ABS-CBN Mobile

Last updated

ABS-CBN Mobile
Type Mobile virtual network operator
Industry Cellular network
FoundedNovember 16, 2013;10 years ago (2013-11-16)
DefunctDecember 1, 2018;4 years ago (2018-12-01)
Headquarters
ELJ Communications Center, Eugenio Lopez Drive, Diliman, Quezon City
,
Philippines
Key people
Fernando Villar (Head) Iniga Irana, Ellen Pompeo, Kristal
Products
  • iWant
  • Voice
  • SMS
  • Data packages/promos
Services
Owner ABS-CBN Convergence

ABS-CBN Mobile (stylized as ABS-CBNmobile) was a cellular telephony service provider in the Philippines owned and operated by ABS-CBN Convergence, a subsidiary of ABS-CBN. ABS-CBNmobile formerly uses the network infrastructures of Globe Telecom under a network-sharing agreement which allows ABS-CBN and Globe to share frequencies, switches, servers, and transmitters. ABS-CBNmobile formerly offers prepaid and postpaid SMS, voice, data, wireless landline connection (postpaid only), and access to premium and exclusive contents of iWant TV.

Contents

Globe Telecom and ABS-CBN announced that it will shut down the service by November 30, 2018, due to income losses and stiff competition from Telecommunications providers such as PLDT/Smart. The service was officially discontinued on December 1, 2018.

History

On May 28, 2013, entertainment and media conglomerate ABS-CBN and wireless telecommunications giant Globe Telecom signed a historic network-sharing agreement which allows the two companies to share assets such as frequencies, switches, servers, and transmitters and allows ABS-CBN to offer its own prepaid and postpaid SMS, voice, and data services to its own targeted market. ABS-CBN will then pay Globe based on the amount of bandwidth used and for other technical and support expenses. Also part of the deal was the sale of Lopez Holding's Bayan Telecommunications (BayanTel) to Globe through a debt purchase agreement. The National Telecommunications Commission approved the deal on June 8, 2013. [1] ABS-CBN Corporation, on the other hand, has announced that it would invest 2 to 3 billion pesos in the next two years to the said service. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

The mobile network service was supposed to be launched in early September but it was postponed due to operational issues. [7] [8] On November 16, 2013, during the "Tulong Na, Tabang Na, Tayo Na" benefit concert of ABS-CBN for the Typhoon Haiyan victims at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, the service was officially launched to the public. Actor Piolo Pascual stated that the first 100 thousand sim cards were sent to the survivors of the said typhoon in the Visayas region for free to help restore communications among the members of the family. On November 18, 2013, a television advertisement featuring Kim Chiu, Piolo Pascual, Enrique Gil and John Lloyd Cruz was officially previewed. [9]

On December 11, 2013, the first ABS-CBNmobile store and service center opened at the ground floor level of ELJ Communications Center. ABS-CBN Corporation chairman Eugenio Lopez III and its president and CEO Charo Santos-Concio was present during the opening along with celebrity endorsers Julia Montes and Erich Gonzales.

ABS-CBNmobile has partnered with smartphone brands CloudFone, Huawei, and 0+ USA for smartphone packages with pre-installed ABS-CBNmobile sim card, mobile apps (such as iWant TV), and a limited trial period of the ABS-CBNmobile services. ABS-CBNmobile also partnered with KakaoTalk for free online messaging as well as to Viber, Line, WeChat, and WhatsApp for paid online messaging. ABS-CBNmobile also partnered with SM Supermalls, Walter Mart Philippines, 7-Eleven Philippines, Mini Stop Philippines, Vmobile, Telepreneur, Corp., ULoad, and Load Central for the expansion of ABS-CBNmobile sim cards, prepaid load cards, and postpaid payment centers. On December 1, 2016, ABS-CBNmobile launched their own 4G LTE service. As of 2016, ABS-CBNmobile has a subscriber base of 904,000 bringing its losses to 600 million pesos down from 700 million pesos a year ago. [10]

On July 16, 2018, ABS-CBN and Globe Telecom announced that it will not renew their network-sharing agreement after assessing its mobile business model as financially unsustainable, making ABS-CBNmobile shut down during the year. The two companies will remain committed for partnership for content sharing using its existing resources. [11] And it was officially posted on their website and social media accounts on October 16, 2018, the shutdown of the mobile network-sharing agreement and services until November 30, 2018, at 11:59 PM. From December 1, 2018, onwards, it was officially discontinued of all services and the network signal from Globe will be permanently deactivated until further notice. [12] [13] [14] Meanwhile, all ABS-CBN mobile prepaid SIM subscribers can claim a new free SIM with 2GB of data and access to KBO online in selected Smart partner outlets. The qualified subsidy as all ABS-CBN mobile prepaid subscribers with active SIM and receive an SIM swap message from ABS-CBN mobile.

