Digitel plays catch-up, announces entry into 3G

MANILA, Philippines- Although admittedly a latecomer to the third generation mobile services, Digitel Mobile Phils. Inc. said Monday that it expects its new service offering to be well-received by clients. Digitel, a unit of JG Summit Holdings, operates the Sun Cellular brand of mobile phone products and services. “While we are considered as the third player in the cellular market, we have disadvantages and advantages as well. We have the latest technology. By end of the year we will have the most superior, more advance technology platform for our 2G (second generation), 3G (third generation) and 3.5G," said Digitel president and chief executive officer James Go. Go said after the company’s shareholders’ meeting that Sun Cellular now has six million subscriber, up from 5.3 million as of end-March. “We now already have six million. We hope to get to 10 million by year end. To acquire that number we have to keep on rolling out advance and latest infrastructure and we are confident that once we have build out our network we will be almost at par with the country’s top two mobile networks. That is our advantage over them. With our very powerful 3G network, we will be at par with them in terms of network coverage and capacity," said Go. Digitel has earlier announced that is setting aside $300 million to finance the company’s wireless businesses. The amount will finance its 3G business, expand its broadband service, and increase its mobile phone cell sites to 4,000 by year-end. - GMANews.TV