PLDT eyes share of 10-M overseas Pinoy market

A LOCAL telecommunications company will tap the 10 million overseas Filipinos market to offset the challenge of the broadband business and smartphones to one of its businesses.

The broadband business and smartphones, which enable people to communicate both through voice and text through online platforms, had posed a serious challenge on the wholesale inbound business of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co.(PLDT) and other local telecommunications firms, said Eric Alberto, PLDT executive vice president for enterprise and international carriers business group.

Alberto gave the firm’s plans during last Tuesday’s opening of the 18th Asian Carriers Conference (ACC 2012) at the Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa.

“There is an existing market that remains untapped under PLDT Global,” he said.

“About 10 million Filipinos all over the world would want to communicate with their families here. They are being served by other telcos in their respective countries. We want to go retail in these countries and offer our products to this market.”

PLDT is focusing on 14 to 15 countries with large number of Filipinos. These include the the US, Canada, Middle East, Europe, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Macao and China.

“We are now serving Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Macao and Guam. And we hope to add two to three more countries within the year and six more by the end of 2013,” said Alberto.

PLDT’s target is to reach 1 million Filipinos within two years and right now they have already reached 200,000 Filipinos./Reporter Aileen Garcia-Yap