Related Research Articles

Telecommunications in the Philippines are well-developed due to the presence of modern infrastructure facilities. The industry was deregulated in 1995 when President Fidel Ramos signed Republic Act No. 7925. This law opened the sector to more private players and improved the provision of telecom services are better and fairer rates, leading to the creation of many telecommunication service providers for mobile, fixed-line, Internet and other services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prepaid mobile phone</span> "Pay-as-you-go" mobile phone service

A prepaid mobile device, also known as a pay-as-you-go (PAYG), pay-as-you-talk, pay and go, go-phone, prepay or burner phone, is a mobile device such as a phone for which credit is purchased in advance of service use. The purchased credit is used to pay for telecommunications services at the point the service is accessed or consumed. If there is no credit, then access is denied by the cellular network or Intelligent Network. Users can top up their credit at any time using a variety of payment mechanisms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Globe Telecom</span> Telecommunications company in the Philippines

Globe Telecom, Inc., commonly shortened as Globe, is a major provider of telecommunications services in the Philippines. The company operates the largest mobile network in the Philippines and one of the largest fixed-line and broadband networks. As of November 2023, Globe has 54.7 million subscribers, making it the second largest network in terms of subscriber base.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sun Cellular</span> Telecommunications company in the Philippines

Digitel Mobile Philippines, Inc., doing business as Sun Cellular, was a wholly owned subsidiary of Digital Telecommunications Philippines (Digitel), which in turn was owned by PLDT and is one of the Philippines' largest mobile telecommunications companies. It was established by Digitel in September 2001 to provide wireless public and private telecommunications services. Sun Cellular was known for introducing unlimited call and text services in the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PLDT</span> Telecommunications company in the Philippines

PLDT, Inc., formerly known as the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company, is a Philippine telecommunications, internet and digital service company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smart Communications</span> Telecommunications company in the Philippines

Smart Communications Inc., commonly referred to as Smart, is a wholly owned wireless communications and digital services subsidiary of PLDT Inc., a telecommunications and digital services provider based in the Philippines. As of November 2023, it is currently the largest mobile network with 55.2 million subscribers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sky Cable</span> Cable television service in the Philippines

Sky Cable is a cable television service of Sky Cable Corporation in the Philippines. It covers areas across the country with both digital and analog cable services, and it has 700,000 subscribers, controlling 45% of the cable TV market.

Azercell is an Azerbaijani telecommunications company based in Baku. It is the largest mobile network operator in Azerbaijan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telephone numbers in the Philippines</span> Audio telecommunications dialing schemes in the Southeast Asian country

Telephone numbers in the Philippines follow an open telephone numbering plan and an open dial plan. Both plans are regulated by the National Telecommunications Commission, an attached agency under the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Digital Telecommunications Philippines</span> Telecommunications company in the Philippines

Digital Telecommunications Phils., Inc., commonly known as Digitel, was the second-largest fixed-line and the third-largest mobile telecommunications company in the Philippines. It was also the company that owned Sun Cellular, a mobile phone service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Mobile</span> Mobile virtual network operator in the Philippines

Red Mobile, formerly ümobile and legally as Connectivity Unlimited Resource Enterprise, Inc. (CURE), was a wholly owned subsidiary of Smart Communications, the Philippines' largest mobile telecommunications company. When it was initially launched as ümobile, it used the CURE Universal Mobile Telecommunications System network. At that time, it offered its services through an invitation-based, ad-supported platform, catering to middle and upper-class subscribers between the ages of 15 and 35, devoting its services to that demographic. After re-branding as Red Mobile, both the ad-supported revenue platform and invitation system were scrapped in favor of a more traditional marketing and revenue-generating approach. In March 2010, Red Mobile started promoting its unlimited service offerings. However, subscribers started reporting on online social networks that the CURE UMTS network has since been converted to a GSM network. It is Closed in July 2012.

With prepaid mobile phone service, topping-up or reloading is needed to continue using the services of the operator. There are several ways to reload a prepaid mobile phone. The most popular process is through purchasing a prepaid card, but due to security precautions, and for convenience, electronic reloading was developed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sky Cable Corporation</span> Telecommunications company in the Philippines

Sky Cable Corporation, doing business as Sky, is a Filipino telecommunications company based in Diliman, Quezon City. A subsidiary of the media conglomerate ABS-CBN Corporation, the company offers broadband, cable and satellite television services under the Sky Cable and Sky Direct brands. The company was founded on June 6, 1990 by Benpres Holdings Corporation as Central CATV, Inc.

