Globe data customer growth generates 110% over Free Facebook campaigns

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MANILA — Ayala-led Globe Telecom Inc. (Globe) on Wednesday revealed that it has generated a data customer growth of 110 percent over its two consecutive Free Facebook campaigns.

Globe Senior Advisor for Consumer Business Group Daniel Horan said in a statement that this development shows that the campaign has been an effective tool in enhancing internet adoption in the country.

“Our partnership with Facebook enabled more Filipinos to gain internet connectivity,” Horan said.

“Globe Telecom is extremely honored to be a pioneering force in improving internet adoption, an example that is now being followed by other telcos locally and globally,” he added.

Horan, however noted that the partnership does not end with the Free Facebook campaign. Both companies will be launching new and exciting offers to make mobile internet further accessible via Internet.org.

He said that this will allow more subscribers connected by providing a safe environment for browsing without incurring unexpected charges.

To date, the telco has set a global trend to promote internet adoption through the Free Facebook campaigns it has implemented over the past two years, in support of the objective of internet.org.

Internet.org is a Facebook-led initiative to provide data connectivity to two-thirds of global population.

A recent whitepaper published by Globe and Facebook outlined how Globe’s efforts and massive investments to scale the necessary infrastructure for data usage (e.g., its massive 3G rollout), along with its drive to increase smartphone penetration, set the stage for a breakthrough in Internet penetration in the country.

This breakthrough would come in the form of the Free Facebook campaign, which was launched in October 2013 for the first phase and again in October 2014 for the second phase.

Over the first phase of the program, the number of data users on Globe’s network doubled, and Globe prepaid subscribers active on mobile data grew from 14 percent to 25 percent.

Even after the first phase, Globe was able to continue acquiring twice the number of new mobile data users versus prior levels, even when access to Facebook was no longer free.

As a result, the Free Facebook campaign helped drive an increase of six million Filipinos actively using mobile internet during the period.