SkyCable lures cable TV clients to try out internet service

MANILA, Philippines - Lopez-led SkyCable is upgrading its broadband business to lure more cable television subscribers to sign up for its internet service. SkyCable vice president for marketing Rodrigo Montinola said the company has earmarked P500 million for upgrades until next year to boost the broadband internet business. The cable company offers the ZPDee internet, which uses SkyCable's high-bandwidth facilities to carry heavy online data at a download speed of 12 megabytes per second, or as much as four times faster than a residential direct subscriber line (DSL). Despite the fast-speed offering, ZPDee has so far cornered less than one percent of its 400,000 cable subscribers to sign up for its broadband internet service. "We want to be known not just a cable TV company. Investments may amount to P500 million until next year for our SkyBroadband offering," Montinola told reporters on Monday. Under SkyCable's new business strategy, the internet business will now be known as SkyBroadband, which will use higher bandwidth. To market SkyBroadband, the company is offering a 15-day trial for the internet service to selected SkyCable subscribers in the firm's serviceable areas. SkyBroadband is initially available in Makati, Manila, Muntinlupa, Pasig, San Juan, Taguig, Quezon City, Mandaluyong, Las Piñas, Parañaque, and Pasay. - GMANews.TV