PLDT Enterprise partners with QCU
PLDT Enterprise has announced its partnership with Quezon City University further stressing its commitment to help strengthen and empower the education sector amid the challenges of the global health crisis.
PLDT Enterprise recently turned over Smart Bizload packages and Smart LTE Pocket WiFi units to be used by the faculty and students of Quezon City University. A total of 250 faculty members and 9,500 students will now be equipped with faster and more widespread connectivity for lessons, information and materials for enhanced online learning and interaction. Additionally, Bizload packages and Pocket Wifi units were also handed over to be used by 7,587 Quezon City Secondary School Teachers.
Smart Bizload is a secure, convenient and web-based prepaid loading service that allows companies and the academe connectivity for their employees, faculty and students. It enables efficient loading and management of SMART or Talk and Text prepaid accounts. Smart LTE Pocket Wifi, meanwhile, delivers significantly faster speeds by using Carrier Aggregation, the latest technique in mobile communications for delivery of more data rates per user, reduced latency, and increased capacity for subscribers.
SM Servicio at your service
SM’s Servicio, once known as the SM Business Service Center, has introduced products like wifi kits and entertainment for mobile tv, gifting requirements — gift cards and gift passes, SMAC, and even prayer cards for a full line of service operation.
Servicio also offers the cash-in of digital wallets (Gcash, Pamaya, Grab Pay), top up of RFID accounts both for Easytrip and Autosweep, top up of reloadable bank cards like Metrobank and BPI, and enabling mobile payments are added to the services.
It offers bills payment service for government agencies like SSS and Pag-ibig. It is the first and only private partner of the Philippine Statistics Authority as a processing center for civil registry certificates, birth, marriage, to death and CENOMAR; and has a partnership with Philhealth for member registration, premium payment, issuance of I-Philhealth Card. It also accepts now payments for LTO license renewals and NBI renewals.
SM has also partnered with all of the major electric, water and cable providers in major cities and municipalities nationwide, and has tie ups with airlines like Cebu Pacific, PAL/Pal Express, Air Asia, Cathay Pacific/TigerAir; BDO Insurance; and 2GO Express; and 2GO Travel for tickets to ship passengers.
It now serves customers at the SM Markets — Supermarket, Hypermarket, and Save More; the info booths and Consumer Welfare Desks, at the SM Malls; and at Waltermart with almost 600 locations nationwide.
Servicio has 25 outlets located at SM Supermalls, and offers select services at The SM Store Customer Service, SM Mall’s Info Booth, Consumer Welfare Help Desk located at SM Malls, SM Markets – Supermarket, Hypermarket and Savemore, and Waltermart.
ABAPI subsidy for workers
Over 700 employees of 45 bars such as The Spirits Library, The Belle and Dragon, Oto, Polilya, Futurist, Kondwi, Ms Gee, LIT, Versus Barcade, Nokal, Kampai, Bank Bar, Rue Bourbon, Sage Bar, Yes Please, Dillinger, Tipsy Pig and Reserve Fort received a subsidy from the Alcoholic Beverages Alliance of the Philippines (ABAPI) in the form of vouchers from Grab worth over P2,000 each
There are no clear records on how many bars and restaurants have closed, how much they have been affected by the pandemic, or how many bartenders, servers and food service staff have lost their jobs or have seen incomes reduced. But the same entrepreneurial spirit that created the vibrant F&B scene is driving a pivot towards new ways of serving customers–bringing hope that some bars and restaurants will cope, and that the industry will eventually bounce back.
ABAPI is an organization comprised of the leading international alcohol beverage producers, as well as importers and distributors in the country such as Diageo, Pernod Ricard, Moí«t Hennessy and Brown-Forman–owners of alcohol brands such as Johnnie Walker, Absolut Vodka, Hennessy and Jack Daniels.
“The vibrant bar scene and the entrepreneurs behind this have been instrumental in increasing the popularity of imported wines and spirits in the Philippines. During this difficult period, we stand alongside our partner bar establishments by helping ease the burden on the bartenders and other staff,” said John O’Sullivan, president of ABAPI and managing director of Pernod Ricard Philippines.
Globe aids Antipolo’s pandemic response
Globe has sealed a partnership with Antipolo City to power up its local government and select medical facilities with Free GoWiFi and Automated Mobile Blaster (AMBER) services.
