Two of the country’s industry leaders — PLDT Inc., the country’s leading telco and digital services provider, and Grab, Southeast Asia’s leading everyday superapp — have announced a groundbreaking partnership to quickly deliver internet solutions straight to Filipino homes.
This is part of the company’s ongoing efforts to further pivot toward more online-driven services, bolstering its already significant digital presence in anticipation of the ‘next new normal’. By selecting Grab as their strategic partner, PLDT shares in their vision of empowering the whole of Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, through the power of technology.
Under this partnership, PLDT and Grab will provide various online channels through which customers can conveniently order PLDT Home and Smart’s products and have them delivered straight to their homes within 24 hours.
Starting Monday, June 8, 2020, PLDT Home customers in the Greater Metro Manila area can order PLDT Home Wifi Prepaid units through the PLDT Home website and get their units delivered via the Grab Express delivery service. Purchases can be either paid through debit or credit card for cashless delivery or cash-on-delivery.
Another ingenious offering by both PLDT Inc. and Grab are the PLDT Home and Smart Stores on GrabMart, an on-demand grocery delivery solution, where customers can likewise order the PLDT Home Wifi Prepaid kit and have it immediately brought to their homes.
To further enhance the partnership, Smart will also allow instant loading of prepaid accounts through the Grab app using the GrabPay wallet. Smart prepaid customers can easily buy load or mobile data packages for as low as Php 50 using their own number or buy for family and friends.
PLDT-Smart SVP and Consumer Business Customer Development Head Alex O. Caeg added, “We’ve started with PLDT products. Soon, more of Smart’s products and services will be made more accessible through GrabMart. This is aligned with Smart’s commitment to bring simple solutions and amazing experiences to enrich the digital lives of Filipinos.”
While Grab Philippines president Brian Cu was quoted as saying, “We are thrilled to partner with PLDT Inc. in making internet more available to more homes using our superapp services. It has always been Grab’s aim to empower Filipinos to do more everyday by leveraging the use of digital technologies that improve their lives and make them future-ready. Our partnership with PLDT jumpstarts the many initiatives we have to deliver positive and a sustainable impact for the benefit of all Filipinos.”
“Together with Grab, a leader in the digital, app-based transport, food, and logistics space, we are making it quick, convenient, and safe for our customers to enjoy our products and services through on-demand orders coupled with rapid delivery,” says Smart President and PLDT Chief Revenue Officer, Al S. Panlilio. “This is part of our overall shift and broader strategy of moving toward online-driven solutions as we ready ourselves for the next stage of the new normal. This partnership extends our reach not only online, but also kicks-off our other strategic initiatives in the space of remote working, e-learning and e-health,” he concluded.
The collaboration and strategic partnership with Grab is aligned with the stepped-up efforts of PLDT and Smart to keep families safe during the community quarantine and even afterwards, by leveraging on the strengths and capabilities of the firms in the digital sphere. This immediately answers the need for quick delivery of next generation products and services, which has undoubtedly become the norm in the new normal – and doing this has never been any simpler.