employee who goes by the name ‘MDGofGlobe’ posted something different — he said in one word, “soon…”

How soon is soon? Me thinks that this is related to Globe’s IT systems upgrade and that as soon as it’s done, they will be able to offer this new option to those who want to switch, and if so, will make them the first carrier in the country to do so.

Take note that this most probably does not include porting of numbers from other carriers like Smart and Sun.

So, whatcha think?

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Globe adds the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, Nokia Lumia 820, HTC One SV, and more to its LTE lineup, now offers 9 in total

Do you want to join the LTE bandwagon but are not sure of which device to get and where? Well, it looks like Globe has the answer to that question.

A press release from Globe took us by surprise which states that they currently have the most number of available LTE smartphones in the Philippines as of yet. The recent additions to that lineup includes the HTC One, which by the way I’m currently reviewing (watch out for that!), the Nokia Lumia 820, the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, and the HTC One SV.

Android users are guaranteed of the most number of devices from Globe with its most affordable offer for the Samsung Galaxy S4 LTE at P1,599 monthly under Plan 999 with P600 monthly cashout.

Globe also sealed an exclusivity deal to be the lone carrier of the new HTC One, touted as one of the best Android smartphones in the world, available at P1,699 monthly under Plan 999 with a monthly cashout of P700.

The HTC One SV and Nokia Lumia 820 are being offered at the higher Plan 1799 monthly without cashout. Oddly enough, the Samsung Galaxy Note II LTE, another Globe-exclusive device, is available at P2,199 monthly under Plan 1799 with a P400 monthly cashout.

The HTC One SV sports a  1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor, supports lightning-fast LTE speeds, along with an all-day battery life, amazing camera, Beats Audio, and an ultra-sleek design that complements its breathtaking speed.

Dubbed as the most versatile Lumia, the Nokia Lumia 820 boasts of an 8.7 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens, 4.3-inch ClearBlack display, and removable wireless charging shells and matching headsets in vibrant colors.

The Samsung Galaxy Note II LTE features a 5.5-inch large HD display, 1.6GHz Exynos quad-core processor, and 2GB RAM.

That brings the total number of LTE smartphones being offered by Globe to 9 — seven of which are exclusive to them. This advantage should be attributed to their decision to go for the 1800MHz LTE frequency which is widely used across many countries in Europe and Asia and the fact that more device manufacturers support the said LTE frequency.

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PSA: Get a 64GB iPhone 4S on Smart for just P11,150 tomorrow!

Smart is holding a one-time-only sale tomorrow at select Smart Stores wherein you can get some really nice smartphones at very nice prices.

The most thing people would probably line up for tomorrow is the 64GB iPhone 4S, which will only sell for P10,900. Wait, why did you said on the title that it’s P11,150? Well, it’s because you should get a Freedom Plan first before you can buy any of the phones on sale. A Freedom Plan SIM card costs P250 and you should bring at least one valid ID.

Other interesting picks from the list include the Samsung Galaxy S II which only goes for P6,600, the 8GB iPhone 3GS for P4,900, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus for P5,600 (not the one in the poster), the Samsung Galaxy Nexus for P7,400, the Nokia N9 for P6,500, and the Nokia N8 for P5,000. Again, the prices are exclusive of the P250 fee for the Freedom Plan.

The sale will be available at and only at the following locations: Araneta Gateway Mall, Robinson’s Galleria, SM Baguio, SM Pampanga, SM Dasmariñas, SM Cebu, and Gaisano Mall Davao.

Other available devices:
For Robinson’s Galleria and Araneta Gateway Mall
Sony Ericsson Xperia X10i – P6,000
Samsung Galaxy Tab (first generation) – P5,300
Nokia N8 – P5,000
Dell Streak 5 – P3,750
Nokia E72 – P4,300
HTC Evo 3D – P8,150
Samsung Galaxy Nexus – P7,400
Samsung Galaxy S II – P6,600
For All Venues
Nokia N9 – P6,500
Nokia E7 – P6,200
Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 – P5,600
iPhone 3GS – P4,900
Nokia C7 – P4,150
Nokia C3-01 – P2,150
Samsung Corby II – P1,300
Nokia 2730C – P1,250
iPhone 4S 64GB – P10,900
LG Optimus L3 – P4,099
Samsung Galaxy Y – P4,199
Lenovo A690 – P3,899
Huawei Y300 – P4,599
Alcatel Inspire 2 – P3,699
Huawei Y210 – P3,199
Samsung E2232 – P1,350

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HTC One with LTE and 32GB memory also coming exclusively to Globe

Executives of HTC Philippines mentioned on the launch of the HTC One that it will be also available on Globe aside from being sold in retail stores unlocked and contract-free. Now, finally acknowledging HTC’s statement, Globe Telecom finally announces that the HTC One will be available exclusively to them.

