Smart insists RP not ready for 3G
By Carlo Leo C. Manuel
Saturday, 07 02, 2005
Smart Communications, Inc. yesterday said the local market still would not be able to afford the expected high cost of third generation telephony or 3G, stressing that every mobile telephone operator in other parts of the world that offered 3G in their respective markets has yet to record a profit.
During a public hearing on the draft rules on 3G by the National Telecommunications Commission, Rogelio Quevedo, head of the Legal and Carrier Business division of Smart, said the Philippine market should not be influenced by international handset suppliers into rushing into 3G if the market is not yet ready for it.
“The Philippine market is not yet ready for it. The Philippines is a poor country, we can't yet afford to spend money on a technology that also remains unproven in terms of profitability,” he said. “There is no 3G operator yet in the world that has reported profits. The Philippines can't be influenced by suppliers who are out to milk consumers of their hard-earned money.”
3G, also called the Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service or UMTS, involves a broadband, packet-based transmission of text, digitized voice, video, and multimedia at data rates up to 2 megabits per second and is said to be the next phase of evolution in mobile phone telephony.
Quevedo noted the cheapest 3G handset costs no lower than $300 and if offered in the Philippines.
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PLDT TEL PHI
PLDT partners with software, computer hardware companies
By Mary Ann Ll. Reyes
The Philippine Star Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) has recently forged new partnerships with leading software and computer hardware companies to expand its innovation laboratory and churn out new innovative solutions for clients and thereby uplift information and communications technology (ICT) capability in the country. Intel, Microsoft, ProSoft, GIS, JIMAC, IBM Avaya, Veritas and Microdata teamed up with PLDT in the expansion of the PLDT InnoLab, where research and development on telecommunications technologies, training, applications testing and live product demonstrations can be conducted. The expansion involved converting the whole PLDT TelTEC Building on Boni Street in Mandaluyong City into the PLDT InnoLab Building, where PLDT InnoLab used to occupy only a mere 116-square-meter area. The new partners for PLDT InnoLab provided the applications and some of the equipment for demonstration, training, and research and development activities with government, academe and PLDT clients. PLDT also added new laboratory and training rooms as well as additional solutions showrooms. During the recent 2nd anniversary celebration of PLDT InnoLab, PLDT Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan said this expansion of the facility and the new alliances with suppliers reflect PLDT’s commitment to innovate offer clients the best services. "Again, the industry is approaching a new era, a new inflection point and a new future. It is our conviction at PLDT that the key to that future will continue to be innovation. Innovation would continue to be the key to our success and our survival," he said in his speech. PLDT President and CEO Napoleon L. Nazareno said, "PLDT InnoLab is a facility that serves as catalyst for technology innovation and business development. It therefore serves as an incubator for both our clients and the academe, providing hands on experience on various PLDT products and services." He emphasized also that this "would not have been possible without the support of the government, our valued clients and business partners." Board of Investments Executive Director Celeste Ilagan, who represented Trade and Industry Secretary Juan B. Santos and read his speech, said PLDT InnoLab would usher in a new generation of product development. "There is no doubt that its operations will boost public awareness of state of the art technological applications for our business and industrial sectors and upgrade the skills and abilities of our knowledge workers and therefore fortify our country’s position as a world-class service provider," she said as she read Santos’ speech. Virgilio Peña, Commission on Information and Communications Technology chair, likewise believed that PLDT InnoLab enhances the role of PLDT as a major partner in the growth of ICT in the country. "Being an old IBM hand, we’ve always believed that solutions is what we need to sell and I’m glad that InnoLab is serving solutions rather than equipment and services. I hope to see more InnoLabs around the country," said Peña in his speech. Eric R. Alberto, PLDT Senior Vice President for Corporate Business Group, said PLDT InnoLab has indeed been a pioneering endeavor that PLDT will continue to develop. "Upon it’s launching in 2003, it has been recognized as a genuine Philippine first and, to quote one of the deputy commissioners of the National Telecommunications Commission, InnoLab is an unprecedented undertaking that must be emulated by other players. The overwhelming response from different sectors inspired us to utilize this whole building," he explained. PLDT InnoLab now has a memorabilia walk showing equipment, pictures and other paraphernalia depicting events in PLDT’s colorful 76-year history. There are also