Digital Lifestyle | "PORT OUT, PORT IN" in the Philippines Underway on September 2021

Telecommunications Connectivity Incorporated (TCI) logo

The three (3) big telecommunications companies in the Philippines have collaborated to ensure the mobile network portability will be possible in the country. The long dream of having your mobile numbers permanent even you switch networks will happen very soon sometime in September 2021. With this recent development, hence, Telecommunications Connectivity Incorporated is formed.

Mobile Number Portability is not a new scheme in the world, it is available in Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan. Soon, it will come to a reality in the Philippines, with the help of Syniverse as the technical support. "PORT OUT and PORT IN" will be a new practice among mobile telco subscribers, when they opt to change their network to transfer to another. Yes, it will encourage the telcos to be more competitive with their services so that it can entice subscribers to port in.

TCI expects around a million subscribers to have port out and port in transactions in its first year of operations, but who knows the real numbers yet as they are about to start by September 2021.

Good thing that to avail of the services for mobile number portability, it is free! The process will include that you ask a 9-digit Unique Subscriber Code (USC) from your current network and show it to your prospect new network. It will take 48 hours (that's fast!) so that the switch will happen. After opting to port out/port in, you will have to wait for another 60 days to avail port out/port in if you wish to switch again.

The good thing about the Mobile Number Portability (MNP) it is already a law under Republic Act 11202. Thus, to comply with it is a must. It will really give the Filipinos an option of which telco service provider they'll have to enjoy. With the port in and port out to networks, subscribers will enjoy the promos of respective networks: DITO, Globe and Smart. It can also be enjoyed a transfer of prepaid to postpaid, postpaid to prepaid, postpaid to postpaid and prepaid to prepaid. However, A FRIENDLY REMINDER, among the postpaid subscribers, it will be possible after completing the liabilities to the concurrent network.

This is indeed a gamechanger in the industry of telecommunications. As this will be realized, changing of numbers will be less and hopefully will also attribute to personal identification in the future in the Philippines. I wish the TCI all the best with this. As what TCI GM, Ms. Melanie Manuel have said, "IN UNITY, THERE IS CONNECTIVITY".

Thank you for visiting my avenue, www.ten7avenue.com.

Lifestyle | How to Buy Load with DITO Telecommunity App?

To top up your DITO Telecommunity account is a bit of a confusing activity as this is a new telco player in the Philippines. Not all e-loading stores, especially sari-sari stores, are able yet to do topping up for DITO. One has to visit an accredited DITO sim retailer and reloader to top up account or do it through the DITO Telecommunity App. For me, it is more convenient and easier to top up through the app, here's how.

App Dashboard

First and foremost, you should have downloaded the DITO Application through Google Playstore or Huawei App. Sign in your mobile number and the password, a combination of 6 digits, given upon the activation of the sim. It will really help a lot to keep the password with the simcard case like what I did.

Load Denominations

Proceeding to Payment

Upon signing in, you will be able to check your mobile data usage, existing call and text promos and of course your load balance. If you are already out of load, all you need to do is click the icon "BUY LOAD", you will then be directed to how much you wanted to top up, denominations available are as follows: P10, P30, P50, P100, P200 and P500.  I have chosen P200 as I will avail of the promo of P199 good for 25gb of data, unlimited text to all network and unlimited call to DITO and 300 minutes call to other networks. Upon choosing how much to BUY LOAD, you will be directed to the payment options, as of now, you can choose using your bank ATM, GCash, GrabPay or WeChat Pay. As for me, I have chosen the ATM because choosing GCash does not direct me to check out. So, I just provided the information for payment just like paying for plane tickets, online shopping haul and the likes.

Message After Purchasing Promo

Next thing to do is to go back at the main dashboard and click "BUY PROMO". As of the moment, the promo available is the P199, as presented earlier. Only some few clicks to do the Buy Promo as long as you have enough load credits. After the transaction, you'll receive a THANK YOU message with the transaction receipt. Then, you are good to go with your mobile data, SMS and call transactions.