The HTC One features the newest HTC Sense 5 user interface on top of Android 4.1.2. The latest iteration of the company’s own skin has three main features: BlinkFeed, BoomSound, and the Ultrapixel Camera. The aluminum-clad smartphone also packs 4G LTE connectivity, a 32GB on-board storage, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, and a 2,300mAh battery.

The HTC One will be available on Globe for only P1,699 per month (P999 MSF + P700 cash-out) on Globe’s MySuperPlan 999. It comes with unlimited LTE data, and a P101 consumable which you can convert to 101 SMS & 5 minutes of calls to all networks. If you want to have more texts, calls, and consumables, you can opt to get it at Plan 1,799 with P200 monthly cash-out (total of P2,000 per month). The Plan 1,799 will yield you unlimited LTE data and P1,100 consumable amount (PV) which you can convert to combos, as stated here.

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BlackBerry Q10 pre-orders begin, arriving on June 7 exclusively on Globe

The physical QWERTY keyboard-touting BlackBerry Q10 is making its way in the Philippines soon, with Globe Telecom announcing its exclusive release on their network.

The BlackBerry Q10 runs the latest BlackBerry 10 operating system which has new features such as the BlackBerry Hub, BBM Video Share, and BlackBerry Balance. The LTE-equipped Q10 packs a physical QWERTY keyboard, a feature that is still a must-have for some BlackBerry followers.

The Q10 sports a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, 2GB of RAM, a 3.1-inch 720x720 display outputting 330 pixels per inch, 8 Megapixels rear-facing camera, and a 2.1 Megapixels one on the front.

Interested parties can now pre-order the Blackberry Q10 on Globe. It will be available on Plan 999 with P500 monthly cash-out and will come with unlimited LTE data, and free calls & SMS. The Q10 will start shipping on June 7.

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Globe ups the ante in postpaid race with the improved MySuperPlan

Globe Telecom recently held the formal launch of the Best Ever MySuperPlan, their newest product innovation yet which lets customers take customizing and personalizing their own plans to the next level.

The improved and better MySuperPlan was revealed for the first time a few weeks ago when Globe launched the Samsung Galaxy S4. in the formal launch, they talked a little more about it and explained how it fares better than their previous plans.

First, the MySuperPlan has what Globe calls the ‘Peso Value (PV)’, which you can use to avail of call, text, or data combos, devices, or as consumables. Basically, 1 PV is equal to P1. But here’s what’s really exciting about the Peso Value thing — you will get more Peso Value than the amount you actually pay for. For example, if you sign up for the Plan 499, you’ll be given 900 Peso Value per month. That’s easily worth P900 when you use it as a consumable.

Next, there’s combos. Combos can be used against your monthly Peso Values. You can choose and mix your own set of combos ranging from 50MB of surfing (99 PV), 20 minutes of calls to Globe (100 PV), 5 minutes & 100 texts to all networks (100 PV), 125 texts to all networks (100 PV), 5 IDD minutes & 5 IDD texts (100 PV), unlimited BlackBerry surfing (599 PV), and unlimited surfing (999 PV).

For those who are getting a smartphone or other devices with a plan, you need to take in mind that a mandatory PV amount will be deducted on your monthly PV allocation and that you will still need to pay the cash-out fee if there’s any. Take this as an ‘entrance fee’ of sort. What this means is that you cannot use your Peso Value to pay for the smartphone that you’ll get.

Lastly, there’s boosters, which are like combos but are billed on top of your plan by default. For example, if you’re getting the Plan 999, you’ll have a Peso Value allocation of 1,700 per month. Now let’s say you want to get the Galaxy S4, deduct 600 PV (for the cash-out ‘entrance fee’) and 999 PV for the unlimited data and you have 101 PV remaining, which in turn you can use from the 5 minutes & 100 texts combo. Now you don’t have any more PV (actually you have one more) remaining. If you want to have unlimited calls & texts to Globe, you should avail of that particular booster and be charged P599 on top of your P999 monthly plan. Unused Peso Values are automatically converted to consumables.

