# Phone and data plans.



## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

I did a bit of a search with smart looking for a similar set up to what we have in Australia, not much joy that's for sure. Thought I'd ask the brains trust.
While here for 4 to 5 weeks a year we just top up pre paid, that works ok I suppose but would prefer a decent plan when we move here.
In Oz we have a phone each, owned outright on 2 x AU 50.00 per month, about PHP 1,800 each.
Each plan gets unlimited local and mobile calls within the country, $ 300.00 of international calls, about 150 minutes, 15 gig of data and all with roll over. Is there anything like or similar to this in the Philippines?

Cheers, Steve.


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## JRB__NW (Apr 8, 2015)

Steve, it probably doesn't answer your question but I find it hard to beat the prepaid. I'm a moderate internet user (lots of surfing but no FB) and I don't stream video or music to my phone unless I'm on wifi at home. So for me, I just buy a 1000-1500 peso Globe load every month and apportion some of that (P299) for the 30 day Go Surf (1.5GB data) plus I can make a few decent phone calls to the US and all the Viber, text and local calls I need. Occasionally I need to buy another Go Surf chunk of data if I use up the 1.5GB.

I know Globe offers robust postpaid plans but I found them pricey, and was so impressed with how cheap the prepaid is here that I switched my US ATT plan to prepaid and my bill dropped from $80/mo to $40, with 5GB data. Coincidentally, many people in the US are going the same route. Almost no one uses the old fixed contracts anymore. Of course if you're used to unlimited data - ie. you auto backup all your files and photos, use Facebook a lot, and stream music and video, well I can definitely see the need for a more robust plan.


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## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

JRB__NW said:


> Steve, it probably doesn't answer your question but I find it hard to beat the prepaid. I'm a moderate internet user (lots of surfing but no FB) and I don't stream video or music to my phone unless I'm on wifi at home. So for me, I just buy a 1000-1500 peso Globe load every month and apportion some of that (P299) for the 30 day Go Surf (1.5GB data) plus I can make a few decent phone calls to the US and all the Viber, text and local calls I need. Occasionally I need to buy another Go Surf chunk of data if I use up the 1.5GB.
> 
> I know Globe offers robust postpaid plans but I found them pricey, and was so impressed with how cheap the prepaid is here that I switched my US ATT plan to prepaid and my bill dropped from $80/mo to $40, with 5GB data. Coincidentally, many people in the US are going the same route. Almost no one uses the old fixed contracts anymore. Of course if you're used to unlimited data - ie. you auto backup all your files and photos, use Facebook a lot, and stream music and video, well I can definitely see the need for a more robust plan.


Thanks JRB,
I see what you are saying but for us as we are both pigs when it comes to internet and phone usage, 15 Gig a month each on our phones and between 100 and 250 Gig on our home broadband, we both call international numbers from Oz and when we move here that usage will go up I'm sure. There are a plethora of apps we currently use to chat around the world, WhatsApp, viber etc but I do make many mobile calls to the UK, Germany and Thailand for business purposes.
Still searching the net for answers, early days yet.

Cheers, Steve.


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## Tukaram (Dec 18, 2014)

Most of the cellphone plans here do not include much internet - but do include free Facebook. Since a majority of Filipinos seem to think FB is the entire internet... it works out well. 

Globe offers unlimited call & text, to all networks and unlimited internet for p1,600. It does not include any international calling but most people use apps for that so the unli net would cover it too. This is a prepaid monthly plan, no contract. With a contract there might be a better price. Nobody I know uses a contract plan.


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## pronse (Apr 3, 2009)

There is only two companies in this business and both are Chinese!
Your location can tell which one has better reception there?
Same gimmick and 'efficiency' both.
Tesla, an Australian company, thought about it but quit the idea. Too much bribery and their skin is white 


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## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

pronse said:


> There is only two companies in this business and both are Chinese!
> Your location can tell which one has better reception there?
> Same gimmick and 'efficiency' both.
> Tesla, an Australian company, thought about it but quit the idea. Too much bribery and their skin is white
> ...


Telstra pulls out of Philippines venture but CEO keen for Asian acquisitions

I don't think skin colour or bribes really came into it, Telstra are still doing business here and will continue to I'm sure just on a much lessor scale.
From memory they already have a call centre in Manila with well over 3,000 operators.
My supplier in Oz "virgin Mobile under the Optus network" also have their call centres based in Manila and I believe also Cebu, for the 16 years I have been dealing with them they have been great and their plans are extremely competitive, the reason for this is the multitude of telcos trying to win new customers, the prices keep dropping.

