PLDT SME Nation, Samsung and Microsoft Join Forces to Empower SMEs with Broadband and Digital Solutions

ACTION & EVENT-URE:

The Philippines’ fast-growing digital, social and mobile users definitely creates unprecedented opportunities for the 800,000 strong small and medium enterprise (SME) market segment. However, the challenge today is how SMEs can efficiently tap and engage this community. Today, there are over 34 million Facebook users, over 10 million Twitter followers and with over 44 million Filipino internet users and counting.

For more than 5 years since Tatatk Digitista has been created, the site has been a witness to the emergence of promising SMEs and establishments and the potential of the Internet to support its growth.

With this, PLDT SME Nation partners with Samsung & Microsoft Philippines to create innovative business solutions that will enable entrepreneurs to run their business better, grow faster, be more globally competitive and engage with the country’s digital, social and mobile population.

PLDT SME Nation, Samsung and Microsoft forging their partnership: (l-r) PLDT SME Nation AVP and Head of SME and Marketing Amil Azurin, Samsung Philippines Managing Director Harry Lee PLDT First Vice President and Head of SME Business Kat Luna-Abelarde, Microsoft Philippines Director for Small, Midsize Solutions Partners Diana Tibbs, PLDT Executive Vice President and ePLDT President and CEO Eric Alberto, Samsung Philippines Enterprise Director Irene Catane, Samsung Philippines Business Manager James Kwon, and Microsoft Philippines Business Group Lead Tovia Va'aelua.

SMEs can now enjoy the benefits of having PLDT SME Nation’s premium and faster fixed and wireless broadband solutions running on our latest fiber and LTE network. These broadband offerings provide unlimited access which give entrepreneurs the ability to continuously conduct online activities without the fear of bandwidth throttling. Our services also feature committed information rates or CIR, which guarantee minimum bandwidth speeds for businesses and a static IP used to power up their websites and enable faster inter-office data transfers.


Second, PLDT SME Nation boasts of its most robust network and nation-widest reach for its fixed, wireless and now satellite service, ensuring that entrepreneurs will have the best broadband service suited for their business wherever they are.

Lastly, these new broadband packages come with supercharged flexible freebies ranging from relevant and business enabling Cloud Solutions such as Microsoft Office 365 and PLDT Cloud apps for video monitoring, asset tracking, POS, infrastructure and more. SMEs will also be able to get for free and choose the latest array of smart devices from Samsung Philippines and High Definition (HD) TV content from Cignal.

In an event entitled “Growing your Business in the Digital Age”, PLDT SME Nation together with two other industry leaders, Samsung and Microsoft, announced this partnership to create and introduce groundbreaking technologies and tools that will enable SMEs to efficiently manage their businesses anytime, anywhere.

Traditional and online media including bloggers attended the actual press event in City of Dreams Manila.  Ten (10) bloggers on the other hand joined the event via a digital presscon such as Noemi Dado, Jane Uymatiao, Rod Magaru, Abe Olandres, Ryan San Juan, Myke Soon, myself Ferdinand Bondoy etc.

In his welcome remarks, PLDT Executive Vice President and ePLDT President and CEO Eric Alberto highlighted the significance of the partnership saying, “This collaboration and synergy among today’s leaders in the telecommunications industry ushers in a new era of enablement for the small and medium enterprise market segment.

PLDT Executive Vice President and ePLDT President and CEO Eric Alberto delivering the opening remarks at the “Growing Your Business in the Digital Age” press conference

Through this strategic partnership, SMEs will have access to game-changing business tools such as faster and nationwide fixed and wireless broadband solutions, latest gadgets and devices and relevant collaboration cloud applications which should ultimately lead to higher levels of operational efficiencies, expanded market reach, higher profit margin levels, and in the process create higher economic multiplier for our country” Alberto adds.

PLDT SME Nation showcased some of this technology’s capability during the event, inviting several bloggers from Cebu and Manila to virtually take part of the press conference from remote locations using Microsoft Office 365.

To signify the formalization of the partnership among the three companies Alberto was joined on stage by PLDT First Vice President and Head of SME Business Kat Luna-Abelarde, Samsung Philippines Managing Director Harry Lee, Samsung Philippines Business Manager James Kwon, Samsung Philippines Enterprise Director Irene Catane, Microsoft Philippines Director for Small, Midsize Solutions Partners Diana Tibbs and Microsoft Philippines Business Group Lead Tovia Va’aelua for the push-button inauguration.

PLDT Executive Vice President and ePLDT President and CEO Eric Alberto (Center) is joined on stage by (l-r): PLDT SME Nation Category Head for Business Solutions Christian Lim, PLDT SME Nation AVP and Head of SME and Marketing Amil Azurin, PLDT First Vice President and Head of SME Business Kat Luna-Abelarde, Samsung Philippines Managing Director Harry Lee, Microsoft Philippines Director for Small, Midsize Solutions Partners Diana Tibbs, Samsung Philippines Enterprise Director Irene Catane, Samsung Philippines Business Manager James Kwon, and Microsoft Philippines Business Group Lead Tovia Va'aelua.

In her closing remarks, PLDT First Vice President and Head of SME Business Kat Luna-Abelarde pledged PLDT SME Nation’s commitment to provide SMEs with the best broadband and digital solutions saying, “PLDT SME Nation reaffirms its support for Filipino SMEs as we continue to innovate with industry leaders to provide our country’s aspiring entrepreneurs with supercharged fixed and wireless broadband solutions for their businesses, making us their true partner for growth.”

PLDT First Vice President and Head of SME Business Kat Luna-Abelarde 

As someone who ventured into own business in the past but failed, I can see the great opportunities in this synergy of PLDT SME Nation, Samsung and Microsoft.  And hopefully soon, I will be able to grab on this opportunity, benefit from its innovative business solutions and succeed this time around.