PLDT joins consortium of global tech giants

MANILA, Philippines - Dominant carrier Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) has joined a consortium of global technology giants aiming to standardize the core platform and accelerate big data delivery worldwide.

PLDT is now part of the Open Data Platform (ODP) together with GE, Hortonworks, IBM, Infosys, Pivotal, SAS, Altiscale, Capgemini, CenturyLink, EMC, Teradata, Splunk, Verizon Enterprise Solutions, and VMware.

Eric Alberto, executive vice president for Enterprise & International and Carrier Business Group of PLDT, said the company envisions a Center of Excellence for Big Data in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) region that would pioneer world-class data science expertise, carrier-grade analytics infrastructure, and market-attuned Big Data services to include platforms, real time analytics, and insights.

“As the PLDT Group sustains its Digital transformation, our Group-wide Big Data initiative will enable game-changing capabilities and insights for our clients, most especially in the Enterprise space,” Alberto said

Alberto, who is also president and chief executive officer of ePLDT, pointed out that PLDT is “very enthusiastic about the transformative power of this technology in enabling our Corporate customers to optimize operations and more importantly, to engage with their consumers in ways previously not thought possible.”

The PLDT Group’s Big Data service lines include Platforms-as-a-Service, Data Warehousing-as-a-Service, and Insights-as-a-Service among others. These services provide the analytics infrastructure as well as the data science expertise to unlock actionable insights from data sources and to process data feeds in real time.

Use cases for public sector, meanwhile, include transport planning, route optimization, and traffic monitoring. By employing sophisticated algorithms to analyze anonymous cell phone signals on the move, cities and roadway authorities can get a view of the traffic situation without deploying costly road sensors.

In retail, Big Data is used to measure foot traffic, analyze transactions, and mine loyalty card activity to better understand customers. Through this enhanced understanding, retailers are able to personalize offers, design campaigns, plan staffing-levels, manage inventory, and get the right products on shelves.

PLDT is among the largest implementers of Big Data and Real-time Analytics in Asean as it processes over 30 Terabytes of data on a daily basis, leveraging its own in-house talent of Data Processing Engineers, Data Scientists and Analytics experts.

For the Philippine market, PLDT is currently working with a select number of enterprise clients from a wide spectrum of industries for collaborative enterprise implementations.

PLDT president and chief executive officer Napoleon Nazareno said the company aims to ensure the competitiveness of the Philippines in this Digital Age.

“Our foray into the Big Data Analytics space further leverages on our investments in network infrastructure and other strategic digital initiatives. We will sustain our commitment to transforming the PLDT Group to benefit all our stakeholders, and most especially, to providing leading-edge ICT solutions that contribute to the progress and development of the Philippine economy.” Nazareno said.

Read more on The Philippine Star.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

PLDT likely to pursue multimedia investments, says Moody's

MANILA – Moody’s Investors Service believes that Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) will continue to pursue investments in multimedia, but warned that the dominant carrier should only go after large investments.

“PLDT is likely to continue to seek investment opportunities in the multimedia sector to strengthen its ability to deliver multimedia content through its broadband and mobile networks,” Moody’s said.

“Moody's views that unless PLDT moves towards large debt-funded acquisitions of major companies, the near-term credit impact of its investments in the multimedia sector will be immaterial,” the ratings agency added.

PLDT President Napoleon Nazareno earlier said the PLDT Group is pursuing multimedia initiatives through PLDT, Smart Communications, Sun Cellular, and Cignal TV.

On Tuesday, PLDT chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan said acquisition talks with GMA Network Inc. collapsed anew after its offer to buy a minority stake in the company expired in February.

“Our offer expired already. It expired in the first week of February,” Pangilinan said.

He added that the PLDT Group has yet to decide if it will revive talks to acquire the broadcasting company, which it had tried to acquire several times before.

“Well, we don’t know. I am getting tired,” Pangilinan said.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

PLDT to sell BPO unit to private equity firm

Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co said it will sell a majority stake in its business process outsourcing unit to private equity firm CVC Capital Partners Ltd - a deal that underlines rising interest in the Philippines as an investment destination.

Terms of the PLDT deal were not disclosed, but a source familiar with the matter said last month that PLDT was in exclusive talks with CVC  for a deal valued at about $320 million including debt.

The deal is also the second that CVC has closed in Southeast Asia in less than a month, after leading a consortium to acquire Malaysia's two main KFC fast food franchises for $1.7 billion.

Private equity firms have been beefing up their capabilities in Southeast Asia's rapidly growing economies and the unit had also attracted interest from other buyout firms including Bain Capital and Carlyle Group.

London-based CVC has a strong track record of landing deals in Southeast Asia. In 2011, it bought 15 percent of the Philippines' Rizal Commercial Banking Corp  for $115 million and in 2000, it acquired industrial packaging maker Steniel Manufacturing Corp.

CVC is also looking to exit its PT Matahari Department Store asset in Indonesia, one of the most widely anticipated deals in that country this year, which could fetch as much as $3.5 billion through an M&A sale. 