Aside from that, you can now also choose your own contract period — from 6, 12, 18, 24, or 30 months. Take in mind though that shorter contracts mean higher cash-outs and longer contracts mean lower cash-outs.

Now here’s an interesting tidbit I discovered. If you already own a phone and want a line-only plan, take a look at this. You can get a Plan 499 with 900 Peso Value and get the unlimited data combo (999 PV) at just P99 on top of your bill. If you want some calls and texts, you can further add the 5 minutes & 100 texts combo for another P100. That’s just P700 for a plan with unlimited data with calls and texts. Now that’s awesome!

You can try it for yourself by going to Globe’s website.

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HTC One now available in retail stores for P32,990

It has been plagued by supply and inventory problems. It faced quite a number of delays. But finally, the HTC One is here. Earlier this week, executives from HTC Philippines shared how important it is for them to keep their devices current and able to cope with what the users need.

“With HTC’s continued effort to put the consumer at the center of our innovation, we have reimagined mobile experience to cater to their needs with the creation of the HTC One,” said HTC Philippines Country Manager Richard Javier at the launch event on Tuesday.

Encased in a zero-gap aluminium unibody and boasting a vibrant 4.7-inch full HD 1080p Super LCD 3 screen, the HTC One runs the latest Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean operating system and supports LTE networks to offer blazingly-fast browsing and downloads in a package that combines premium design with breakthrough build quality.

The sleek and tapered profile of the HTC One makes it very comfortable in your hand, add to that the slightly cold feeling the aluminum body has. HTC says there’s nothing to worry about the metal design. Thanks to their unique antenna design, you should get strong and clear signal no matter how you hold the HTC One.

The HTC One, which runs the latest HTC Sense 5 user interface, has three major features that the company says sets it apart from the other smartphones, namely the HTC BlinkFeed, HTC Zoe, and the Ultrapixel Camera.

The HTC BlinkFeed combines the latest content from the sources that you subscribe to, and displays it right at your homescreen without the need to download and open multiple news applications and web sites. To date, HTC has partnered with more than 1,400 media sources globally like ESPN, MTV, Vice Media, CoolHunting, Reuters and many others. Aside from news, you can also post and the latest updates happening around on your social media accounts like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook on BlinkFeed.

For the first time on a phone, HTC BoomSound introduces front-facing dual stereo speakers with a dedicated amplifier that plunges people in music, videos, games and other media contents they like. Beats™ Audio integration is enabled across the software for rich, authentic sound whether you’re listening to your favorite music, watching a video or playing a game.

Lastly, there's the Ultrapixel Camera. HTC developed a custom camera that includes an f/2.0 aperture lens and a sensor with larger pixel size that gather 300% more light than traditional smartphone camera sensors.

HTC also added more features on the software-side of the camera. HTC Zoe gives people the ability to shoot high-res photos in three-second snippets. These are then displayed in a way that brings the gallery to life and transforms the traditional photo gallery of still images into a moving gallery of memories.

Zoe also automatically creates feature films from each event set to music with professionally designed cuts, transitions and effects. These feature videos can be remixed or set to different themes, and can be shared on your social networks and other services.

There are so much more to discover on the HTC One and a one-time hands-on is not enough to try them all out. I’m hoping to get a review unit from HTC so I can put the One thru paces.

The HTC One is available now at HTC Concept Stores, and other distributors and retailers in the country. It bears a price tag of P32,990. But wait, there’s more!

Someone from the media asked whether the HTC One will be available on postpaid plans, to which HTC answered that it indeed will be! The HTC One will be available on Globe Postpaid starting on Plan 1,799 (I suppose with a P4,800 cash-out) and for free at Plan 2,499.

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Sony Xperia Z for Globe exclusively available on Allphones on Plan 1,799

Phone retailer Allphones just announced that they will be carrying the Sony Xperia Z for Globe Postpaid and that it will be available exclusively on their stores.

The Sony Xperia Z will be offered by Allphones on Globe Postpaid Plan 1,799 with a cash-out of P8,079. They Xperia Z will be exclusive to Allphones and will not be available on Globe Stores.

