Vivo and Smart Forge Partnership For Unlimited Data Plan with Vivo X21

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Global smartphone brand Vivo and PLDT Enterprise, the B2B arm of the country’s leading ICT and digital services provider, together with top wireless brand, Smart Communications Inc., seal a strong partnership for an exciting new offer: a non-stop data bundle with Vivo’s latest pride, the X21.

The partnership was established last August 16, 2018 in Makati City. Vivo executive Ms. Annie Lim, Vice President for PR Strategy and Partnerships, represented the smartphone brand. Representing PLDT Enterprise on the other hand was Smart AVP & Head for Enterprise Wireless Solutions Chet Alviz.

The Vivo X21 is the first in the world to implement the In-Display Fingerprint Scanning Technology, the center of topic during the Mobile World Congress and Global Stage for Innovation CES events. Through this strategic partnership with Smart, Vivo aims to expand and cater to the Filipino corporate market.

Smart will bundle the X21 with the Data on the Go Plan 2000, which includes unlimited calls to Smart and non-stop surf—allowing corporate clients to enjoy the X21's high-end specifications for a low monthly amortization of 400 pesos for 24 months. The Vivo X21 makes for a perfect business companion. The Vivo X21's 6.28" Super AMOLED display is the ideal device for all professionals in the business and corporate world as it can aid users in various business-related functions. From attending critical business online conferences to performing business research on multiple websites, the Vivo X21 delivers the goods more than ever especially as it comes with the Smart’s non-stop surf bundle.

Smart is the exclusive operator partner of Vivo for this exciting X21 Project. The said offer will be available to all corporate partners of PLDT and Smart by August 15, 2018.

World’s #1 Leadership Thinker and Global Coach says 3 minutes daily is all that’s needed to change your life

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Even the world’s top leadership coach admits he needs a helping hand to navigate through life and the decisions he has to make. And that’s perfectly okay.

Dr. Marshall Goldsmith, a best-selling author and the world’s #1 leadership thinker and executive coach from the USA, said that it’s OK to ask for help from others. While most people veer away from asking for help, Goldsmith actually urges everyone to get over the idea of being able to do everything alone.

“I do this exercise daily with a peer coach. I have someone call me to listen to me ask myself questions I wrote and provide the answers I wrote every day. Why I do this? I’m Marshall Goldsmith and I’m too cowardly to do this by myself,” said Goldsmith in a podcast with EntreLeadership.

Dubbed as the Daily Question Process, it requires an individual to ask themselves a series of questions every day. The 3-minute exercise can help people change their lives for the better when done regularly. While the skepticism is expected, Goldsmith said that most people usually quit the exercise after two weeks – not because they failed, but because it has already impacted them.

“I’m too undisciplined. I need help, and that’s ok. I know how difficult it is to go,” said Goldsmith. The leadership coach adds that once there’s an admission for the need for help, life gets better.

The Daily Question Process requires the individual to write several questions on a spreadsheet, with each question representing a behavior that is important yet often easy to neglect. The questions usually begin with “did I do my best to…” and must be answerable with a yes or no.

The process helps the individual to confront how they actually live out their values every day. The mere process of writing the questions allows for introspection on what really matters to them.

Hailed by Harvard Business Review as the “World’s #1 Leadership Thinker”, Dr. Goldsmith has had more than 40 years of successfully coaching CEO’s from many of the world’s most renowned organizations such as Ford, Pfizer, GSK, World Bank, Toyota, Goldman Sachs & Co. He is also an author of numerous #1 bestsellers, with the latest book “Triggers” as #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller.

Dr. Marshall Goldsmith will headline a two-city CEO, HR and Senior Leaders conference in Asia this October, with Manila as his last stop on October 26, 2018. He will be joined by top coaching gun Dr. Peter Chee, and master trainer and chief coach Serely Alcaraz. The leadership conference is organized by ITD, the global leadership development expert.  For more information and registration, call ITD World Philippines at +632 887 7428 or email at itdmanila@itdworld.com.

Get your hands on the notched beauty of Vivo Y85 for Php11,999

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Global smartphone brand Vivo has a treat for its loyal customers: the Y85 is now available for Php11,999 or Php2,000 less its original retail price.

The Y series smartphone was first introduced in May. It has a 6.22-inch 19:9 high definition FullView™ Display with an 88% screen-to-body ratio.

Vivo Global Philippines  ( http://vivoglobal.ph/vivo-phones/vivo_y85/) also boasts of a 13-megapixel plus 2MP dual rear camera that can produce 52MP Ultra HD photos. This smartphone also has a Face ID Access, apart from the fingerprint scanner, to ensure hassle-free unlocking especially for those on-the-go.

The smartphone also has an 8MP front camera with AI Face Beauty and Portrait capabilities that bring the user’s natural beauty in every selfie.