six special showrooms for demonstrating PLDT’s products and services in real-life scenarios. These showrooms include the Banking Solutions Room, Manufacturers’ Solutions Room, Call Center Solutions Room, Retailers Solutions Room, Residential Solutions Room, and Resort Solutions Room. PLDT’s new partners for PLDT InnoLab provided server equipment, total application packages, automated teller machines and licenses for banking and manufacturing solutions, retailers’ point-of-sale (POS) application and hardware, total package for call center and IP telephony, replication software for disaster recovery solution, and videocon packages for PLDT’s videocon solutions. These partners committed to jointly develop solutions that would help the country, especially the business community, become globally competitive. In 2003, PLDT launched its InnoLab in Manila and signed separate agreements with the University of the Philippines and the Department of Science and Technology, through the Advanced Science and Technology Institute, involving key research and development projects on information and communications technology. PLDT, UP, and ASTI have agreed to undertake projects that will include but not limited to rural telecommunications, Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6), mobile telecommunications, broadband networking, toll on-line billing system, and wireless communications. The following year, another InnoLab was launched in Cebu. The launching included the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with CEDF-IT, a foundation for the development of information and communications technology in Cebu, and another MOU with Cebu Investment Promotions Center. These agreements aim to strengthen the ICT capabilities of the region’s human resources and attract investments in Cebu.
hackandslash.net
inq7.net
DATE POSTED : 2005-07-05, 15:42:00 IT was First Pacific and not Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) that has decided to buy into Level Up! International, a holding firm of online game publisher Level Up! Inc., an official told hackenslash Tuesday. "First Pacific has a significant, non-controlling equity in Level Up! International but no other details were disclosed," according to Sheila Paul, marketing head of Level Up! Philippines in a phone interview. Level Up! International has operations in Brazil and India. Paul denied reports that PLDT has acquired a majority stake -- around 50 percent -- in Level Up! International but confirmed First Pacific's decision to buy a minority stake in the holding firm. "[Those reports are not totally true. We’re now under Level Up! International but we’re not familiar with the dealings of shareholders of the holding firm with other firms," Paul added. "But I'm sure that PLDT does not own 50 percent of Level Up! International. [PLDT] has no plans to buy into the holding firm, as far as we know," the Level Up! Philippines official said. PLDT officials declined to comment. Paul said First Pacific's entry in Level Up! International does not affect Philippine operations. “It will have no management control,” Paul said. Aloysius "Nonoy" Colayco, who is currently president and chairperson of Level Up! International, is also chairperson of the Jardine Group in the Philippines, which owns the Mandarin Oriental hotel. Level Up! is the local publisher of the popular online game Ragnarok. Reports indicated that PLDT chairperson Manuel Pangilinan pushed for the investment in the holding firm of the game publisher. First Pacific Co. Ltd. is a Hong Kong-based investment and management company with operations located in Southeast Asia. Its principal business interests relate to telecommunications, including PLDT, and consumer food products. ERWIN OLIVA
Fitch Revises PLDT Outlook To Negative
2005-07-11 06:26 (New York) FITCH REVISES PLDT OUTLOOK TO NEGATIVE Fitch Ratings-Hong Kong/Singapore-11 July 2005: Fitch Ratings, the international rating agency, has today revised the Outlook on Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company's ("PLDT") Long-term foreign currency rating to Negative from Stable. At the same time, Fitch has affirmed PLDT's Long-term foreign currency rating and global bonds/senior notes at 'BB' and convertible preferred stock at 'B+'. PLDT's Long-term local currency rating has also been affirmed at 'BB+' with a Stable Outlook. The revision in Outlook reflects a similar change in Fitch's Outlook on the Republic of the Philippines' BB' Long-term foreign currency and 'BB+' local currency ratings to Negative from Stable. PLDT's foreign currency and senior debt instrument ratings are constrained by the sovereign foreign currency rating. On the other hand, PLDT's Long-term local currency rating is not constrained hence the Stable Outlook has been maintained. PLDT itself has reported consistent improvement in its operating and financial profile over a sustained period and this contributed to its local currency rating being upgraded in May 2005 to 'BB+' from 'BB'. Much of the improvement has been driven by robust growth at its highly cash-generative and 100%-owned cellular subsidiary Smart Communications Inc, although PLDT's fixed-line business is also free cash flow positive.
fitch is gotta be joking. how can you downgrade pldt???? pldt is a cash register, a goose that lays golden eggs. cheers!!! :wink:
Hapi BDay...
