Sun Cellular

[CLAVEL3699]

compare ko nga sya sa globe kasi esmi ko consumable sa globe labo computation nila lagi sobra nang 100 petot or mahigit pa kahit hindi sya consume lahat

[stinkaboy]

useless na talga sun sim ko, hirap tumawag at mag text.

[mazdamazda]

Sun Cellular set to launch 24/7 spinoff with text unlimited offer
By Mary Ann Ll. Reyes
The Philippine Star 03/05/2005

Sun Cellular, the mobile phone brand of the Gokongwei-owned Digital Telecommunications Phils. Inc. (Digitel), will launch next week an improved version of its hugely popular 24/7 call and text unlimited service, a top company official said.

Digitel senior vice-president William Pamintuan said the company will launch on March 14 an unlimited text (or short messaging service) offering which would allow subscribers to text within the Sun network for only P50 good for seven days. A higher denomination of P150 will last for one month.

"The next will be voice unlimited," he said.

Sun made a breakthrough last year with its 24/7 offering wherein for a minimal amount, subscribers can text and make voice calls within the same network. With this price advantage, Sun was able to attract a large number of new customers, including transferees from competitor firms, forcing the latter to lodge a "predatory pricing" complaint against Sun at the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).

Despite these legal worries, Pamintuan said Sun will further expand and improve its 24/7 service with the extension of the validity of the P100 prepaid card from seven days to 10 days.

However, the monthly post-paid plan will be increased from P250 to P350.

Pamintuan said these new offerings will be permanent, not merely promotional. Since these involve price reductions, these do not require prior hearings by the NTC.

Digitel is investing around $200 million this year not only to expand its mobile phone coverage but also to increase capacity and lessen the congestion issue in its network, a common complaint which stemmed from the sudden upsurge in customer base. "This will make 24/7 accessible to more people," Pamintuan said.

"We will have $200 million in capital expenditure this year. We will expand everything. We are expanding everyday. In fact, we are looking at six million in terms of network capacity this year," said JG Summit chairman and chief executive officer James Go. JG Summit is the holding company of the Gokongwei group.

From a network capacity of two million subscribers and 1,300 cellular sites, Pamintuan said this will grow to six million and close to 2,000, respectively, by the end of the year. Sun has currently 1.5 million cellular subscribers.

"We are looking at a subscriber base of 2.5 million to break even. Right now, we are recording gross additions of 6,000 to 7,000 new subscribers in a month. We had only 700,000 subscribers before we launched the 24/7 unlimited call and text service in October last year," Pamintuan said.

Digitel, however, continues to financially bleed as Pamintuan said the company will be in the red until 2006, or for the entire four years since Sun Cellular was launched in March 2003. "We will probably posts profit in 2006 or 2007," he added.

For the first nine months of 2004, Digitel’s losses ballooned to P1.08 billion from P722.8 million a year earlier.

The company’s nine-month financial and operating results was dragged by P1.03 billion in additional expenses as against P836.5 million in financing charges over a year ago.

The outstanding balance of Digitel’s financing for its mobile operations went up to P12.68 billion as of end-September from P10.08 billion at the end of 2003.

Digitel president Lance Gokongwei had said the company expects to incur a wider net loss for 2004, more than the P1.2 billion it posted in 2003.

"Though our fixed and data business are profitable, we still expect the four years to be non-profitable. This will be the peak year. We will continue to post losses in the next two years. The losses this year would be higher than the last year but we will also see EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) profitability sometime next year and accounting wise by 2007," Gokongwei said. — With a report from Sandy Araneta

[ssaloon]

yeah baby! :D

[GlennSter]

anong yeah baby?

[cyberdoc95]

Sun Cellular set to launch 24/7 spinoff with text unlimited offer
By Mary Ann Ll. Reyes
The Philippine Star 03/05/2005

Sun Cellular, the mobile phone brand of the Gokongwei-owned Digital Telecommunications Phils. Inc. (Digitel), will launch next week an improved version of its hugely popular 24/7 call and text unlimited service, a top company official said.

Digitel senior vice-president William Pamintuan said the company will launch on March 14 an unlimited text (or short messaging service) offering which would allow subscribers to text within the Sun network for only P50 good for seven days. A higher denomination of P150 will last for one month.

"The next will be voice unlimited," he said.

Sun made a breakthrough last year with its 24/7 offering wherein for a minimal amount, subscribers can text and make voice calls within the same network. With this price advantage, Sun was able to attract a large number of new customers, including transferees from competitor firms, forcing the latter to lodge a "predatory pricing" complaint against Sun at the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).

