The new PLDT SubicTel Innolab’s launch was blessed with light showers and a cool night sky. The facility is the latest herald of Subic’s ongoing change into a tech-enabled global investment powerhouse. Fitting in quite neatly with this shift was the launch theme, “Fully Loaded,” promising locators with a wide array of ICT tools necessary to power their businesses.

Truth be told, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority has not been spared the consequences of a relatively harsh 2008. Even as the total number of SBMA approved projects rose 6%, there was still a reported 85% drop in overall investment value or $249 M, down from $1.7 B in ’07.

But the attitude remains steadfast and upbeat, especially in light of operational efficiencies so inherent in leading PLDT ICT business solutions. Already new industries are emerging as future harbingers of opportunity. For example the leisure sector contributed nearly $ 53.59 M for September alone out of $ 57.74 M in total new investments for SBMA. Positivism and a can-do attitude can only be further emboldened with the opening of Subic’s own Innolab.

The Subic business community will further benefit in no small part to Innolab’s reputation and history as a breeding ground of new innovations for the next generation technological revolution, a hotbed for focused research, new product development and service innovation. On top of its defined role as a “key driver of innovation” to upgrade telecom training, Innolab will benefit businesses with new ways of delivering business information and data, and of enabling quicker, safer transactions among others. There will be further downstream benefits to related communities such as the academe, government and the general public in the form of training and education.

And so guests were very interested to view specialty PLDT business solutions for hotels and resorts like PLDT Port for area broadband access, and SMART’s Fixed Cellular Service (FCS) for full voice, fax, and data connectivity through GSM and GPRS. There was also particular clamour for contact centre solutions like PLDT OnCall, a modular and managed “turnkey” solution; and mobile internet access solutions such as PLDT WeRoam, applicable across all industries.

PLDT SVP and SubicTel Chairman Eric R. Alberto emphasized his organization’s continued trust and support for SBMA’s push forward into ICT enabled businesses. “We are confident and hopeful that through this PLDT SubicTel Innolab we can elevate Subic to the next higher level as an investment location of choice… this will be crucial to the development of the larger national economy.”

Olongapo Mayor James Gordon reiterated his hopes that infrastructure and training enhancements such as PLDT SubicTel Innolab would reinvigorate the economy of Olongapo City with a “bullish atmosphere” and strengthen business confidence in the area. He also thanked PLDT subsidiary SubicTel for the help and support given to the community towards generating employment opportunities, development and training towards technology competency.

SBMA Adminstrator Armand Arreza said that, “Speed is the name of the game. The Philippines has a lot of catching up to do. Although SBMA has done its part in attracting new investments into the zone, we have to take it into the next level…the support of companies such as PLDT make this closer to reality.” He added that technology and knowledge are changing the economic paradigm from labour intensive into knowledge intensive and that this was especially relevant to SBMA’s longer term strategy. In this regard the PLDT SubicTel Innolab will be central to a technology-driven engine of growth for Subic.

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PLDT opens P20-million Innolab facility in Subic
By Ma. Elisa P. Osorio - Philstar.com
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=513594&publicationSubCategoryId=66

MANILA, Philippines, October 13, 2009 – Philippine Long Distance Telephone Corp. (PLDT) has opened a P20-million Innovative Laboratory (Innolab) facility at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone to help boost the information technology (IT) sector in the ecozone.

“PLDT’s Innolab marks a new foundation for Subic Bay’s emergence in the knowledge economy,” said Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) administrator Armand Arreza.

He noted that the opening of the new facility will help the freeport maximize its potential in the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector.

“With PLDT as partner, the Subic Bay Freeport can now shift from labor-intensive industries to knowledge-based industries, guided by the emerging trends in the IT sector,” Arreza added.

He said the PLDT Innolab will showcase Subic ’s capabilities in terms of IT support, and will eventually determine to some extent direction taken by the IT sector in the freeport.

For her part, PLDT first vice-president Nerissa Ramos said the PLDT Innolab features “proofs of concept” of breakthrough technologies that are being offered by PLDT.

“Soon, everyone will realize that Subic’s IT capabilities is as good as what is offered in Manila, Cebu, Clark and other renowned BPO destinations in the country,” Ramos said.

According to PLDT, it is now offering various “cutting edge” IT solutions in the fields of hotel and restaurant management, manufacturing, retailing, franchising, real estate, and BPO.

“The Internet is playing a huge role in today’s management of businesses. With PLDT solutions, people can monitor and make business directions even from afar, and even generate cost-savings, as they employ these technologies that streamline business processes,” Ramos said.

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PLDT, Smart disrupted as undersea cables break
BusinessWorld
http://www.bworldonline.com/BW081309/content.php?id=042

MANILA, Philippines, August 13, 2009 – CABLE BREAKS due to bad weather have affected the services of Philippine Long Distance Telephone (PLDT) Co.

Multiple cable faults that occurred yesterday morning between China and Taiwan, and Malaysia and Singapore have crippled mobile unit Smart Communications, Inc.’s international and broadband services.

The cable cuts are within the Asia-Pacific Cable Network (APCN) 2, a submarine telecommunications cable linking several countries in the Asia-Pacific region with local landing point in Batangas Bay in Batangas City.

The APCN 2 is a 19,000-kilometer-long fiber optic cable system that connects China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Taiwan.

Smart Communications said its wireless subscribers may have difficulties making or receiving overseas calls, and sending or receiving text messages abroad.

Also, the "Smart Bro" and "Smart Bro Plug-It" services may encounter "slow or intermittent," and difficulty in accessing Web sites hosted overseas.

"We are still awaiting word on the cause of the fiber cuts. In the meantime, Smart would like to assure the general public that close coordination is ongoing with our network counterparts abroad to aid in restoring normal services as soon as possible," Smart Communications said in a statement.

PLDT said "the PLDT Group is now re-routing traffic to other cable systems and coordinating with partners in affected international cable systems to restore full capacity as soon as possible."

In December 2006, the Philippines’ Internet connection was disrupted by an earthquake in Taiwan. It took less than a week to fix the disruption.

Smart Communications has over 38.5 million subscribers with 1.2 million broadband users. PLDT has 510,000 broadband subscribers and 1.8 million fixed-line customers.

Mediaquest Holdings, Inc., a unit of the PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund, has a minor stake in BusinessWorld.

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