Globe gains double-digit growth in postpaid business

MANILA, Philippines -- Globe Telecom reported  a double-digit growth in subscriber base revenues in the first quarter of 2013 as the number of its postpaid customers near two million.

Globe said the growth in its subscriber base was supported by its fully-customizable postpaid plans and smartphone offers.

Globe said it ended March 2013 with 1.9 million postpaid subscribers, a 21-percent increase from previous year’s 1.5 million with gross acquisitions of over 205,000 in the first quarter, up 35 percent and 40 percent against the same period last year and last quarter, respectively.

Net postpaid additions also increased to a quarterly high of over 122,000 during the period, surpassing last year’s level by 44 percent and last quarter’s performance by 71 percent.

The segment also showed significant growth in service revenues after posting P6 billion in revenues during the same period, up 14 percent from P5.3 billion in the previous year. Postpaid service revenues in first quarter of 2013 account for 35 percent of total mobile revenues, up from 32 percent in in the first quarter of 2012.   

Martha Sazon, Head of Globe Postpaid, said with successive quarters of growth in subscriber base and revenues, Globe Postpaid continues to provide solid contribution to the company’s overall mobile business

“Postpaid customers have become more discerning over the years as they look for offers that are relevant and give them value for money,” Sazon said.

To keep its momentum in growing its postpaid segment in the second quarter of the year, Globe strengthened partnerships with device manufacturers and offered competitive smartphone deals.

The telco gained exclusivity to carry the new BlackBerry Z10 LTE under its suite of unlimited surfing plans that provide subscribers with unlimited LTE surfing of up to 42 Mbps. The Z10 is available for as low as P1799 monthly over a 30-month contract or P1999 monthly over a 24-month contract.

In April, Globe unveiled the Samsung Galaxy S4 and offered the newest Galaxy smartphone for as low as P1,599 monthly under the Globe My Super Plan 999 with P600 monthly cashout over a 24-month contract period, giving customers a competitive device bundle offer in the market. Under such offer, subscribers get unlimited LTE surfing of up to 42 Mbps plus free calls and texts.