Sun Cellular Also Offer BlackBerry PlayBook Plans Bundled with BlackBerry Smartphones!

Now you’ve got to choose which of the three networks in the country your preferred carrier for BlackBerry PlayBook is.



Yeah, the BlackBerry PlayBook by the Canadian phone maker RIM, which recently made a landfall in our territory will not just make its way to Globe Telecom and Smart Communications; but will also be available through Sun Cellular. And like Smart and Globe -- Sun Cellular will offer the PlayBook bundled with a BlackBerry handset. Plan starts at Php 999 to Php 3500 with one-time cash out, which of course varies between the 16GB and 32GB version of the tablet. See price schedule below.

Click to enlarge

If you’re interested, you may visit your nearest Sun Shop or you may call 888 from your Sun Cellular mobile phone or through your landline at (02) 397-8888.

To receive latest technology updates, you can subscribe either by E-mail or by RSS Feeds. Follow me also on Twitter.

Sun Cellular Unlimited Call and Text Services To Continue Despite PLDT’s Acquisition

Just recently, the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) together with JG Summit Holdings, Inc. (JGS), announced that they entered into an “all-share transaction” in which JGS will exchange stake of its telecommunication business, Digitel, for a new PLDT shares.

The merger will then pose ownership of PLDT over Sun Cellular, Digitel’s wholy-owned subsidiary in mobile business best known for its unlimited voice and SMS services. Sun Cellular is also the 2nd main competitor (next to Globe Telecom) of Smart Communications, PLDT’s wholy-owned mobile and internet business segment. Smart Communications also owns both Talk ‘N Text and Red Mobile brands running on EDGE/UMTS and 3G networks, respectively.



Now that PLDT’s acquisition of Digitel is expected to be completed in the next three months, the biggest concern for consumers is whether there would still be a good competition in the “unlimited” offers. Because for Sun Cellular subscribers, they had switched to the network probably due to the competitive offers. No worry folks, though, because PLDT just announced it will continue to offer Sun Cellular unlimited voice and text services even after the acquisition.

“Our intention is to maintain Sun’s current offers and further improve them. One clear opportunity is mobile broadband,” said PLDT President and CEO Napoleon L. Nazareno. “Leveraging the combined networks of PLDT, Smart and Sun, we plan to expand the reach and raise the quality of mobile broadband services for Sun subscribers. This is in line with our Internet for All advocacy.”, Nazareno added.

Sounds interesting, eh? Well, at least in my own opinion, that would really makes sense and that answers everyone’s doubts of possibly waving goodbye to Sun’s best offers.

To receive latest technology updates, you can subscribe either by E-mail or by RSS Feeds. Follow me also on Twitter.

NTC Allows Philippine Telcos Cap Broadband Data

The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) passed a Memorandum Order (MO) that will allow internet broadband service providers to cap volume data per user per day.

In the said memorandum, the NTC requires internet service providers to specify the minimum broadband connection speed and service reliability against the service rates as seen on advertisements, flyers, brochures, and service and legal agreements. The revised memo however, would also allow the telecom companies to set a maximum volume of data a subscriber can use in a day.



Basically, the move comes with both pros and cons.



Given the minimum internet speed, a subscriber is rest assured of a more reliable service. For example, with the existing Smartbro Plan 999, that’s equivalent to the minimum bandwidth of 512 kbps for Php 1,000 a month with service reliability of 85% as described in the new memo. The promised “Up to 2Mbps” speed on the current Smartbro Plan 999 is actually misleading, giving the fact that subscribers are most likely to get slightly higher or even lower than the usual 384 kbps – though that’s not always the case. And with the required minimum speed, subscribers could easily identify if they are being served by the ISP well or not.



On the other hand, the maximum daily volume of data allotted to every subscriber would help Telco’s minimize network congestions collapse since the entire bandwidth consumption becomes measurable and handy. On the subscriber’s end, if one is into video streaming, peer-to-peer file sharing, online gaming, VoIP, and etc. everyday – I guess that would be the time such activities will be restrained just not to hit the maximum limit of downloaded data.



Anyway, we’ll just have to see once this broadband cap is implemented in the future. What do you think? [via]



Update 1: After being warned by the International rights lawyer Romel Bagares that the NTC's proposal for broadband capping is against consumers' right of information, the NTC clarified that the memorandum order is still open for revisions and they will welcome public opinion on the matter.

"We want to make it clear that this is only a draft. It's still very much a work in progress," said Dodie Santos of the NTC's Public Information Office. [via]

Update 2: After the public hearing at the NTC headquarter in Quezon City last January 11th, Tuesday, NTC official scrapped the proposed broadband capping as seen on the original memo. Read: NTC Broadband Capping Proposal Didn’t Push Through



To receive latest technology updates, you can subscribe either by E-mail or by RSS Feeds. Follow me also on Twitter.