So far, as per experience, I have consumed my 25gb of data less than a month as I have increased mobile data activity and tried to experiment how far the 25gb of data will do me especially that I have YouTube activities. So far, I am able to consume the 25gb for 3 weeks with most activities in YouTube livestreaming, uploading and premiere marathon. So, I have to top up in less than a month which is fine and it will add up the data capacity. So far, enjoying DITO Telecommunity data services though there are still places with blank spot, but it is not new because even the older telcos also have blank spots.

Thank you for visiting my avenue, www.ten7avenue.com.

Lifestyle | DITO Expanding Reach with New Promo

Newest DITO Promo

DITO Telecommunity which started commercial operations last March 8, 2021 is now expanding its reach in the northern area, to wit: select areas in Central Luzon and South Luzon. With its initial rollout in the select areas in Mindanao and Visayas, it presented a promo of P199 unlimited data and unlimited Dito to Dito calls and texts.

I have availed their initial promo here in Mindanao and able to enjoy their faster speed for internet and I can rely on it as primary source of data.

Check out my vlog at JoyoftheWorld as I compared speed test of existing mobile data providers. Here's the link: https://youtu.be/SwUw6Ptm1rs

However, I also have observed that there are still some blank spots in the city wherein there is no data while riding a car in Sasa, Davao City, yet there is network signal but low data reception. On the other hand, I am surprised that I have reliable mobile data even at villages nearby Ecoland, Matina Pangi and even at Jade Valley. I am fully aware that DITO Telecommunity, as a new player in the telecommunications industry, their infrastructure is still expanding but is already giving me a good service - a reliable one.

The newest promo offered by DITO is still at P199. There is data cap at 25GB but you can have unlimited text to all networks, unlimited calls to DITO subscribers and 300 minutes call to other networks. The promo will be good from April 16-30, 2021 that I will also grab as my initial subscription ends tomorrow, April 17. This will also test me how far my 25GB can serve me with frequent gaming and YouTube viewing. The promo will really be a game changer if it becomes a postpaid offering, but I understand that it is just a promo. Let's see it in the coming months as their physical stores are yet to be finished in some malls in Davao City and other areas.

I am wishing success for the third telco even on this challenging times.

Thank you for visiting my avenue, www.ten7avenue.com. 

Digital Lifestyle | 5G Technology and Its Roll Out in the Philippines

5G or the 5th Generation technology for network connectivity is the future of telecommunications. This is going to be an advantage of having a bigger bandwidth and faster download speeds that can go as 10 Gbits/s without competing on wired connectivity. The technology is designed to be more wireless. To harness the 5G network, it needs to have a compatible device or 5G enabled devices.

To date (February 1, 2021), based on Ookla 5G Map, the Philippines has 45 5G sites wherein 33 in Luzon (including NCR), 9 in Visayas and 3 in Mindanao (2 in Davao City and 1 in Cagayan de Oro City). In our neighboring Southeast Asian countries, Singapore has 66 5G sites; Thailand has 446 5G sites; while Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia and Myanmar will have their 5G sites soon.

It is interesting to note that the Philippines is not behind the rollout of 5G network in the world. The existing telecom players in the country are rolling out 5G sites and the incoming player is going to harness 4G and 5G technology. This somehow will create more roll out of 5G sites in the country and improving connectivity, hopefully.

So, here's a story of Globe's budget-friend 5G devices:

LIST: What are budget-friendly Globe 5G devices?

Heard of the flagship 5G smartphones from various tech giants such as the Samsung S21, Huawei Mate 40 Pro and the iPhone12 range? While popular, they can be expensive! Good thing, Globe Postpaid plans now come with budget-friendly 5G smartphones.

Globe offers a wide array of budget-friendly 5G-ready devices that allows you to stream high-quality movies and TV shows, play online games, and get on conference calls with clearer video and audio. 