Apart from the Antipolo City Hall, nearby residents of Antipolo may conveniently connect to free GoWiFi services in the following key hospitals located in Antipolo: Rizal Provincial Hospital Padilla, Rizal Provincial Hospital Dalig, Rizal Provincial Mambugan.
With nearby GoWiFi spots, Globe is able to empower Antipolo’s health care service through telemedicine and facilitates pandemic response and coordination, as well as remain in constant communication with their families and loved-ones to ease their worries.
Globe has also provided Antipolo with AMBER as a valuable tool to help disseminate information to its residents for community announcements such as updates on its ongoing vaccination program.
Antipolo City Mayor, Hon. Andrea Ynares is thankful for its partnership with the telco, expressing that she is one with Globe’s purpose of treating people right to create a Globe of Good.
Filipinos may conveniently connect to Globe GoWiFi hotspots in government offices such as Land Transportation Office (LTO), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), and Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA). Other than Antipolo, Globe has also secured partnerships with the LGUs in the following areas: Quezon City, Pasig, Makati, Iloilo, Rizal, Manila and San Juan.
LCS Group takes lead in common tower initiative
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) issued guidelines for the construction of Independent Common Towers in June 2020 in a bid to improve telco services nationwide.
Common Towers serve as carrier-neutral relay stations that telecommunications companies can share to reach more areas with more consistent signals. These towers are built and owned by independent companies to whom telcos will pay a fee for use of the towers.
LCS Group has built 30 common towers, the latest of which is in Alicia, Isabella, and hundreds more are currently being constructed throughout the country.
According to reports from the DICT, the two major telcos, PLDT and Globe, operate a combined total of over 16,000 cell sites nationwide. New telco player DITO Telecommunity is poised to complete 3,200 sites by July 2021 with 1,920 towers already built as of April 30.
Currently, the Philippines is trailing behind neighbors Vietnam and Indonesia in terms of tower construction, each of whom have around 70,000 to 90,000 towers respectively. Catching up to them would mean not only faster internet connectivity, but better services, safer transactions, and clearer communication for the millions of Filipinos who are still working from home due to the global pandemic.
The LCS Group is gearing up to complete its 100th tower by the end of May 2021 and to build over 5,000 towers in the next four years.
Golden ABC beefs up retail channel
Golden ABC Inc., home to brands Penshoppe, OXGN, Regatta, ForMe, Memo, and BOCU, has expanded its partnership with Aptos, a retail technology solutions, to cultivate advanced omnichannel growth.
The expanded partnership is set to carry out the most extensive, progressive, and ambitious strategy for end-to-end retail operations and customer engagement, as Golden ABC continues to strive for its customers’ seamless shopping experience across all of its brands.
With its latest technology investment, Golden ABC will manage with Aptos nearly every aspect of its retail operations–from merchandise planning across channels, to how orders are collected and fulfilled, to how shoppers are served and engaged.
Asticom bags awards
Asticom bagged a double Bronze in Asia Pacific Stevie Awards 2021 for Most Exemplary Employer and Most Valuable Corporate Response, two newly-introduced categories under COVID-19 response.
These special categories were created to honor the contributions of individuals, groups, and organizations that have worked valiantly over the past months to keep people safe, healthy, employed, and informed.
The Most Exemplary Employer Award is a distinction given to organizations that have demonstrated their extra commitment to keeping their employees working, paid, and safe during the pandemic.
The Most Valuable Corporate Response Award recognizes the exemplary actions taken by companies to ensure the well-being of their employees, customers, and communities during the pandemic.
Sky Fiber levelled up
Households with online learning requirements do not have to spend a hefty amount to get high speeds since they can opt for SKY Fiber’s best value plan 40Mbps at only P1,499/month or midrange plan 80Mbps at only P1,999/month, both of which can support live-streaming classes and seamless digital collaboration.
The leveled-up speed plans can help students achieve peak performance when they get to download and use learning apps with ease.
The leveled-up SKY Fiber Super Speed plans up to 200mbps are now available in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Rizal, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Cebu, Dumaguete, Bacolod, Iloilo, and Davao. While Baguio, Gensan, and Zamboanga can experience fiber-fast speeds of up to 80Mbps.