I'm half hoping for a big dip to replenish my box
Dunno if the mm's will oblige 
BDay na ni MVP bukas e 
PLDT cut debt by $100M in Q2
Posted: 1:53 AM | Jul. 14, 2005 Inquirer News Service Published on page B3 of the July 14, 2005 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer PHILIPPINE Long Distance Telephone Co. has reduced its debts by about $100 million in the second quarter, or only half of the $200 million paid by the company in the first quarter. PLDT president Napoleon Nazareno said that the company was still determined to accelerate debt reduction. "I think the debt pay down is largely dependent on the timing of maturities. I think we have a high level of maturing debts in the third quarter," Nazareno said in an interview. PLDT, which is 15 percent owned by NTT Communications and 24 percent by Hong Kong's First Pacific Co. Ltd., has about $1.7 billion in debts that it intended to reduce aggressively in the next two years. Under its debt reduction program, PLDT aims to cut its obligations to $1 billion by the end of 2006. For this year, PLDT will pay at least $540 million in debts. Prepaying debts will allow PLDT to save on interests and minimize currency risks. The telecom giant settled last Dec. 20 a $106-million debt ahead of schedule. In the meantime, Globe Telecom Inc. said its debt reduction strategy was also on track. PLDT and Globe officials said their companies were not affected by the outlook downgrade by Fitch Ratings, Standard & Poor's and Moody's Investors Service.
PHI/TEL
PLDT profit seen up but no forex gains expected in 2nd qtr
Posted: 6:03 PM | Jul. 14, 2005 XFN-Asia ATR-Kim Eng Securities Inc. said it was expecting improved earnings for Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) in 2005, but the carrier is unlikely to post more foreign exchange gains for the second quarter. "Since the peso has moved quite significantly against the US dollar since March, it is likely the group will not see foreign exchange gains to the extent posted in the first quarter," ATR-Kim Eng analyst Martin Enrile said in a research note. The peso traded at between 53 and 54 to the US dollar in March, but had weakened to levels of around 56 this month, weighed down by prevailing political and fiscal concerns. But with PLDT looking to expand its Internet service capabilities, Enrile believes the company could sustain its growth momentum despite an industry-wide slowdown in mobile phone subscriber additions. PLDT posted net profit of 9.36 billion pesos for the first quarter, a 65 percent jump from a year earlier on the back of its strong mobile phone business and hefty foreign exchange gains. Excluding gains from forex and derivatives transactions, PLDT's first quarter net profit stood at 7.0 billion pesos, up from 6.15 billion a year earlier. PLDT expects core profits in the second quarter to exceed the previous quarter's level. "Our forecast 29 billion pesos in net profits for 2005 is still a likely target," Enrile said, adding that he has price target of 1,890 pesos for PLDT.
If TEL had forex gains in Q1, I expect it to have forex losses in Q2. Just enough to wipe out most of the gains in Q1 since the exchange rate at end Q2 is close to that of end 2004.
The recent correction may provide an opportunity to buy this stock before the next run-up. Recurring earnings are still expected to be strong.
hmm
BARON'S ROUNDTABLE
Ed Goodnow (former panelist who touted Philiphine long distance telephone) I understand the service is not so good out in the provinces. One of the problems is that it's hard to get the guys to go up the poles to fix the lines becouse they sometimes get picked off by snipers. But other than that, they've got very solid operation. Abelson: Do you call that a long shot? -taken from the book "how to beat wallstreat" peter lynch *********************************** ed goodnov probably made a killing on phi. god i wish i read this book a couple of years ago.
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