Allphones is a new phone retailer in the country, which only started their operations in April. They are originally based in Australia, but have since expanded here in the Philippines. They have retail stores at SM Marikina, SM Cubao, and Starmall EDSA-Shaw.

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Globe bares new Tattoo@Home landline and internet plans

Globe recently announced an update to their Tattoo@Home landline, WiMax, and DSL plans, a move aimed to appease the budget-conscious people looking to get a home broadband and landline for their homes.

For those who are looking to do light internet activities, Globe has the starter Plan 799. It includes a landline with unlimited NDD, Globe, and TM calls, a 1Mbps internet that has a monthly data allowance of 3GB. I told you, this is for light users only. If you want a higher data allowance and speed, you can opt to get the Plan 1,099 for 2Mbps with 10GB allowance or the Plan 1,299 for 3Mbps with 15GB allowance. The two plans also include unlimited NDD, Globe, and TM calls.

For the real heavy users, they have their premium home broadband plans which doesn’t have monthly capping. Premium home broadband plans start at Plan P1,099 for 1Mbps internet and goes for as much as P2,299 for 5Mbps internet. It is worth writing that the 3Mbps plan which used to be priced at P2,299 per month now goes for only P1,599. Globe also have the Plan 1,299 for 2Mbps.

All premium broadband plans include unlimited NDD, Globe, and TM calls. They are subject to a daily fair use policy. I personally have the 2Mbps plan at home and it’s really great. It does have a 5GB daily allowance which pretty much enough for me. We do heavy YouTube and iWantv streaming and occasionally download files (phone firmware, updates, and stuff) and I’ve never been throttled, at least, yet.

Anyway, it looks like the Plan P1,599 is the best choice if you’re switching for PLDT. At the moment, PLDT offers the Plan 999 DSL which has a 1.5Mbps speed, that’s excluding the P650 landline service which is mandatory (P1,649 total). To their credit, PLDT doesn’t implement data allowances.

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Globe bares new MyRewards offers, seals partnership with Figaro, Wendy’s, and Enchanted Kingdom among others

At a press briefing today, Globe Telecom has revealed its new and more exciting MyRewards offers that subscribers may avail of using their points. Globe has shared how successful the rewards program is — to date. over 12 million subscribers have already used their points to redeem various rewards such as call & text services, electronics, and gift certificates.

“The positive impact the rewards program has impress on subscribers is translated to the brands’ churn rates being sustained at low levels. The subscribers’ continued use of Globe services was also reinforced as a result of giving subscribers the type of rewards no other mobile network can offer,” shared Jay Beltran, Head of Customer Lifecycle Management at Globe.

Those redemptions have usually been delivered thru the traditional way of courier, which makes it quite not efficient due to the long waiting times and the delivery charges paid off by Globe. Starting from now on, Globe will make using your reward points easier. Redemptions can now be done instantly at the place you intend to use the points on. Say you want a coffee, then just type the code the cashier tells you, send it, and boom, free or discounted coffee for you! It’s that easy. So easy that Globe says about P7-million worth of goods have been already redeemed during the pilot program.

Your reward points can be redeemed towards free or discounted purchases at the initial partner establishments which include Ayala Malls Cinemas, Enchanted Kingdom, Figaro Coffee, Petron, Rose Pharmacy, Sunglass Hut, and Wendy’s Hamburgers.

What’s even more exciting is that the minimum threshold to redeem points has gone substantially lower, likely thanks to the elimination of the costs related to the delivery of the items. For example, you can use points as low as P50 to redeem items at Figaro, Petron, Rose Pharmacy, and Wendy’s.

Globe has now also simplified the value of the points as to avoid confusion for the customers. 1 point is now equivalent to a P1-value. You can still also redeem points to the existing items like call & text services, gift certificates for shopping and dining, and electronics.

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Globe launches the Samsung Galaxy S 4 with its very customizable MySuperPlan

Earlier today, Globe has shared with the members of the media, press, and bloggers the details of their newly unveiled plans for the Samsung Galaxy S 4.

Globe Postpaid subscribers surely are now familiar with the MySuperPlan, which allows them to create and customize their plan and the included services based on their needs. This time, Globe has made it better and even more customizable so it will even suit their budget and needs.

For starters, the Samsung Galaxy S 4 will be available for free at P1,599 per month, which includes unlimited LTE data (P999) and the cashout fee (P600) on a 24-month contract. That also includes 5 minutes of calls and 100 SMS to all networks, which might seem not enough for some. If you need more consumable, you may get it at Plan 1,799 which has unlimited LTE data and P800 consumable. The cashout fee will be P4,800 (P200/month) on a 24-month contract or no cashout at all on a 30-month contract.