ABS-CBN Convergence, Inc. is the communications subsidiary of the media conglomerate ABS-CBN. It operates a wireless mobile phone service ABS-CBN Mobile, which was launched on November 16, 2013, and digital terrestrial television service ABS-CBN TV Plus, launched on February 11, 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ABS-CBN TV Plus</span> Philippine digital television service

ABS-CBN TV Plus is a Philippine ISDB-T encrypted digital terrestrial television provider owned and operated by ABS-CBN Convergence, a subsidiary of ABS-CBN Corporation. The service distributes digital set-top boxes with freemium and free-to-view digital TV channels, Broadcast Markup Language, Emergency Warning Broadcast system, and pay per view services to selected areas in the Philippines. In order to avail the service, users must buy an ABS-CBN TVplus set-top box and activate it through ABS-CBNmobile SIM card; activation requirements for the digital channels through other mobile networks later became available around the second quarter of 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sky Direct</span> Defunct satellite television provider in the Philippines

Sky Direct was a direct-broadcast satellite subscription television service in the Philippines owned and operated by Sky, a subsidiary of ABS-CBN. Sky Cable had been eyeing for a DBS service and considered on acquiring Dream Satellite TV from Antonio O. Cojuangco, Jr. The acquisition of Dream was reported to have reached an advanced stage but for some undisclosed reasons, the deal was not sealed. Sky's entry to the DBS market was hindered by various oppositions from the industry, citing legal issues and the slow growth of the pay TV market in the country. On December 23, 2015, Sky was granted by the NTC a provisional authority to operate and maintain a DBS service in 251 cities and municipalities in the country for a period of 18 months. Sky Direct offered both prepaid and postpaid packages with exclusive channels from ABS-CBN and Creative Programs such as ABS-CBN HD, ABS-CBN News Channel, ABS-CBN Sports+Action HD, Cinema One, Jeepney TV, Metro Channel, Liga, and Myx. As of March 2019, Sky Direct had over 1 million subscribers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dito Telecommunity</span> Telecommunications company in the Philippines

Dito Telecommunity Corporation, formerly known as Mindanao Islamic Telephone Company, Inc. or Mislatel is a telecommunications company in the Philippines which is also engaged in the business of multimedia and information technology. It is a consortium of Davao businessman Dennis Uy's Udenna Corporation, and Chinese state-owned China Telecommunications Corporation, a parent company of China Telecom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cignal TV</span> Philippine media and telecommunications company

Cignal TV, Inc., also known by its legal trading name Mediascape Inc., is a Filipino media and telecommunications firm in the Philippines. A wholly owned subsidiary of the media company MediaQuest Holdings under the PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund, the firm operates its pay television services, subscription television networks, television and film entertainment production, and fiber broadband internet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NBA TV Philippines</span> Pay Television channel in the Philippines

NBA TV Philippines is a Philippine pay television sports-oriented network owned by MediaQuest Holdings through its subsidiary Cignal TV. The channel is a joint venture between Cignal and NBA TV and is a live simulcast broadcast of NBA TV, the league's dedicated channel in the United States.

Now Telecom Company, Inc. is a telecommunications firm based in the Philippines. The company provides broadband and fiber-optic communication services to upper-class residential and commercial areas in Metro Manila under the Now Fiber Air brand. The firm, along with Now Corporation and News and Entertainment Network Corporation (NEWSNET), formed the unified Now Network service.

References

  1. ↑ Agcaoili, Lawrence (June 8, 2013). "NTC okays Globe-ABS-CBN network sharing agreement". Philippine Star. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Broadcast network ABS-CBN forays into telecom via Globe". GMA News. May 31, 2013. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
  3. ↑ "ABS-CBN mobile phone service to arrive by year-end". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
  4. ↑ Gomez, Lailani P. (October 21, 2013). "ABS-CBN delays launch of mobile business to fix support system". Manila Standard Today. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
  5. ↑ Montecillo, Paulo (May 28, 2013). "ABS-CBN forays into telco business". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
  6. ↑ Guererro, Alora. "Smart, Globe... and now, ABS-CBN Mobile?". Yahoo! Philippines. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
  7. ↑ Amolejar, Darwin. "ABS-CBN unlikely to launch mobile phone service this year". InterAksyon. Archived from the original on December 7, 2013. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
  8. ↑ Agcaoili, Lawrence (October 21, 2013). "Operational issues delay launch of ABS-CBN mobile". Philippine Star. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Biz Buzz: Oops … ABS-CBN telco goes live". Philippine Daily Inquirer. November 20, 2013. Retrieved December 12, 2013.
  10. ↑ Delavimn, Imee Charlee C. (March 23, 2017). "ABS-CBN expects mobile unit to break even". BusinessWorld Online.
  11. ↑ "ABS-CBN Convergence and Globe explore new product synergies as they wind down the network-sharing agreement". abscbnpr.com. July 16, 2018. Archived from the original on July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  12. ↑ "ABS-CBN Convergence Globe Wind Down Mobile Sharing Agreement". ABS-CBN News. October 16, 2018. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
  13. ↑ "ABS-CBN Mobile End of Service". ABS-CBN Mobile. October 16, 2018. Archived from the original on October 16, 2018. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
  14. ↑ "ABS-CBNmobile to shut by end-Nov". BusinesWorld Online. October 16, 2018. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.