SMC telco unit eyes chunk of subscribers pie

Wi-Tribe Telecoms Inc., the telecommunications unit of San Miguel Corp., expects to end the year with 100,000 wireless Internet subscribers—triple of what it saw last year—as it grows its lineup of offers to cater to a larger market. The company on Monday launched its first prepaid broadband Internet service Wi-Tribe Tri-speed Pure 4G Prepaid stick for budget-conscious users who are not willing to compromise connection speeds. Officials said the company would offer more industry-leading services at fair prices. “We are confident enough that we can build our network resiliently in Metro Manila. We are now covering about 95 percent of the population in Metro Manila,” said Edmund Pike of Wi-Tribe. “We have 80,000 subscribers today. We are on track to having 100,000 by yearend.” By next year, this figure is expected to double, he added. Also, the company said it would expand to areas outside of Metro Manila next year. Being the newest player in the industry, Wi-Tribe Telecoms has the advantage of investing in the latest technology available. San Miguel and multinational QTel group, which maintains operations in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, jointly own the brand Wi-Tribe.