EVERYTHING you need to know about DITO Telecommunity's commercial launch
DITO Telecommunity, the country's new major telco player that would attempt to break the dominance of PLDT and Globe Telecom, is now up and running in key areas in Visayas and Mindanao.
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| File photo: DITO logo |
DITO Telecommunity launches in the Philippine telco market
Apart from providing the breaking news and developments about DITO Telecommunity's commercial launch, we collated frequently asked questions in this article to serve as a guide if you are planning to make a switch.
- Initial areas of coverage
While the third telco player has already reached 37 percent coverage, it initially rolled out its mobile services to 15 areas:
Metro Cebu
1. Carcar
2. Cebu City
3. Consolacion
4. Danao
5. Liloan,
6. Mandaue
7. Minglanilla
8. Naga
9. San Fernando
10. Talisay
Metro Davao
1. Panabo
2. Tagum
3. Carmen
4. Davao City
5. Digos
Wondering when the service will be expanded to Metro Manila? How about nationwide?
Tamano said DITO will launch in the capital region in "a few weeks". He earlier said the nationwide rollout of its services may be witnessed by mid-2021.
Does DITO have physical stores?
Yes, the telco deployed around 10 to 20 physical stores in the initial areas of coverage, DITO chief administrative officer Adel Tamano said during a virtual event on Monday. More stores are set to open in the coming days, Tamano assured.
DITO's partner stores?
Based on its website, it partnered with retail stores stationed at major malls in Visayas and Mindanao:
Visayas
OPPO - SM Consolacion
Q2 - SM City Cebu
CQE - Gaisano Grand Mandaue Centro
XO - SM City Cebu
Cellfad - Ayala Center - Cebu Business Park
Mindanao
Vivo - Gaisano Mall of Davao-Bajada
OPPO Concept - Gaisano Mall of Davao-Bajada
Wiltelcom - SM Ecoland
Rulls - SM Ecoland
Audionet - Citi Mall - Ilustre
What is DITO's current offering?
DITO's "Welcome Offer", which has been going viral for days now, includes unlimited data, and unlimited texts and calls within the network.
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| The welcome offer |
The promo period will run from March 8 to March 31. Reporters on Monday asked Tamano if DITO would extend the promo, but he declined to comment.
DITO also did not disclose details on its price points, so we have to wait for, maybe, a few more weeks.
How much is the DITO SIM card?
DITO SIM card is priced at PHP 40 only. It will also come with 1GB of data valid for seven days. You may buy a DITO SIM card from its partner stores or order online via dito.ph.
Cash on delivery is not yet accepted, but you may pay via debit/credit cards and e-wallets such as GCash and GrabPay.
If you order from the site, the SIM card may be delivered to you after three to five days. Subscribers may buy load using the DITO app or through its retail partners.
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| FREE SIM |
Want to get it for FREE?
DITO is offering a FREE SIM card for people who would like to try its network. This will be delivered to your doorsteps for free. You only need to scan the QR code available on its website and click the "Sign up now" button.
This offering, which will be available until the end-March, is only limited to people residing in select cities in Cebu and Davao.
Can I still use my 2G or 3G-phones when I shift to DITO?
The sad answer is no. Unlike PLDT and Globe Telecom, DITO will not offer legacy networks 2G and 3G. Its SIM card will only work in 4G- and 5G-ready phones.
But this should be considered good news. Globe, for instance, has started phasing out 3G consumer SIM cards across the market. Both PLDT and Globe are also boosting their networks for the 5G shift.
DITO released on Monday its initial list of compatible handsets:
MyPhone - MyT6S, MyX1 Plus, MyWX2, MyWX2 Pro, MyXI2, MyXI1 Plus, My X1 Pro, My XI3
Huawei - nova 7, nova 7 SE, nova 7i, Mate 20, Mate 30, Mate 30 OPro, Mate 30 Pro 5G, Mate 40, Mate 40 Pro, P30, P30 Pro, P40, P40 Pro, Y7a, Y7p, Y9s, Y9 Prime 2019
OPPO - A12, A31, A52, A53, A53 4GB, A92, Reno3 Pro, Reno4, Reno4 Z 5G
Samsung - S20, S20+, S20 Ultra
TCL - Plex
Cherry Mobile - Aqua S9, Aqua S9 Lite, Aqua S9 Max, Flare S8, Flare S8 Lite, Flare S8 Pro, Flare Y20, Flare Y5
vivo - NEX 3, X50 Pro, S1, S1 Pro, V19 Neo, V11, V11i, V15, V15 Pro, V17 Pro, Y11, Y17, Y19, Y20i, Y30 Y81, Y85, Y91, Y91C, Y91i, Y96, X21
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| The initial list of DITO compatible handsets |
If you have no plans of buying a new phone, check your device if it supports VoLTE (voice over LTE) since DITO's SIM cards only work on VoLTE phones. It will work on 4G phones, but Distributor Tek Yap of Tekpone said that you can't use your phone for regular phone calls.
But don't fret! Since this is only an initial list, for sure DITO will work on adding more compatible devices to include more units from other brands like Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, realme.
Allegedly, a user in Davao also managed to make the DITO SIM card work by activating VoLTE on several Mi phones and by changing the APN of the phone to DITO Internet.
Who are its brand ambassadors?
DITO's Tamano previously said the company will not follow Globe and PLDT in tapping A-list actors, K-pop stars to promote its brand.
On Monday, Tamano revealed DITO will be providing 3,000 FREE SIM cards to frontliners, adding they will be the new player's endorsers.
How fast is the mobile data? Is it better than Globe and PLDT?
As part of its commitment to the government, DITO has to deliver at least 27Mbps of broadband speed to subscribers.
Tamano said DITO has "better" connectivity compared to Globe and PLDT, CNN Philippines reported.
For those areas we're available now, we have done our tests. Although we are just starting, we are comparable, if not better, in those 15 cities where we are now commercially available, Tamano told CNN Philippines' News Night.
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| Speedtest in Davao |
Based on the speed test of Tek Yap of Tekpone, one of the largest mobile distributors in Davao, DITO hit 88.91 Mbps download speed in Davao on Tuesday afternoon. Tek Yap sent the speed test screenshots to team GIZGUIDE.
Can you make SMS and voice calls to other networks, access data using your regular load?
DITO said these services are not yet available. Also, you have to avail of the "Welcome Offer" to use DITO's data.
Will the prices of telco go down?
This is expected if a new player starts offering competitive prices in the market. DITO's "Welcome Offer" may somehow trigger a price war.
GOMO, a digital telco brand that operates on the Globe network, announced a few days before DITO's commercial launch that it will offer unlimited data for 30 days on March 15 for PHP 199.
Tamano said he refused to provide specific details on DITO's price points because "our competitors react".
One of the things we have seen [when we announce our plans], our competitors react... I think in a good way, they lower their prices, Tamano said.
When will it offer postpaid plans, and home and enterprise broadband?
DITO will soon offer these services, but the group has not provided any timeline yet.
You want to switch to DITO but you are worried that you may have to change your mobile number?
With the Mobile Number Portability Act, subscribers may soon keep their numbers even if they switch to another telco provider. The government is targeting to implement this by September of this year.
Did we miss anything? Please let us know in the comments.
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