The Y85 also has a 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage running on a 12nm octa-core processor with an Android 8.1-based Funtouch OS 4.0 operating system. These specs ensure that the smartphone can handle multiple and complex tasks to keep up with every digital native’s lifestyle.

The Android 8.1 OS also complements the smartphone’s 3260mAh battery to ensure longer battery life.

The Vivo Y85 is available in black and red. It has a 2.5D subtle curved edges flow at the back and the front. The sleek back cover even gleams in the light for those who want to standout from the crowd. 

About Vivo

A global smartphone brand focused on introducing perfect sound quality and ultimate photography with cutting-edge technology, Vivo develops innovative and stylish products for young people. We now have over two hundred million users and are one of the preferred brands of young people around the world. As an Official Sponsor of the FIFA World Cup™, Vivo believes in the importance of encouraging young people to embrace self-expression and an energetic lifestyle. In the Philippines, Vivo is the top 3 smartphone brand in terms of market share with 1.5 million users nationwide.

For inquiries about Vivo, visit the Vivo website at vivoglobal.ph or check out their Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/vivophil), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/vivo_philippines/), and Twitter (https://twitter.com/vivo_phil) accounts.

PLDT Home, the country’s No.1 home broadband, launches its first prepaid broadband service

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With the company’s vision of bringing world-class Internet to Filipino families, PLDT has launched its first ever PLDT Home Prepaid WiFi, an affordable service that makes it easier than ever for more families to enjoy their online activities in the comfort of their home.

The PLDT Home Prepaid WiFi is a plug and play device that instantly connects you to the Internet. Once plugged into a power source, it can simultaneously connect up to 5 WiFi-ready devices, such as a smartphone, tablet, or laptop, to high-speed Internet.

Unlike the regular Pocket WiFi which is meant for users on the go, the PLDT Home Prepaid WiFi is specially designed for home use as it utilizes the LTE 700MHZ band, a low frequency that easily penetrates houses and buildings. This way, the PLDT Home Prepaid WiFi is able to deliver high-speed Internet indoors – whether in the living room, kitchen, or bedroom.

PLDT’s pinakasulit Home Internet

Aside from being affordable, PLDT Home Prepaid WiFi also lets you enjoy PLDT Home’spinakasulit Internet with the Home Boost 15, which comes with 1GB valid for 1 day for only Php15. You can enjoy Home Boost 15 as an add-on to promos like Home Boost 50 or up, for greater savings.

With the PLDT Prepaid Home Wifi, families can learn together and research for school; bond by streaming videos and music; stay active on their favorite apps; or catch up with loved ones and friends on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter – all in the comfort of their homes.

And because it is prepaid, there’s no need to worry about monthly bill payments, lock-in period, or uncontrolled data usage because customers simply have to load it up and register to promos that suit their family’s needs.

Powered by the Philippines’ fastest mobile Internet

The PLDT Home Prepaid WiFi is powered Smart’s LTE network, the Philippines’s fastest mobile Internet, according to the latest Speedtest® report of Ookla, the global leader in Internet testing and analysis.

In its analysis of over 2 million user-generated tests on LTE devices in the Philippines from Q1 to Q2 of 2018, Ookla said Smart provided the country’s fastest LTE connection with average download speeds of 17.25 Mbps, and average upload speeds of 7.65 Mbps.

On the other hand, UK-based mobile analytics firm OpenSignal also recognized Smart for having the country’s fastest LTE network, bestowing the company four citations in its March 2018 report: best in 4G LTE download speed; best in overall download speed; best 4G latency performance; and best 3G latency performance.

High-speed Smart LTE now covers major urban areas including Metro Manila, Rizal, Cebu, and Davao, and top sites in Bacolod, Baguio, Baler, Batanes, Bohol, Cagayan de Oro, Iloilo, Laguna, Leyte, Palawan, Sagada, Sarangani, and Zamboanga, among others.

Get the PLDT Home Prepaid WiFi with FREE 10GB for only P1,995

The PLDT Home Prepaid WiFi is now available at all PLDT Stores and retailers nationwide and comes with FREE 10GB, valid for 7 days, for a one-time payment of only Php1,995.

FINTQ’s online lending platform Lendr also makes it easier for customers to get hold of the PLDT Home Prepaid WiFi via affordable installment payments.

With Lendr, customers can buy the device for an initial low cash-out of Php495, followed by six weekly payments of Php370, which can be paid through any Smart Padala center, Bayad Center, ECPay, and 7-Eleven outlets. They simply need to visit https://pldthomewifi.lendr.com.ph to create an account, complete the application form and apply for a loan to purchase the device. FINTQ is the financial technology arm of Voyager Innovations--the digital innovations arm of PLDT and Smart.

