A STRONG peso helped Bayan Telecommunications Inc. post a net income of P2.2 billion last year, from P526 million a year earlier, or a whooping 319 percent year-on-year increase.

Revenue grew by 15 percent to P5.5 billion from P4.8 billion in the same comparable period.

The phone firm of the Lopez group said revenue growth was driven by a 10-percent gain in voice service—from P3.1 billion to P3.37 billion. Wireless landline service contributed more than 20 percent to the voice service revenue.

Data and Internet business grew 27 percent to P2.06 billion from P1.62 billion.

The Internet business—which covers Bayan’s DSL business—breached the P1-billion mark, or 60 percent higher than P627 million in 2006.

Revenue from international leased lines grew 20 percent, which can be attributed to Bayan’s market presence in the offshoring and outsourcing industry.

The growth in its wireless landline business significantly contributed to Bayan’s sustained growth in 2007, the company said in a statement.

Bayan’s wireless landline service now has more than 150,000 subscribers. The service is offered in Metro Manila and the cities of Naga, Legaspi, Tacloban, Davao, Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro and General Santos, as well as in Samar.

“With more than 150,000 subscribers nationwide and growing, we are building on the momentum this year by expanding our coverage and launching more value-added services,” said Bayan chief executive consultant Tunde Fafunwa.

Bayan also said it is rolling out additional base stations to further expand coverage of wireless landline service—dubbed as Span—in Metro Manila in the first half of 2008. It will launch the service in other provincial cities within the year.

Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd, one of the world’s leading telecommunications and networking equipment suppliers, has been tapped as strategic partner for the project.

“Bayan Wireless Landline scored two remarkable achievements last year: first, the unlimited calling feature at a fixed monthly rate gave Pinoys their voices back after being stifled by over reliance on texting; second, it revived a previously dormant landline industry into a new and exciting and competitive category that led to positive subscriber growth,” Fafunwa added.

MANILA Water Co. (MWC) may secure $150 million in new loan facilities in the next two years to help fund its aggressive business plan.

Robinsons Land begins P10-B spending

ROBINSONS Land Corp. launched the first of its three residential condominium projects that is part of a planned P10-billion capital spending this year.

A STRONG peso helped Bayan Telecommunications Inc. post a net income of P2.2 billion last year, from P526 million a year earlier, or a whooping 319 percent year-on-year increase.

GLOBE Telecom Inc. said Monday text messaging and leased line services should not be classified by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) as value-added services, or VAS.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS Technologies Philippines Inc. (Teletech), a wholly-owned unit of Eastern Telecommunications Philippines Inc., last week asked the National Telecommunications Commission to reconsider a decision involving the revocation of its authority to operate an interexchange carrier service.

EMPIRE East Land Holdings Inc. has launched its first three transit-oriented projects in three key cities in Metro Manila.