THANKS to a faster customer migration to 4G, Smart Communications Inc. was able to boost its mobile data revenues by a fifth during the first half of 2018.
Eric R. Alberto, the company’s EVP, said his group netted P13.4 billion in revenues, as data traffic within the carrier’s network rose by 78 percent.
More than half—57 percent—of total active users of Smart now has LTE SIM cards, and a third now has LTE-capable handsets.
Hence, mobile data’s share in parent firm PLDT Inc.’s wireless revenues grew from 38 percent in the first semester of 2017 to 45 percent in the same period this year.
“This means that more of our customers are enjoying the fastest LTE service in the country. As their mobile Internet experience improves, they try out more data services, especially as we provide attractive offers such as the Free YouTube promo,” Alberto said.
Average revenue per user among prepaid subscribers went up by 16 percent in just three months “after SIM upgrades,” he added.
The executive also noted that, Smart’s increasing data revenues drove the 2-percent year-on-year growth in overall wireless individual service revenues to P29.9 billion in the first six months of 2018.
This modest swing was actually “a sharp turnaround” from the year-on-year decline registered in the first half of 2017.
Alberto said his group expects to “maintain its momentum with the continued rollout of its network.”
So far, Smart has installed more than 3,900 LTE base stations, increasing the total count by 45 percent to over 12,600.