Aside from that, you can also pick a plan with shorter or longer contract periods, depending on what you like. For instance, if you plan on upgrading phones every year or so, then you should get a 12 or 18-month contract — even a 6-month one if you’re really into new phones. Take note though that shorter contracts mean slightly higher cashouts and longer ones has less, some even don’t have cashouts at all.

For the elites out there, they get a Samsung Galaxy S III Mini, Galaxy Camera, or a Galaxy Note II on Platinum Plans 3,799, 5,000, and 10,000 respectively.

The Samsung Galaxy S 4 will be available at Globe Stores starting May 2. The unlocked model direct from Samsung, on the other hand, will be released on May 6.

You can refer to the chart made below for more information on the Globe Samsung Galaxy S 4 plans.

Click image to view in full resolution.

Lastly, here is a comparison chart of Globe’s plans vs. Smart’s. Take a look and see why Globe has the better plans.

Click image to view in full resolution.

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Alcatel and Sun Cellular launches the One Touch Idol Ultra for P14,990

Alcatel and Sun Cellular yesterday announced the arrival of their latest smartphones and tablets, one of which is the Alcatel One Touch Idol Ultra which made a cameo on Iron Man 3 (the movie is splendid by the way).

The One Touch Idol Ultra, which was announced at CES last January, was officially recognized as the thinnest smartphone at just 6.45mm. At just P14,990, it runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and packs a 4.7-inch HD AMOLED screen with Gorilla Glass and oleophobic coating which makes it oil and fingerprint-resistant. It features an 8 Megapixels camera and a 1.3 Megapixel one on the front. Both are capable of recording 720p HD videos.

Hardware-wise, the One Touch Idol Ultra sports a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM. To be honest, I was hoping for a quad-core processor for the price. You’ll also get 16GB of storage on board. There’s Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi b/g/n, which are now pretty standard, but you won’t get HSPA+ here. The maximum supported speed is just 7.2Mbps.

The Alcatel One Touch Idol Ultra will also be offered by Sun Cellular for free on Plan 999 and it will come with unlimited data, Sun texts, and 4 hours of Sun calls. Pretty nice deal if you ask me.

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Samsung Galaxy S 4 arriving on Globe for free at Plan 1,799

Globe has just posted on its website the plans and pricing details for the highly-anticipated Samsung Galaxy S 4.

Apparently, the Samsung Galaxy S 4 will be available for free at Plan 1,799 for 30 months or for P4,800 for the normal 24-month contract and will come with unlimited LTE if you opt for the unlimited data plan. Aside from that, the device will be also offered in other plans too, ranging from Plan 299 all the way up to Plan 10,000 in 6, 12, 18, 24, and 30-month contracts. This is the first time we’ve seen Globe offering phones and allowing customers to choose from five contract periods.

The Galaxy S 4 will also come in retention plans as well as prepaid and will be priced at P30,990. The Galaxy S 4 variant that will be coming to Globe seems to be the quad-core Snapdragon 600 16GB model with LTE.

On the other hand, Samsung has announced that there will be a consumer launch happening on May 5, and a release on Globe coinciding that date doesn’t seem to be too far-fetched.

You can refer to the full plan and pricing matrix for the Samsung Galaxy S 4 on Globe below. You can order it now at their website.

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Globe bags the Most Innovative Telecom Project in the 16th Telecom Asia Awards

Globe Telecom just shared with us that on the 16th annual Telecom Asia Awards, they were given the Most Innovative Telecom Project award for their MySuperPlan offering, which is truly innovative in most ways.

The Globe MySuperPlan allows would-be subscribers to choose their own monthly price plan and add their choice/s of additional things like free calls, SMS, or data services and permits existing subscribers to change their plan every month as they see fit.

Globe bested four other companies from Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and Indonesia. The criteria for the award is the measure of impact on the market of a project. True enough, MySuperPlan has caught the attention of most postpaid users and can be proven by the numbers alone. In Q4 2012, Globe added 71,715 customers to its postpaid base, a far cry from the competition.

Speaking of MySuperPlan, watch out for some great news from Globe as they reveal the Best Ever MySuperPlan this month.

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