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.
Telephone giant PLDT introduced a new kind of service for its customers called HeyU.
HeyU is a VoIP (voice-over-internet protocol) service which allows PLDT’s customers to link their telephone accounts on the new service and make calls from virtually anywhere. Once registered, users should just download the HeyU app (which is a rebranded ZoIPer app by Securax Ltd.) on the Google Play Store and enter their account details as provided by PLDT on registration. From there, users can now make unlimited calls to PLDT landline nationwide and HeyU users. They can also call US and Canadian landlines and mobiles at just P1.50 per minute as well as mobile phones on Smart, Talk&Text, and Sun Cellular at P5.00 per minute compared to the P14.00 per minute if you are to dial from your landline.
As of now, though, HeyU registration is only open for Telpad subscribers but PLDT has told me they are planning to make it available for DSL and landline customers as well. Hop over to PLDT’s website to learn more and register on HeyU.
PLDT announced that it has expanded the coverage of its fiber optic internet service which is under the brand name Fibr.
Not the PLDT Fibr modem.
Previously only available at Forbes Park, Northeast Greenhills, Palms Pointe, Urdaneta, Valle Verde 1-6, and Wack-Wack, the ultra-fast internet internet is now also at Acropolis (Libis), Alabang 400, Alabang Hills, Ayala Heights, Arcadia Village, Ayala Alabang Village (FDC2), Capitol 8 Subdivision, Corinthians Garden, Dasmariñas Village, Don Antonio Heights, East Greenhills, Greenmeadows Subdivision, Kasiyahan Homes, La Vista, Lexington Garden Village, Loyola Grand Villas, Magallanes Village, Mahogany Place III, McKinley Hills, Montgomery Place, North Greenhills (Mandaluyong), Pacific Malayan Village, Southbay, St. Ignatius Subdivision, Tierra Pura (Quezon City), Urdaneta, West Greenhills, Ayala Southvale Phase 1 & 2, Greenview Executive Homes 1 & 2, Varsity Hills.
Fibr is available in three plans; the 8Mbps plan for P3,500/month, 15 Mbps for P5,500/month, and the mother of all Internets, the 100Mbps plan for a mind-boggling P20,000/month.
For a comparison, in the US, Verizon charges $69.99 (~P3,000) per month for it's 15Mbps FiOS internet and just $209.99 (~P9,000) for the mother of mother of all Internets 300Mbps FiOS internet. Meanwhile in the UK, British Telecommunications (BT) charges a measly £26/month (~P2,000) for its 76Mbps Infinity 2 service and £35/month (~P2,500) for it's 100Mbps Infinity service.
If you happen to live at one of those subdivisions of the rich, hop over to PLDT's website and check out Fibr.
PLDT connects families and homesat 100Mbps speed with new fiber optic service
MANILA, Philippines, August 28, 2012 – Leading telecommunications provider PLDT is now offering to residential subscribers the latest technological breakthrough in broadband service using fiber optic cables to deliver the fastest internet speed of up to 100Mbps at home.
Initially available in areas such as Ayala Alabang Village and Forbes Park, PLDT Fibr is the first in the country to use fiber optic cables to deliver broadband service to the home. PLDT Fibr is also available in East, West, North, and Northeast Greenhills, Acropolis, Greenmeadows, La Vista, and Valle Verde in Quezon City; Alabang Hills, Alabang 400, and Hillsborough in Alabang, Muntinlupa; and Dasmarinas Village, San Lorenzo Village, and Urdaneta Village in Makati.
“Its rapid-fire, ultrafast speed enables users to have a faster, far-richer multi-screen, multi-media experience,” said PLDT EVP and Head of Home Business Ariel P. Fermin.
“Unlike cable internet which shares broadband connection among neighbors, PLDT Fibr’s broadband service provides for a dedicated broadband connection in the access network utilizing fiber optics which facilitates simultaneous high-speed browsing and downloading,” Fermin explained.
“Family members will enjoy sharing content with each other even more with these amazing speed rates from Fibr. It does fit in nicely to our cause of providing the strongest connections at home,” he said.
PLDT Fibr may be connected to a desktop, laptop, or game console, or an internet-enabled "smart" TV and may be used with a wireless router or access point.
“All PLDT Fibr plans are equipped with an Optical Network Unit (ONU) Modem, which has a fiber optic cable connection that delivers its enviable ultra-high speed feature,” added Fermin.
He said subscribers may connect their laptop or desktop directly to the ONU Modem through an RJ-45 cable, or they can opt to go wireless by connecting the ONU Modem to a wireless router.
PLDT Fibr is accessible in any of the following plans: PLDT Fibr Plan 3500, up to 8Mbps; Plan 5500, up to 15 Mbps; and Plan 20000, up to 100Mbps. These plans include free installation, free Fibr modem, and free PLDT WiFi Zone access with PLDT Telpad subscription.
Interested subscribers may get more details on PLDT Fibr at the website, www.fibr.pldthome.com.
PLDT is having a major network failure nationwide this day as it’s DSL services are down in the past couple of hours.
A quick call to 171 will give you a quick advisory that PLDT is having a major network failure.
”We regret to inform you that customers of south of Metro Manila, Visayas, and Mindanao may experience difficulties in connections due to a major network failure. Our engineers are working hard to restore it as soon as possible.”
We have been having problems with our line since late last night. We’ll post an update as soon as the services are back up.
UPDATE: Services in Visayas and Mindanao has been restored but things are still problematic in Metro Manila. [7/25/2012]
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