What are you waiting for?  Get your own PLDT Home Prepaid WiFi now! To know more, visitwww.pldthome.com and follow PLDT’s official accounts on Facebook (www.facebook.com/PLDTHome) and Twitter (@PLDTHome).

Live network by first half of 2019: Smart and Ericsson to deploy 5G in PH

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PLDT wireless subsidiary Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) and Ericsson have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to deploy the country’s first 5G pilot network by the first half of 2019.

Smart and Ericsson team up for 5G in PH. At the signing were PLDT Chief Corporate Services Officer Ray C. Espinosa, PLDT chair and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan, Ericsson Head of Market Area South East Asia, Oceania and India Nunzio Mirtillo and Martin Wiktorin, Head of Ericsson Singapore, Brunei, Philippines and Pacific Islands.

Smart and Ericsson team up for 5G in PH. At the signing were PLDT Chief Corporate Services Officer Ray C. Espinosa, PLDT chair and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan, Ericsson Head of Market Area South East Asia, Oceania and India Nunzio Mirtillo and Martin Wiktorin, Head of Ericsson Singapore, Brunei, Philippines and Pacific Islands.

Under the MoU, the 5G network will be first deployed in Luzon, the country’s largest and most populous island where about a third of the population work and live.

The 3GPP compliant 5G Trial System that will be deployed in Smart includes Ericsson 5G RAN, Core and Transport solutions. The 5G pilot deployment will allow Smart to explore industry partnership engagements, collaborate with schools and universities, and further develop competence in 5G.

“As 5G opens up more opportunities for new services and solutions to offer to our customers, we are investing in future-proofing our network and making sure that our network is ready for 5G,” said PLDT-Smart chairman and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan.

“Our partnership with Ericsson is part of our commitment to bring to the country the latest technologies to improve the experience of our customers, as well as boost the digital transformation of enterprises and industries,” he added.

“We are happy to partner with Smart to pioneer 5G in the Philippines. We believe first movers in 5G can reshape the market, grow market share and increase revenue streams. Combining improved capacity and ultra-low latency, 5G will help realize new use cases and business models and capture new revenue opportunities by addressing industry digitalization,” said Martin Wiktorin, Head of Ericsson Singapore, Brunei, Philippines and Pacific Islands.

All set for 5G. Gracing the MoU signing were Ericsson vice president and key account manager Anthony Valdez, PLDT-Smart Chief Technology and Information Advisor Joachim Horn, PLDT Chief Corporate Services Officer Ray C. Espinosa, PLDT chair and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan, Ericsson Head of Market Area South East Asia, Oceania and India Nunzio Mirtillo, PLDT-Smart Chief Revenue Officer Eric Alberto, Head of Ericsson Singapore, Brunei, Philippines and Pacific Islands Martin Wiktorin and PLDT-Smart head of Consumer Business for Customer Development Alex O. Caeg.

Future-proofed network

“To be able to deliver 5G services to its customers in the future, Smart is upgrading its network’s Core and Transport elements. This includes upgrading to fiber the backhaul connecting the network’s cell sites around the country and deploying 5G-ready equipment in the ongoing LTE roll-out,” according to Mario G. Tamayo, PLDT and Smart Senior Vice President for Network Planning and Engineering.

“As we continue to ramp up the roll-out of LTE, LTE-Advanced and carrier aggregation technology nationwide, we are also making sure that these are already future-proof and 5G-capable,” Tamayo added.

Under its current upgrades, Smart is installing 5G-compatible radio equipment across its network, which now has over 2,000 5G-ready sites.

Exciting possibilities

With its capability to deliver extremely high speeds coupled with low latency, 5G opens up exciting possibilities for Internet of Things (IoT) applications for Filipinos, particularly in healthcare and smart cities.

Smart has been testing 5G since 2016, when it achieved with technology partner Nokia 5G speeds of 2.5 Gigabits per second (Gbps) using 100 MHz with latency of just 1 millisecond over a ‘live’ network--the first in the Philippines.

Months later, PLDT and Smart announced that it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with technology partner Huawei Technologies Phils. “to shape the strategic and commercial development of the 5G ecosystem in the Philippines.” In particular, the two parties were looking to identify and develop the areas of technological innovation needed to deliver 5G, which is expected to provide the foundation for the digital connected society.

In June, Smart launched its 5G TechnoLab, which is the company’s flagship facility for the research and development, standardization, and testing of 5G and is designed to be a sustainable environment for innovative services.

With Huawei, Smart also successfully breached 5G speeds of over 14Gbps in a test held at the 5G TechnoLab using 5G New Radio, in which the second set of global standards have been recently ratified.

Parent company PLDT has committed historic levels of resources for network transformation. For 2018, PLDT capex is expected to reach P58 billion, which includes allocations for the aggressive roll-out of its fiber broadband service, which also supports the stepped-up deployment of the mobile network by providing high-capacity links for cellular base stations.