Sun Cellular subscriber base now at 6.5 million

By Lenie Lectura

GOKONGWEI-controlled Digitel Mobile Philippines Inc. (DMPI), the cellular unit of listed phone firm Digital Telecommunications Philippines Inc. (Digitel), is adding half a million new subscribers in its network every month.

Digitel president and chief executive officer James Go said Sun Cellular, DMPI’s mobile brand, now has 6.5 million subscribers in its network from just about three million at end-2007. He said the cellular firm has been consistently signing up 500,000 new mobile phone users a month despite shrinking consumer wallet and continuing pressure from competition.

“The economy is challenging right now. In fact, it works to our advantage because we have very affordable rates. We have good pricing for the average earning and even low earning consumers,” said Go, who were among the top telco officials who attended yesterday’s breakfast forum in celebration of the National Telecommunications Commission’s (NTC) 29th anniversary.

DMPI will probably even exceed this year’s 10 million mobile phone subscriber target if it keeps its momentum. But Go said that for now 10 million is a “good target” to be able to “maintain the level of Sun Cellular’s service.”                    

But by next year, Go vowed that Sun Cellular will set and achieve a much higher target. “Next year, [our target] will be higher. We will calibrate our goals. Right now, we have a total of 6.5 million subscribers and we are increasing half a million every month,” he said.

The company, a unit of conglomerate JG Summit Holdings, now has over 100,000 broadband subscribers, Go added. He said DMPI’s wireless broadband network can accommodate one million subscribers.

Go did not say if the three million new users who have signed up with Sun Cellular since the start of the year were former subscribers of other cellular operators or were new mobile users.

“All I know is that we are increasing [our subscriber base]. I cannot say which [competitor] is losing [users]. All I can say is that we are increasing nicely.  We have a very healthy subscriber base now,” said Go.

For his part, Reuben Pangan, Digitel head for consumer division, said corporate and individual subscribers have been increasing for the past months but the company could not trace where the growth is coming from.

“Unless we have proof that says that other mobile phone firms are losing subscribers to Sun Cellular, then we can only assume that is indeed happening. I guess it has something to do with our affordable rates. We have not launched new promos but we just continue to give them the best offer there is now in the market,” he said over the phone.

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Sun Cellular subscriber base now at 6.5 million

GOKONGWEI-controlled Digitel Mobile Philippines Inc. (DMPI), the cellular unit of listed phone firm Digital Telecommunications Philippines Inc. (Digitel), is adding half a million new subscribers in its network every month.

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