Despite these legal worries, Pamintuan said Sun will further expand and improve its 24/7 service with the extension of the validity of the P100 prepaid card from seven days to 10 days.

However, the monthly post-paid plan will be increased from P250 to P350.

Pamintuan said these new offerings will be permanent, not merely promotional. Since these involve price reductions, these do not require prior hearings by the NTC.

Digitel is investing around $200 million this year not only to expand its mobile phone coverage but also to increase capacity and lessen the congestion issue in its network, a common complaint which stemmed from the sudden upsurge in customer base. "This will make 24/7 accessible to more people," Pamintuan said.

"We will have $200 million in capital expenditure this year. We will expand everything. We are expanding everyday. In fact, we are looking at six million in terms of network capacity this year," said JG Summit chairman and chief executive officer James Go. JG Summit is the holding company of the Gokongwei group.

From a network capacity of two million subscribers and 1,300 cellular sites, Pamintuan said this will grow to six million and close to 2,000, respectively, by the end of the year. Sun has currently 1.5 million cellular subscribers.

"We are looking at a subscriber base of 2.5 million to break even. Right now, we are recording gross additions of 6,000 to 7,000 new subscribers in a month. We had only 700,000 subscribers before we launched the 24/7 unlimited call and text service in October last year," Pamintuan said.

Digitel, however, continues to financially bleed as Pamintuan said the company will be in the red until 2006, or for the entire four years since Sun Cellular was launched in March 2003. "We will probably posts profit in 2006 or 2007," he added.

For the first nine months of 2004, Digitel’s losses ballooned to P1.08 billion from P722.8 million a year earlier.

The company’s nine-month financial and operating results was dragged by P1.03 billion in additional expenses as against P836.5 million in financing charges over a year ago.

The outstanding balance of Digitel’s financing for its mobile operations went up to P12.68 billion as of end-September from P10.08 billion at the end of 2003.

Digitel president Lance Gokongwei had said the company expects to incur a wider net loss for 2004, more than the P1.2 billion it posted in 2003.

"Though our fixed and data business are profitable, we still expect the four years to be non-profitable. This will be the peak year. We will continue to post losses in the next two years. The losses this year would be higher than the last year but we will also see EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) profitability sometime next year and accounting wise by 2007," Gokongwei said. — With a report from Sandy Araneta

Ano kaya ang ibabato ng dalawang GIANT TELECOMS nito sa mga consumers to gain them back? he he he

About sa losses, sa mga businessmen dito na nakakaalam, losses are expected talaga in the first 2-3 years ng negosyo. Then after that, you'll see if your business is gonna go far kung mag-positive na yung libro mo. Kung negative pa rin, then, you might rethink of strategies to make up for the losses and improve the situation.

[GlennSter]

yep...big companies usually takes that long lalo na sa pinas...

mga shop namin na maliit, after 7 years!!!

[mbt]

350! kakargahan ko pa kaya yung sun ko? dagdag gastos lang kada buwan tapos ang hirap din tumawag, parang hindi na gaanong sulit para sa akin

[CaRGirL]

[SIZE=2] lately mejo mas madali naman tumawag. ang problem lang, minsan, pagmakaconnect ka na sa tinatawagan mo, after a few seconds, madidisconnect ka. pero ok lang, you can call back agad naman e... [/SIZE]

[pissword]

masmalakas kasi ako mag text kaya talaga nag bebenefit ako from sun

pero teka sir mazda, i dont get it.. by march 14, yung P50/7days or 150/month unlimited TEXT lang? hindi na unlimited calls?

[mazdamazda]

masmalakas kasi ako mag text kaya talaga nag bebenefit ako from sun

pero teka sir mazda, i dont get it.. by march 14, yung P50/7days or 150/month unlimited TEXT lang? hindi na unlimited calls?

merong separate cards na for TU (text unlimited) and CTU (call & text unlimited). based sa pinost ko, magkakaroon rin ng CU (call unlimited) na card.

bale, nagkaroon lang ng new product. hindi i discontinue ang CTU.

so it's up to the consumer kung alin ang bilhin niya.

[stinkaboy]

good news for SUN users ;)

[CaRGirL]

[SIZE=2] CTU pa din! hehehe :D [/SIZE]

[tebs]

yung mga nakapostpaid lines, pareho pa rin ang madededuct(-P250) sa kanila?

and pano yung 24/7 na ctu card ko na naka-stock dito worth 250, valid pa rin ba?

