Business Mirror 7/14/2009

The country’s second largest mobile services provider Globe Telecom announced its first running event, one that officials said is in line with the firm’s social programs which, at the same time, is expected to translate to growth in its subscriber base.

Globe Telecom Consumer Wireless Business Group head Ferdinand dela Cruz said the move is, in part, a promotional tool to link people’s online activity with the Ayala-led telco.

“The event will be a showcase of technology. It will also drive traffic to the Globe website,” said dela Cruz at the sidelines of a press briefing held on Monday.

The running event, dubbed Run for Home: Globe-Ayala-Land City Run for Habitat and Humanity, intends to raise funds to refurbish an initial 800 housing units in the Bayanijuan sa Calauan, a 100-hectare resettlement site located in Laguna.

Dela Cruz said promotional tools such as the Run for Home project are expected to grow Globe’s user base in the long term since the event will likely be held yearly. Globe subscribers at the end of March this year reached 25.7 million, or a 21-percent increase from the 2008 level.

The move is also seen as part of Globe’s efforts to creatively beef up its position in this highly competitive sector. Industry observers earlier said creating new products and service offerings such as the Globe Duo and WiMax may not be enough to cope with competition especially during tough times when consumers tend to cut back on nonessential spending.

Globe, along with affiliates in the Ayala Group, will contribute P1 million for the new homes. This, as the cost to put up a house is estimated to reach P70,000.

Runners will traverse a route from Bonifacio Global City to the Makati Central Building District to showcase developments by Ayala Land Inc., the group’s property arm.

The event is scheduled on July 19 at 5 a.m. in Bonifacio Global City and will have four races— the 3-kilometer (km), 5-km, 10-km and 21-km runs. Registration ends on July 14.

The event is open to new and prepaid subscribers who can join by purchasing P300 worth of credits and registering to unlitxt all-day promo for P80. Meanwhile, Globe platinum and postpaid subscribers can join after paying P300 worth of credits and registering to unlitxt all-day, also for for P80.

Non-Globe subscribers can opt to pay between P500 to P700, depending on the running category.

“This is the beginning of an effort to tell people that they can help in their own small way,” said Ayala Corp. vice chairman Fernando Zobel de Ayala.