Globe Board OKs P22/share Cash Dividend; Allots Capex of Up to $750M for 2016

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Globe Telecom said its board approved the declaration of a first quarter cash dividend of P22 per share for common shares. The dividend will be paid to shareholders on record as of February 22, 2016, with payment date on March 4, 2016.

“The dividend payout is in line with the policy of distributing 75%-90% of prior year’s core net income,” said Rizza Maniego-Eala, Globe Acting Chief Finance Officer, adding the quarter’s dividend payment totals about P2.9 billion. On an annualized basis, the dividends represent a payout of 77% of 2015 core net income.

Notwithstanding its dividend payment, Globe is also allocating a capital expenditure of up to $750 million for 2016, of which majority will be related to data, including spend for deployment of LTE mobile and LTE @Home, increased network capacities and coverage as well as enhancement of fixed line data infrastructure and transmission facilities. The company’s aggressive stance to continue investing in its network reach and capacity is geared towards enhancing its customers’ digital lifestyle.

Globe Telecom’s spending for its network infrastructure is one of the highest among Asian operators over the last two years, as it devotes up to 24% of annual revenues for its infrastructure build. Based on publicly available regulatory reports, Globe had a capex to revenue ratio of 28% in 2015, and 27% in 2014 for both wireless and wireline, which were higher than the Philippine telecommunications industry average of 23% in both 2015 and 2014.

Lumia 550 Now Available in the Philippines

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Microsoft today announced the availability of the Lumia 550 in the Philippines for only PHP6490. 

The newest smartphone to join the Lumia family, the Lumia 550 is our most affordable 4G LTE smartphone with Windows 10, signature Microsoft apps and services such as Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)***, Cortana ****, OneDrive, Outlook Mail and Outlook Calendar on a premium 4.7” HD display.

· Enjoy the familiarity of Windows 10, with Microsoft Office apps tailored to your screen size and OneDrive cloud storage so that you can view, create, and edit documents on the go

· See and do more with a premium 4.7” HD display even in bright sunlight, whether you are reviewing documents, looking at photos or watching videos

· Stay on top of everything in your life with Cortana, your truly personal digital assistant, that helps you be more productive and stay organised by completing basic tasks like sending emails, scheduling events and syncing your reminders across your Windows 10 devices

· Get more done with a superfast LTE 4G internet connectivity combined with a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon Quad core processor and 1GB RAM that keeps you up to speed

· Power through the day with up to 14 hours of talk time and 28 days of standby time, thanks to a long-lasting 2100 mAh battery

U-Hop Set to Launch New Products

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U- hop will soon be launching new products. On top of the product launch is the "U-Hop Q," an automated queuing system enabled through a smartphone app. By using the U-Hop Q app, you no longer have to physically line up for transactions and services; the app will generate a number for you and you can do other things meantime while you wait for your turn. The app has a real-time update of the number being served at that given moment, so you can manage your time well. U-Hop is working on their partnerships, which include banks and other government services. Their technology is provided for by Q Happy, a Thailand-based Tech company.

Another new product is the Froehlich Tours. Froehlich Tours Inc. is a service that provides tour buses all over the Philippines. U-Hop will provide the tap cards which is similar to MRT's Beep Card. By using their tap card, traveling will be more efficient as you can always hop on the tour bus without the hassle of pre-booking. For every time you board the bus, you are updated on how much credit is left on your card.

Lastly, U-Hop has the B to B or Business to Business service. This is a shuttle service that provides employees with a ride to the office and back. They recently did a pilot test with the employees of Banco de Oro, and initial feedback includes the increase on productivity because the employees are no longer late, and compared to the toll that commuting takes on your mind and body, employees find that they are more efficient being ferried to work. U-Hop is excited to tell you about their new products, all within their vision to provide a more efficient transport service for the public.