[cyberdoc95]

Sun Cellular's subscribers stood at 1.7M at end-Feb

Posted: 9:41 AM | Mar. 07, 2005
SOURCE: CLICK HERE!!(INQ7.NET)

Digitel Mobile Philippines Inc said the number of subscribers to its Sun Cellular service had grown to 1.7 million at the end of February, with 200,000 new customers subscribing during that month.

The company said it hopes to end this year with a subscriber base of 3 million.

"We have about 1.7 million customers as of end-February. We are adding an average of 200,000 a month. We hope to hit 3 million this year," said William Pamintuan, senior vice-president of Digitel Mobile's parent, Digital Telecommunications Philippines Inc (Digitel).

He said Sun Cellular is gradually building up its customer base alongside the expansion of its network to be able to provide clients with better quality service.

"We are pacing-in the entry of new subscribers because our daily network build-up would expand our capacity to 3 million by the middle of the year," Pamintuan said.

Digitel will spend 200 million usd this year to expand its network coverage. It intends to increase its number of cell sites to 2,000 by the end of the year from more than 1,300.

This expansion will enable the company to serve as many as 6 million subscribers, instead of its present network capacity of 2 million.

Sun Cellular is the country's third and newest mobile phone service, having been launched only in March last year.

In October, the company began offering a competitive scale of charges which was the key to the firm's robust subscriber growth.

But its subscriber base still falls short of those of its competitors. Smart Communications Inc expects its end-2004 subscriber base to have reached 19 million, while Globe Telecom Inc had a subscriber base of 12.5 million at the end of last year.

Pamintuan said that to break even at the level of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, Sun Cellular will need to increase its subscriber base to at least 2.5 million.

[CaRGirL]

[SIZE=2] Go SUN!!! hehehe [/SIZE]

[odell]

wahoo!.. hehehe. sige lang amg upgrade para parang globe at smart na ang services :D

[pajerokid]

Within the year po

[cyberdoc95]

Sun Cellular taps China firm for $200-M rollout
Posted: 2:04 AM | Mar. 24, 2005

Clarissa S. Batino
Inquirer News Service
Source:INQ7.NET(CLICK HERE)

WIRELESS phone firm Digitel Mobile Philippines, operator of the Sun Cellular service brand, has tapped Chinese firm Huawei Technologies Inc. to do its $200-million network expansion that will install about 700 additional cellular sites to widen its reach.

Huawei Technologies is one of the largest telecommunications equipment producers and the seventh largest electronics company in China.

It has said it wants to do aggressive business in the Philippines and is currently in talks with all major telco players for supplies and contracts.

Sun Cellular's network has about 2,000 sites at present. The expansion would allow it to take in as many as six million subscribers, compared with the present capacity of about two million.

Digitel Mobile is a unit of Digital Telecommunications Philippines Inc., a publicly listed unit of the Gokongwei group.

"The installation of additional 700 cellular sites forms part of the expansion," a Digitel official said. "It could consume about half of the $200-million budget."

The official said Sun Cellular expected to have 1.7 million customers at end-February, largely drawn by the popularity of its "24/7" unlimited call and text within-network plan.

For P350 a month or P100 for 7 days, Sun subscribers may enjoy unlimited services.

The company recently expanded its "24/7" menu by adding a pure unlimited, within-network text-messaging plan of P50 for seven days and P150 for one month.

Before it launched "24/7" in October, Sun Cellular had only about 700,000 customers. It says that since then it has been adding 6,000 subscribers every day. It says that if it can maintain the trend, it can add two million customers between this March and December and have more than four million subscribers at the end of the year.

Huawei also said it was negotiating supply deals with Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., Smart Communications Inc., Globe Telecom Inc., and Bayan Telecommunications Philippines Inc.

Aaron Lin, an official of Huawei's local unit, said the company would like to expand in the Philippines, given the aggressive competition in the telco sector.

Huawei, put up in 1988, has become a strong multinational company in less than 20 years. Last year it recorded $5.6 billion in revenue, up 113 percent from 2003 and including $2.3 billion in overseas sales. Its net profit in 2004 was $459.1 million.

Huawei has 22,000 employees, about 45 percent of whom are in research and development.

Huawei has six research centers in China and overseas facilities in the United States, Russia, India and Sweden. With INQ7.net

[dieselNUBI]

yung mga nakapostpaid lines, pareho pa rin ang madededuct(-P250) sa kanila?

and pano yung 24/7 na ctu card ko na naka-stock dito worth 250, valid pa rin ba?

same question. meron ako dito isang 247 na card ayaw mag load. i just says "done" after loading. then when i try to call or text, i get a msg saying its not possible.

need help sa mga taga sun.