Globe banks on long-standing Apple relationship in iPhone 4S push

By: J. M. Tuazon, InterAksyon.com

MANILA, Philippines – Second-ranked Globe Telecom Inc. is capitalizing on its long-standing relationship with Apple as it announced the availability of the iPhone 4S on their network on December 16, the company said in a statement Monday.

Globe President and Chief Executive Officer Ernest Cu stressed that their six-year partnership with Apple has allowed the company to offer the “complete iPhone and iPad product suites” to its subscribers.

“Backed by several years [of] experience in handling Apple mobile devices, Globe is better-equipped to deal with the specific needs that face iPhone users, particularly in mobile data,” Cu pointed out.

Cu is reacting on recent reports that chief rival Smart Communications will also be offering Apple’s new iPhone beginning December 16, signalling the end of Globe’s exclusive distribution deal with Apple that dates back to 2007.

The telco executive said its long experience of offering the iPhone to Filipinos has given his company the chance to tailor mobile data offerings specifically to smartphone users.
“We have developed offers and services that cater to the mobile browsing habits of a wide variety of consumers,” Cu stressed.
The Ayala-owned wireless provider also emphasized its strong performance on the mobile data space, which now accounts for half of its total mobile service revenues, “on the back of new, affordable services that promote the use of mobile internet for social networking, search engine and email services.”
For its part, Smart has said that the iPhone 4S offering will only bring in more postpaid subscribers to the network, which now stands at about half a million.
PLDT Board Member and TV5 President Ray C. Espinosa earlier said: “When this happens, this will make us the undisputed leader in postpaid subscriptions.”
InterAksyon.com is the online news portal of TV5.
Smart said its recently acquired telco, Sun Cellular, will also be offering postpaid plans for the iPhone 4S. Sun currently has a postpaid subscriber base of 1.5 million.
Globe, on the other hand, has reached 1.37 million postpaid users as of end-September, “up 39 percent year-on-year.”
All eyes will be on the two fiercely competitive telcos as they simultaneously launch the iPhone 4S 11 days from now. Both have also already started taking pre-orders for Apple’s new smartphone, but none of them have revealed official pricing plans for the sought-after smartphone.