STRONG PHILIPPINES GROWTH

PLDT, the Philippines' second-most valuable listed firm, said it would sell an 80 stake in SPi Global Holdings, a diversified business process outsourcing firm with global operations, and keep the remaining holding.

The deal is expected to be completed next month. PLDT said it continually reviews its strategy and portfolio and the sale represented an opportunity to realise attractive returns for shareholders.

The Philippines' economy grew 6.6 percent in 2012, the second-fastest pace so far in Asia after China, outpacing government and market estimates. The benchmark Philippine stock index is up nearly 11 percent this year after surging by a third to become one of Asia's best performing markets last year.

UBS was PLDT's exclusive financial adviser for the sale of SPi Global. SPi has more than 18,000 employees and operations in the United States, Europe, the Philippines, India, Vietnam and Australia.

source: abs-cbnnews.com

PLDT, SM Sign Branding Alliance

MANILA, Philippines --- The Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) has strengthened its ties with the country's biggest mall developer and operator, SM via a three-year branding alliance with SM's P3.6-billion Mall of Asia Arena, the latest events venue to open in Metro Manila.

The 16,000-seater complex located at SM's Mall of Asia in Pasay City is a six-level, world-class sports and multi-event complex with a gross floor area of 64,085 square meters. It serves as a venue for concerts, sports matches, musical and theater productions, fashion shows, circuses and corporate events.

The MOA Arena, launched last Saturday, will grant branding rights and license to have the phrase "powered by PLDT" displayed with the Mall of Asia Arena name.

The partnership will also carry multiple branding agreements with SM and PLDT including the MOA Arena state-of-the-art Daktronics scoreboard, rotational ribbon a first in such a venue in the Philippines,

digital spots, PLDT murals and exclusive PLDT show rooms located at the MOA Arena complex.

The MOA Arena will also carry two PLDT corporate suites as part of the 3-year partnership. Various businesses of PLDT, such as ALPHA Enterprise, SME Nation and HOME, will be featured in these spaces.

"We are excited to partner with SM in bringing world-class entertainment, sporting events, and other quality activities to the Filipinos through the Mall of Asia Arena," PLDT Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan said.

source: mb.com.ph

PLDT says Globe using Altimax frequencies 'illegally'

Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) said Wednesday competitor Globe Telecom Inc. (Globe) is illegally using the frequency of a company it acquired in 2009 for its WiMax broadband Internet service.

In a statement, PLDT head for regulatory and policy affairs lawyer Ray Espinosa called on the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to recall the frequencies of Altimax Broadcasting leased to Globe.

Under a 2000 provisional authority, Altimax was authorized to offer wireless broadcasting services similar to what wireless cable TV providers are offering the local market, PLDT pointed out.

"These frequencies of Altimax Broadcasting should be returned and be made available to interested parties," Espinosa said.

The revelation came during the NTC hearing on the PLDT-Digitel share-swap deal, where Engr. Emmanuel Estrada, Globe's head of network technologies strategy division, said that the company was using the frequencies for the deployment of its WiMax services in Luzon.

Espinosa cited the 2010 financial statement of Altimax, which said that it was leasing its frequencies to Globe subsidiary Innove for P70 million in 2009 and P90 million in 2010.

The PLDT official claimed that the provisional authority granted by the NTC to Altimax "does not allow the company to lease its frequencies without the approval of the Commission."

PLDT's statement come on the heels of allegations by Globe that Smart Telecommunications Inc. — PLDT’s mobile telecommunications arm — is hoarding frequencies with its strategic acquisition of telcos with assigned frequencies, the latest of which is its bid to buy Sun Cellular operator Digitel.

Globe, however, aside brushed the issue, saying PLDT is misleading the public and muddling the issues related to its Digital deal.

In a statement, Globe pointed out that the Altimax deal is "clearly above board" with the NTC aware of it.

Focus on legal issues

"This is old news that PLDT simply wants to resurrect in view of their existing issues with their merger with Digitel," said Atty. Froilan M. Castelo, head of Globe corporate and legal services group.

Castelo said PLDT should focus on the regulatory and legal upheavals before the authorities.

"Foremost of [such issues] is that they are a non-Filipino corporation operating as a public utility and entering into a multi-billion transaction vested with public interest," Castelo stressed.

The Supreme Court in June ruled that foreigners "unmistakably" control more than 64 percent of PLDT's common shares, after it defined the term "capital" found in the Constitution as referring only to common voting shares and not the total number of stocks issued by a company.

Thus, foreign investors accounted for 64.27 percent of PLDT’s common shares, well above the 40 percent constitutional limit.

While not yet final and executory, the SC decision was used by Globe in asking the NTC to stop the hearings on the PLDT-Digitel deal, which the industry regulator denied.

The high court has decided to set oral arguments on PLDT's ownership case before it issues a final ruling. — VS, GMA News


Source:gmanews.tv