San Mig Telco on the Brink of the Horizon

Many internet-savvy Filipino consumers were disappointed when Australian-based telecommunications company Telstra announced a few months ago that its partnership with Philippine food and beverage conglomerate San Miguel Corporation leading to a new mobile broadband network has been discontinued. Despite the fact that SMC will continue to launch the said network on its own, some of them are concerned that this will not improve the internet services in the country considering that it remains to have one of the slowest internet speeds in Asia based on recent surveys.

Now, another foreign player has recently become interested to make a deal with Ramon Ang's company and introduce a third telco in the Philippines. Enter Norway-based telco Telenor Group, which has been making a presence in several Asian markets including those on South Asia. Although talks between the two companies are yet to begin soon, it seems that the possibility of the third telco in the Philippines and the end of the duopoly in the local telecoms industry are far from over.

On the other hand, while local telecommunications companies continue to strengthen their network coverage in different areas across the nation and claim that they want to make use of the unused 700 MHz frequency owned by worthless telcos that no one has never been heard of, business tycoon Manuel V. Pangilinan is now expressing his willingness to partner with San Miguel Corporation that I think it could be a possible deal. Well, anyway, it would seem that the dream of having a third party in the consumers' own digital lifestyle needs is filled with big surprises that no one could never expect.