As you said there are only 2 major players here, I thought there were more but stand corrected.
Until many other players come into the market the prices and service will suffer, competition forces existing companies to streamline and become more efficient.
Telstras call centre used to be in Oz, when the government sold, it became a public company, new players came into the market with better deals, Telstra moved their callcentre offshore to be more competitive,,,,,,,, you all know the story, same in all countries around the world.
Still looking at phone plans here but we have time.

On a different note, the internet went down in the house we are renting for a month, after a day I spoke to the owner, she looked at it with her computer, no joy, that was 3:15 pm, by 5pm a technician was here, fixed in 10 mins. I call that good service, the same problem in Oz especially with the company mentioned could take a week to fix.
Though the internet and phones are up and down here the system seems to work but must be frustrating if you are trying to run a business, what also amazes me is many companies have a phone number for each carrier here, perhaps so calling customers get free calls if they are with the same provider? 

Cheers, Steve.


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## pronse (Apr 3, 2009)

Yes. It's Telstra.
The bribery and skin color issue were just side issue. The main one was that Globe and PLDT would have raised h*ll against Telstra and they wouldn't let another company to take some of their easy profits away. 
Why do you think the Philippines is the only country that lags in this field? It's because of lack of competition. They could lie to you fully knowing that you have no choice 



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## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

pronse said:


> Yes. It's Telstra.
> The bribery and skin color issue were just side issue. The main one was that Globe and PLDT would have raised h*ll against Telstra and they wouldn't let another company to take some of their easy profits away.
> Why do you think the Philippines is the only country that lags in this field? It's because of lack of competition. They could lie to you fully knowing that you have no choice
> 
> ...


Yep, that was probably another factor, being tied up in a very slow legal system here with a bunch of law suits to contend with.
From memory SMC already have problems over bandwidths that they purchased years ago and other companies are now trying to force the gov to take some back and share around.
Interesting system.
I'm sure SMC will fight tooth and nail to hold this monopoly and rightly so, they had the foresight to invest for the growth of their company.

Cheers, Steve


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## pronse (Apr 3, 2009)

It's stealing and not making money mentality 'business'!
The laws are subject to whoever pays more. 


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## American friend (Mar 29, 2017)

*Question*

I use limited cell phone time and like Trac Phone in the USA with triple minutes . What would be a great smart phone to bring to PHI , under $200.00 , with excellent reception , camera, etc , but the ability to keep expenses down . For internet I prefer a laptop . Will I need a plan for the laptop or are there free hot-spots ? salamat .


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

American friend said:


> I use limited cell phone time and like Trac Phone in the USA with triple minutes . What would be a great smart phone to bring to PHI , under $200.00 , with excellent reception , camera, etc , but the ability to keep expenses down . For internet I prefer a laptop . Will I need a plan for the laptop or are there free hot-spots ? salamat .


There are many free hotspots, most malls have one, McDonalds is a favourite, many aircon coaches now have free wifi. As to phone, any unlocked phone that you can put a local sim card into.


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## SierraMadreMe (Mar 26, 2015)

American friend said:


> I use limited cell phone time and like Trac Phone in the USA with triple minutes . What would be a great smart phone to bring to PHI , under $200.00 , with excellent reception , camera, etc , but the ability to keep expenses down . For internet I prefer a laptop . Will I need a plan for the laptop or are there free hot-spots ? salamat .



Like Gary said,there are free wifi hotspots around the country,depending on where you will locate and travel of course.

Honestly,I wouldn't bring a phone in the country.Phones are readily available,as well as service.I would be afraid that the phone I brought might not have the correct software for 3g or 4g whatever the heck it is they use here.I don't know much about phones to be honest,but I would rather buy locally and know that the phone will work here..but that is just me and like I said,phones are not my forte.

SMM


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## Tiz (Jan 23, 2016)

Most "free" hotspots are next to useless.
If I'm out and about and internet on a laptop or tablet then I just tether it to my phone's connection.

Another alternative is to buy a Globe Tattoo portable wifi device. 
They are pretty cheap.


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## fmartin_gila (May 15, 2011)

Tiz said:


> Another alternative is to buy a Globe Tattoo portable wifi device.
> They are pretty cheap.


Had a Tattoo unit a few years ago. How well they work depends on where you are. Worked well in the Manila area but not so good in Iloilo.

Fred


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## Tiz (Jan 23, 2016)

fmartin_gila said:


> Had a Tattoo unit a few years ago. How well they work depends on where you are. Worked well in the Manila area but not so good in Iloilo.
> 
> Fred


Oh yeah.
I've never taken mine outside of Makati.


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

We bought one in Dinilupihan.Pampanga, not even heavy enough to make a good paperweight. The local network there is so overloaded that it would only work at about 3am and then only very slow. What I do now although no faster due to the local conditions is use my phone a hotspot. We have no telephone lines into the village.


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