Funny and amazing stuff about tech in the Philippines

From being the text messaging capital of the world to becoming one of the top IT outsourcing hubs in the planet, the Philippines has certainly achieved a lot especially when it comes to anything that involves tech. For that we’re going to list some of the funny and amazing stuff about the technology industry in the Philippines.

It’s one of the leading BPO hubs in the world

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The BPO industry is definitely flourishing in the Philippines. It’s the world’s leading call center destination and will account for around 10% of the country’s GDP according to the Information Technology and Business Processing Association of the Philippines (IBPAP). The industry is also expected to hit $25PHP 1,467INR 2,119EUR 24CNY 182 billion in revenues in 2016. Manila also placed second in Tholon’s Top 100 Outsourcing Destinations for 2014.

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We have amazing LTE speeds and coverage

Sometimes. Although our favorite telcos are busy rolling out LTE services and packages across the country, there areas that are still out of reach. The same thing can be said to 3G. In addition, the internet speeds do not always apply as advertised, unless you’re situated in an area approved by a Feng Shui expert to bring good luck and great LTE reception. In fact, OpenSignal even ranked the Philippines as one of the slowest in 4G speeds. To combat slow mobile internet, telcos have sought to ban unauthorized selling of repeaters and signal boosters, cracked down on hacked modems, and imposed….

FUP and Data caps

There’s a good chance that you’ve already heard about it, much worse, experienced it. If you want the juicy details you can read all about it here, here, and here. Although FUPs and data caps are not exclusive to the Philippines, we Filipinos love our unli-data as much as we love our unli-rice that the implementation was almost tantamount to a kick in the balls.

Locally branded smartphones and tablets

One of the things that we Filipinos can be thankful for are the smartphones and tablets being offered by our local brands. Most of their products are “rebranded” or “rebadged” ones coming from India, Thailand, or China, but because of this…

Smartphones and tablets can be bought for cheap

And when I say cheap, I mean dirt cheap. You can actually buy an entry-level 7-inch slate for under Php2,000USD 34INR 2,889EUR 32CNY 248 and a 4-inch entry-level smartphone for under Php3,000USD 51INR 4,334EUR 49CNY 372. And no, this is not a sponsored post.

Smartphones can also be bought for the price of a kidney

While I’m not entirely sure about the current kidney prices in the black market, we’re certain that there are smartphones that can be bought for a staggering Php70K in the local grey market. It’s not the Vertu though (that would cost you two pairs of kidneys and a testicle) but one of the first batches of the champagne gold iPhone 5S.

MVP is the highest earning IT executive in the Philippines

PLDT Chairman, Manny V. Pangilinan, topped our list of last year’s 12 Top-Earning IT/Tech Executives in the Philippines. At that time he has an annual taxable income of Php81.23USD 1INR 117EUR 1CNY 10 million. For a fleeting moment we wished that he’s our ninong.

Active online stores

The Philippines has a lot of online stores in addition to the already big and popular ones like Sulit, Lazada, and Zalora. They’re also found on social media particularly Facebook and Instagram. Online stores are also one of the most popular channels for Filipinos who want to purchase gadgets below a brand’s asking price. Online sales generate big revenues in the country that it has already attracted the attention of the BIR.

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CDR King is the largest privately owned tech retail store.

CDR King there’s a reason why it has the word “King” on it’s name, and that is because it’s the largest privately owned tech retail store in the country with over 200 branches nationwide. From being a one stop shop of blank CDs and DVDs, they have expanded their product offerings to include a wide range of other gadgets and accessories. Heck, they even have their own electric scooter, smartphone, and 3D printer.

Filipinos like to watch porn on their mobile phones.

Yep. According to Pornhub, the Philippines ranked 26th in worldwide traffic to the popular porn site but ranked a solid 15th when it comes to mobile traffic.