Enterprise

San Miguel Corporation raises white flag, to sell telco assets to Globe and PLDT

Published

May 30, 2016

Monch Lopez

Life moves fast, especially in the Philippine telecommunications industry. Earlier this year, the talk of the town was a potential joint venture between Australia’s Telstra and local conglomerate San Miguel Corporation (SMC), which would have brought an end to the telco duopoly of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) and Globe Telecom.

We all know how that turned out — how the ray of hope was shuttered just as quickly as it surfaced. And now, the possibility of SMC, a diversified firm with interests that stretch from food and beverage to oil and infrastructure, providing mobile and internet services is all but kaput.

A report from the Philippine Daily Inquirer today claimed SMC is expected to sell its telecommunications assets to PLDT and Globe in a blockbuster joint deal worth $1 billion. The agreement could be signed off this morning, the paper’s source added. You may recall a similar incident in 2011, when PLDT bought then-rival Sun Cellular from tycoon John Gokongwei.

The highlight of the agreement is the 700MHz spectrum PLDT and Globe stand to acquire, should the deal go through. The wireless spectrum is highly valued for its ability to cover larger areas and provide better cellular coverage inside buildings.

Globe had previously launched a full-on campaign with the promise to “improve internet speed in the country” to get the issue of ownership and distribution of the spectrum in the public discourse, but to no effect. PLDT echoed the same call. Now that they’re getting what they wanted all along, customers should hold them accountable to their words. Because, as anyone in the archipelago knows, delivering quality internet services at reasonable rates should be the top priority of any carrier, with or without the fire of competition.

[irp posts=”7155″ name=”Cyber attacks take down half the Internet”]

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer
Image credit: Wikimapia

Enterprise

realme is reportedly going back to being an OPPO sub-brand

All scheduled phones will still launch on time, though.

Published

January 9, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

A popular story among Chinese smartphone brands is whenever a sub-brand spinning off into its own independent entity. A less common one is when an independent entity suddenly merges back into the main entity. And yet, that’s the story we have today. realme is reportedly going back to being a sub-brand of OPPO.

If you don’t remember realme’s time as a sub-brand, then it’s hardly your fault. It’s been a long while since realme was considered a sub-brand. In 2018, the brand spun off on its own to form one of the most popular names in the Chinese smartphone space.

Today, via Leiphone, realme will return to OPPO as a sub-brand. Current realme CEO Sky Li will still retain his responsibilities heading the brand. Plus, all products on the current release schedule will still come out as planned.

However, starting this year, realme will start reintegrating back into OPPO, particularly through the latter’s after-sales programs. OnePlus will also follow the same structure going forward.

Currently, realme has not officially announced the move. That said, we also don’t know how the brand will address the reported change. It’s possible that the shift is just internal and has no effect on how the brand faces the public. For now, only time will tell.

Enterprise

Samsung warns that tech prices might increase this year

And it’s all because of AI.

Published

January 8, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

The big story late last year was the skyrocketing prices of chips. Analysts are predicting that the demand for RAM will cause the entire industry to experience hikes this year. Some users, especially in the PC building scene, are already feeling the burn. PCs won’t be the only victims, though. Xiaomi is already expecting hikes across the board. Now, Samsung is adding its voice to the growing list of warnings about price increases.

During CES 2026, Wonjiun Lee, Samsung’s global marketing chief, confirmed that the memory shortages are, in fact, real (via Bloomberg). Moreover, the company is now evaluating whether more price hikes are needed this year for its products. Though Lee expressed regret over pushing the prices to consumers, the state of the industry might force the company’s hand.

Samsung’s opinion has a lot of weight. While other brands have also voiced out their opinions lately, Samsung itself is a producer of chips. If a chip supplier is already warning users of prices affecting them, the effect will likely cascade even more when it comes to device manufacturers.

The ongoing shortage of chips is a result of the overwhelming demand from companies looking to build and bolster AI-based servers. The business-to-business demand is notably different from how regular consumers, who will soon find it hard to buy their own devices, see it.

At the very least, Samsung has not confirmed any price increases yet. However, all eyes are on the next Galaxy Unpacked, when Samsung will launch its newest Galaxy products. Will prices increase or stay the same?

Enterprise

TikTok finally gets a buyer in the United States

The deal targets a closing date in late January.

Published

December 19, 2025

Luigi Leonardo

The year started with a ban. A day before Donald Trump started his second term, TikTok went dark, in anticipation of an impending ban. The platform quickly went back online, leading to an ultimatum that saw TikTok hunt for an American buyer to full stave off a definitive ban in the United States. Now, as the year ends, a buyer is finally here.

Via CNBC, TikTok has reportedly inked a deal to finalize a deal in the United States, as stated in an internal memo from CEO Shou Zi Chew. The memo, which was sent just this week, details a plan that will see the deal close by January 26, 2026.

Fifty percent of TikTok’s newly restructured U.S. arm will be held by a collection of American investors including Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX. Meanwhile, already existing investors of TikTok will hold 30.1 percent. Finally, ByteDance will retain 19.9 percent.

Additionally, TikTok’s algorithm in the United States will be retrained with American data. The American arm will also handle the country’s “data protection, algorithm security, content moderation, and software assurance.” Oracle will be the “trusted security partner” in charge of making sure the company keeps within regulations in the country.

With a deal pushing through, the long-running TikTok saga in the United States might finally come to a close.