Sunday, November 20, 2011
MOBILE Internet usage in the Philippines is growing rapidly on the back of the rising popularity of smartphones, tablets and other non-computer Web-enabled devices.
Mobile Internet revenues of Smart Communications, Inc. doubled from half a billion last year to P1.1 billion as of September.
“This explosive increase in mobile Internet usage among our subscribers indicates that as smartphones become more pervasive, more affordable and easier to use, more Filipinos use it to access the Internet and social media,” said chief wireless advisor Orlando Vea.
The developments are in line with trends overseas, the company said.
According to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, the worldwide smartphone market grew 42.6 percent year on year in the third quarter of 2011.
In the Philippines, Vea says the mobile Internet is still in its early days. In the case of Smart, for example, about three million subscribers account for the bulk of mobile Internet usage.
“We have a lot of headroom for growth. There are around two million more subscribers with 3G feature phones or smartphones who are not yet regularly accessing the web on the go,” Vea explained.
“Plus, there are another 15 to 16 million subscribers with Web-capable feature phones who we hope to migrate to smartphones that offer a better Internet experience,” he added.
Smart has been aggressively pushing for mobile Internet in the last couple of years, as part of its “Internet for All” advocacy. Together with PLDT, it has also embarked on a P67.1- billion network transformation program to support the rapidly growing demand for Internet services in both fixed and mobile networks. (PR)
Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on November 21, 2011.
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