But first, you’ll need a good 5G-ready device to experience the full potential of this technology. You can purchase it here https://shop.globe.com.ph/devices/5g-mobile-phones or visit the Globe Store nearest you.

• Huawei’s Nova 7 SE

It is currently the most affordable 5G smartphone in the line up. While it’s the most affordable, it packs a lot on tech.  The nifty smartphone features a 6.5-inch screen, a powerful Kirin 820 chipset, 8GB of RAM and a 64-megapixel Five AI camera comes for free with Globe’s ThePlan 1299 and above.

• Huawei Nova 7 

Coming in with a slightly larger screen and an upgraded chipset is the Huawei Nova 7. This 5G smartphone boasts of a 6.53-inch display with a 2400 x 1080 resolution, a formidable Kirin 985 chipset, and a quad-camera feature. The Nova 7 comes bundled at no extra cost with Globe’s ThePlan 1799 and above.

• Samsung Galaxy A42 5G 

This also suits cost-conscious customers, featuring a 6.6-inch super AMOLED screen, 128GB of memory and a quad-camera setup. You may get this model for free with Globe’s ThePlan 1799 and above.

Customers may also choose from Globe’s flagship phones, including the Samsung Galaxy Note20, Samsung S20 Ultra, Huawei P40 and P40 Pro, that promises to maximize 5G’s powerful speeds and enjoy new ways to connect, watch, play, and socialize given the new normal.

To enjoy the complete 5G experience, users need a 5G-capable mobile phone with a 4G/LTE SIM which are both compatible with Globe’s upgraded network. 

Upgrade your 3G SIM to a 5G-ready SIM now. It’s absolutely free! 

The 5G technology is really an interesting update of our current network connectivity. With the pandemic still around, virtual connectivity has become the new norm among the academes, companies and many businesses. The needed faster connectivity is hopefully experienced in the nearest future, especially when the device is 5G ready.

Thank you for visiting my avenue, www.ten7avenue.com.

Lifestyle | Globe #makeITsafePH : How Do You Use Your Mobile Data?

The Philippines is among the world’s widest user of the world wide web. Yes, approximately 67 million internet users doing a surf in this vast world. Given this kind of statistics and lifestyle, have you ever asked yourself how you act in the internet? Who are you in the world wide web? Or how do you use your mobile data? Perhaps, let’s do this often and Globe #makeITsafePH campaign be one of your advocacies.

At the start of the 21^st century, using the computer and internet had been part of the curriculum. Students were taught of basic computer applications and how to use the internet; during those times, we used dial-up connection.

Well, in this digital age, there’s a rapid change of connectivity. We observe it from a dial-up to wifi connection and even using mobile data anytime, anywhere. May I borrow some words from a familiar action movie, Spiderman: “with great power comes great responsibility.” It is true even to this very day and even in the future. Getting inspiration from these words, #makeITsafePH urges us to be responsible netizens.

But how do you use your mobile data? Many usually use their mobile data for entertainment of all kinds and social media accounts - it can be all day and all night. That has always been the case but should not always be the case. It can be seen that many are using social media accounts for communicating with friends, officemates and even dating. Aside from social media accounts, many play some online games connecting with the world.

However, there's so much that can be done with your mobile data. You can do research, blogging, influence people with factual information, do online transactions to pay bills and others, thus, making your mobile data usage PRODUCTIVE!

Using the mobile data is empowering people to share any information. Yes, any information that needs to be factual. Aside from being factual, it should be responsibly disseminated. Thus, we need to #makeITsafePH.

More over, we really need to cleanse a bit of some habits of sharing unverified things. There has to be a mindful culture of things done online. It can affect you, your family and even a community. To have a safer community, reality and virtually, make a healthier online habit always. Cheers!

Thank you for visiting my avenue, www.ten7avenue.com.

Don't hesitate to share your insights and comment.