Sun offers budget phone service to spur revenues

The market outlook for postpaid mobile cellular service is growing with more bundled value-added services at economical costs.

In an interview with The Market Monitor, Sun Cellular confirmed that the Philippine mobile industry would continue to experience double-digit growth amid the improving economy and affordability of postpaid plans.

Joel Lumanlan, Sun vice president, said Sun would sustain its growth momentum in postpaid this year with the first quarter posting an 18-percent increase year-on-year.

Last year Sun registered a 16-percent increase, compared with Globe Telecom Inc.’s 12-percent hike, in 2014.

Sun admits that its market niche lies in the entry-level postpaid segment.

Lumanlan said new subscribers would be ordinary students with at least P100 allowance a week for mobile communications.

With the launch last week of the Sun Best Value 450, Sun is addressing this need of “usage and free phone,” he said.

The Best Value 450 comes with a free Android phone, unlimited monthly Sun calls and texts, 20 hours of mobile surfing, free Freebook, and 250 free texts to all networks.

Sun recognizes that each telecommunications company has its own market niche in terms of product bundling.

The mobile firm studies the needs of its consumers and positions its brand, which, for Sun, is directed toward serving the entry-level segment of postpaid. These are the people who are not yet in the market and wanting to get postpaid for best value.

Lumanlan said that Sun’s sister company Smart, under parent firm Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT), offers innovative solutions to enrich consumers’ lifestyles and this postpaid plan caters to the higher plan market niche.

“We are confident that Sun will sustain this momentum of double-digit growth and outpace its direct competitor as we roll out highly competitive products that appeal to the wise spender in every Filipino. Sun’s strategy has always been simple: Empower Filipinos with a much better choice for their mobile services,” Lumanlan said.