iPhone 5S and 5C price drop: one Philippine telco lowers monthly fees, adds prepaid option

The two telcos in the Philippines launched their postpaid plans for the iPhone 5S and 5C earlier this month. But now Globe Telecom is being more aggressive and has dropped its price plans for both the new iPhone models. Plus, it’s now offering the same phones for prepaid users.

When Globe first revealed its iPhone plans, subscribers could get an iPhone 5C 16GB on a Php 1,599 ($37) monthly plan and the iPhone 5S 16GB at Php 1,999 ($46) monthly plan. The phones are locked on a 24-month contract. This is through its iPhone Forever Plan whereby users can trade-in their old phone and just add an additional sum depending on the value of the traded phone.

This time around, Globe has put its iPhone plans under the MySuperPlan offering, which lets subscribers customize their call, SMS and web data subscriptions. Consumers can now get an iPhone 5C 16GB at a Php 1,349 ($31) monthly fee. Breaking this down, users will have a monthly plan of Php 499 ($11) plus its monthly cash-out for the unit of Php 850 ($19) plan. Meanwhile, the iPhone 5S 16GB is repriced to a Php 1,799 ($41) monthly at Plan Php 999 ($23) and the unit’s monthly cash-out of Php P800 ($18).

The iPhone 5C postpaid bundle comes with 300MB of LTE surfing and free calls and texts. And the iPhone 5S is bundled with unlimited LTE surfing and free calls and texts. Its entire plan choices are already available on the Globe website for both the iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S.

Comparing against competition

Globe has also started to offer the iPhone 5C prepaid starting at Php 29,000 ($663) and the iPhone 5S starting at Php 34,400 ($786). Buyers who pay via credit card can split up the cost in 12-month installments. The prepaid kit comes with a free prepaid nano-SIM and free 900MB of mobile browsing for three months. But since Globe has not rolled-out repaid LTE SIM cards yet, users still have to use 3G if they opt for the prepaid route.

In comparison, its competitor Smart Communications is offering its iPhone 5C and 5S for Php 500 ($11) per month. However users have to pay a one-time cash out of Php 20,000 ($457) for the iPhone 5C and Php 23,800 ($544) for the iPhone 5S. Smart also has prepaid options under what it calls the Freedom Plan.

It’s a continuous battle between these two big telcos in the Philippines. Price is always a factor for consumers, of course, but they also need to look at whether the add-ons on these plans suit their needs.

(Editing by Steven Millward)