Skycable to offer direct dial service

By Lennie Lectura

TO expand its user base, Skycable is spending P20 million this year to encourage new subscriptions for its latest offering. Called SkyVoice, the new product is an IDD (international direct dial) service that costs only less than a peso every one-minute call.

SkyVoice is initially available in ZPDEE-ready areas in Makati, Pasig, Parañaque, Las Piñas, Pasay, Taguig, San Juan, Mandaluyong, Quezon City, Manila and Muntinlupa. ZPDEE is the cable Internet brand of Lopez-controlled SkyCable.

SkyCable vice president for marketing and prepaid business unit head, Rodrigo Montinola, said in a press briefing yesterday that the total number of ZPDEE subscribers now stands at 10,000 since its launch three years ago. He expects that this will grow by another 10,000 this year, especially with the SkyVoice offering.

“It will grow to about 20,000 by the end of this year. We will expand the coverage of ZPDEE to about 40 percent this year so as clients avail of our newest service which is SkyVoice,” he said.

The P20-million budget is part of the P500-million capital expenditure (capex) allotted by the cable TV firm this year.

Interested SkyVoice subscribers must also be a subscriber of ZPDEE’s broadband Internet connection, so they can make IDD calls using voice over Internet protocol instead of the traditional phone network.

An analog terminal adaptor is attached to the ZPDEE broadband connection and to the phone set to convert voice signals in analog format into digital format or data packets. These data packets are then transmitted via broadband Internet in the same way as e-mails are sent. Once these data packets reach their destinations, they are converted back to their original analog format and the call is connected.

SkyVoice plans are offered at the following prices: Plan 1000 USA at P779 monthly with free 1000 minutes per month. Plan 2500 USA/Canada stands at P1,399 per month with a 2500-minute free monthly talk time, while Plan 2500 21 countries may be availed at P1,699 with 2500 free talk time minutes every month. This plan covers the US (except Alaska), Canada, China, Hong Kong and Mexico City, as well as landline calls to Germany, Italy, Israel, Netherlands, Norway, Australia, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom, Denmark and France.

Next month, Plan 100 will be available for the budget-conscious. For P99 a month, this plan offers 100 minutes of IDD calls to the US and Canada.

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Skycable to offer direct dial service

TO expand its user base, Skycable is spending P20 million this year to encourage new subscriptions for its latest offering. Called SkyVoice, the new product is an IDD (international direct dial) service that costs only less than a peso every one-minute call.

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