Last year has been a roller-coaster in the tech industry and there were a lot of big stories, innovations and surprises. We think 2016 will be an equally exciting year as well. Here are our top 5 predictions for 2016.
Netflix comes to the Philippines. We’re almost 99% sure that Netflix will be launched in the Philippines this 2016. They will be partnering with a global TV brand and perhaps one other telco. It will be priced between Php799 and Php999. Announcement could be as early as February 2016.
Telstra backs out of the Philippines. Much have been said about Telstra entering the Philippines but talks with San Miguel might not fall through and San Miguel to just go at it on its own under the name BellTel. That doesn’t mean Telstra is completely out of the picture. They could still partner with San Miguel at a later time, perhaps past 2017.
Unlimited Mobile Internet returns, at a premium price. The year 2015 has been the year where we all saw unlimited mobile internet being wiped out of subscription plans. Globe was the first one to implement it and Smart followed suit after seeing the scheme was working (better ARPU and net income results). So subscribers are already used to the limits (1.5GB to 15GB per month). In 2016, we might see unlimited mobile internet make a comeback. Of course, it will be an upsell of the current volume plans and could go as high as Php2,000 to Php2,500 per month on top of your plan. This will be mostly targeted to very heavy nomadic users that rely on mobile internet as a primary connection.
The $10 Android Smartphone. A a sub Php500 smartphone running Android is not far-fetched in 2016. It could be very basic, even running an older version like Jellybean but it will be much better than the regular feature phones that are still selling quite well. We’ve already seen smartphone Php1,000 last month so a Php500 Android handset is doable in the next 12 months.
Broadband Internet hits Php500 a month. Believe it or not prepaid dial-up internet is still popular these days. Users are mostly casual internet users that are frequently out for work and get access from the office. Their only use for prepaid dial-up internet is casual checking of email and with a budget of Php150 to Php300 a month. A Php500 a month broadband internet (DSL or cable) will further take up the thinning dial-up market.
Confirmed, Netfix is now available in the Philippines with plan 370php/month.
Philippines is now in the list. Here’s the link: https://help.netflix.com/en/node/14164
“Netflix comes to the Philippines.” – You claim a 99% probability that Netflix will be launched in PH, yet you fail to cite any source to back this up. This NYT article from Jan 2015 (http://nyti.ms/1O3taEZ) mentions PH once, and its not even a full confirmation. Other news outlets seem to cite only this article. Cheers if you could provide a better, more recent source.
“Telstra backs out of the Philippines.” I hope they don’t and I do hope more tech “journalists” advocate this since having a third player will challenge the anti-consumer duopoly of PLD+ and GL0BE, and force them to have more competitive prices. TDLR: Telstra in PH, consumer wins.
The other three “predictions”, I honestly don’t care.
Overall, I feel like this article is more of a “wishlist” rather than a prediction.
My predictions:
1. A local studio will produce a computer-animated film on par with Pixar/Dreamworks movies, setting a new technological standard for local films.
2. Telstra will enter locally but with very premium rates.
3. Samsung will introduce a flagship phone running Tizen as the company slowly begins to abandon Android.
4. President Duterte will implement Free Google (with some rules of course).
5. A local version of Steve Jobs will appear, and will start a company offering smartwatches and IoTs.
I know of at least one local animation company that does work, for Hanna-Barbera, and I think another one for Disney