MANILA, Philippines – Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) reported nearly P8 billion in total revenues from broadband services for the first nine months of the year.

In its third quarter report, PLDT reported total broadband subscribers now exceed 876,000, with total revenue contribution from broadband and Internet services of P7.9 billion, or 48 percent higher during the same period last year.

PLDT reported further growth in Smart Bro subscribers reaching more than 473,000 as of September, adding 65,000 new subscribers in the third quarter alone.

Smart Bro is a wireless broadband service operated by PLDT's cellular subsidiary Smart Communications.

Wireless broadband revenues grew to about P3.1 billion in the first nine months this year, improving from P1.6 billion for the same period in 2007, according to PLDT.

Retail digital subscriber line (DSL) subscribers, meanwhile, have reached 388,000 users in the first nine months, generating P3.9 billion in revenues.

PLDT also reported more than 76,000 subscribers of SmartBro's prepaid Plug-It service, introduced in March. The service provides portable Internet via wireless modem.

"The prepaid version validates our belief that Filipinos are Internet-savvy and we will be there to serve this expected demand for access with services suited to the market's needs," said Orlando Vea, Smart's chief wireless adviser, in a statement.