One. Dropped. Call.

Digitel makes 8 million subscriber mark

2009-04-24T11:52:00.000-07:00

By the end of 2008, SUN Cellular broke the 8M subscriber mark. To be exact, they report 8,154,202 subscribers from the end of the year.

Here are some fun facts from 2008:

Sun Cellular subscribers transmitted 59.72 million text messages daily in the last quarter of 2008; 49.53 million in the third quarter; 49.28 million in the second quarter; and 46.33 million in the first quarter last year. By the end of 2008, Sun Cellular was able to put up 3,230 cellular sites, while its network coverage in 130 cities stood at 95.58 percent and 85 percent in 69 provinces.
DMPI usually sets aside about $300 million every year to finance its 3G (third-generation) mobile business, expand broadband service and increase cellular sites, Digitel president and chief executive officer James Go was earlier quoted as saying.

Congratulations SUN!

Google Keyword Tool Search

2009-04-11T00:11:00.000-07:00

Was doing some searching with Google Keyword Tool. Three most popular keywords for SUN are listed above. I'm not too sure about this -- but for keyword search, the fact that the word "problems" or anything in the pejorative do not appear on search, does it mean that the complaints are slowly moving away? :)

SUN Cellular UNLIMITED on Friendster

2009-04-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

Oh my! The things you find these days. 2007 you say? Well, add them up if you're on Friendster.

Digitel / SUN is also on Facebook and their admin is a friend of mine from way back.

SUN Cellular Broadband

2009-03-22T08:18:00.000-07:00

I've been hearing a lot of good things with regards to the SUN Cellular broadband service. Thus far, when you mention SMART or Globe's wireless broadband service, you get mixed reactions (often in the negative) with performances that vary based on your location. Somehow, SUN's wireless service seems to be delivering.

I just hope it's a real product. You know what I mean. When we talk of brand authenticity, we're looking at a SUN broadband service that's good not just because it's new. I want to fast forward to several months from now and see whether I can gain the same feedback on how allegedly fast the service is.

Retraining the CSR

2008-11-20T00:56:00.000-08:00

When reading about complaints coming through about SUN Cellular, I noticed that the bulk of the dates "date" back to circa 2006 - 2007. These have to do mostly with the signal and CSR's.

What this means? I think there's been loads of improvement in their service this 2008 compared to what people experience in 2006-2007. (Yay SUN!)

A tip: it seems that a significant bulk of the complaints come from attitudes and behaviors of customer service reps and irate customer calls. Since SUN doesn't have immediate control over the signal strength in certain areas, then it isn't a problem - but something they can deal with in the "long run."

What they should deal with in the short run - immediately - is retraining their CSR's to become more emphatic with consumer calls. Look, we're not all perfect, and we all acknowledge that telcos as a public service can have very sensitive repercussions. But any business should be able to address these problems with finesse and empathy.

Just do a search for "SUN cellular CSR stories" and you'll see what I mean. Out of every 7 stories I read, only one is positive. CSR retraining is something they can address almost immediately. Managers should be able to show these CSR's the repercussions that spread through the Internet as well. Handling irate customers can always lead to bringing out the worst in people, thus we be careful.

But, congratulations SUN for the improved service in 2008.

15 Minutes

2008-11-19T03:41:00.000-08:00

SUN Cellular signal dependent on ... well, signal. Not the phone

Again, the "15 minute" hazard with SUN calls

Daily Links: SUN Horror Stories

2008-11-18T09:17:00.001-08:00

Good morning Manila! Here's a listing of a few horror stories from various parts of the Philippine Internet on the service of this blog's niche:

SUN Cellular branch head tells customer "Ricko" that it's his fault

"The worst decision I made in my life"

Can't talk to SUN customer rep because of bad SUN signal :(

The road to perdition: NTC approves unlimited text despite warnings

Activating GPRS / MMS on SUN Cellular

2008-11-17T18:03:00.000-08:00

As a public service, here is a way to activate GPRS / MMS on a SUN Cellular phone:

Automatic Activation of GPRS/MMS/WAP

Go to Menu -> Services -> WAP -> Settings -> Edit Profile
Select Sun WAP, Press Activate Profile and Save
Go to Menu -> Messages -> MMS -> Message Settings -> Server Profile
Select Sun MMS, Select Activate Profile and Save
For corporate accounts, fax a letter of request and ID of the authorized signatory to 395-0138. Approval and activation maybe slightly delayed.
Text “ACTIVATE” and send to 2300
If unable to activate,please call Sun Customer Hotline (200 on your mobile phone).

* If surfing or MMS sending does not work or results in an error, please proceed to the next step for manual setting.

I'd like to credit this blog for the information I got, and you can proceed there for more information on data settings for a number of phones for SUN.

CSR's and SUN

2008-11-10T01:05:00.001-08:00

Maybe we CAN forgive the slow technology, but surely they need to compensate with good customer support. It's a double whammy!

Here are some stories about rants on customer support. I'm a firm believer in service - we're not perfect but CSR's are really supposed to not make matters worse by empathizing with the situation.

Here's another one:

I called Sun Cellular hotline and explain my complain. I clearly asked them if I can have it replaced. The girl said ‘YES’, as long as it is within the 7-day return period. I asked if I can avail another handset of another brand. She said ‘YES’, as long as it falls under 350 plan.
At the 7th day, I went back to Sun Cellular office and told them what’s wrong with the phone. I explain to them very clearly my problem with the phone. The guy who I was talking with said that the phone is not defective, hence, they cannot replace it. He even said that it was LG’s feature. I was shocked after hearing it. I insisted that it’s not a feature. I said, “A feature is something which is useful and has advantages”. Since it’s not useful, it is a “defect”. [source]

Please, better service! Please!

Proven: Sun causes drop calls. Really!

2008-11-10T00:57:00.000-08:00

If you do a search for "Sun dropped calls" you will actually come across something interesting: a 40 year research does prove that our very own sun can cause dropped calls due to the way it affects cell sites.

When a solar radio flare occurs and cell-site antennae are facing the sun, the number of dropped calls that go away for no apparent reason increases dramatically, the researchers found. In one well-studied example this figure reached nine per cent, while some systems have dropped more than 20 per cent of their calls during flares. [source]

In a telephone interview, Gary explained that the problem has to do mostly with the fact that cell phone towersneed to face the horizon in order to communicate with users and other towers.Those that face east or west look directly into the Sun at sunrise or sunset.If a burst occurs then, the tower sustains a direct hit and is unable to sortout wireless calls from unwanted signals.

Which, for commuters, could meanisolation during drive-time. The events can last anywhere from a few minutes toa couple of hours.

"If you have poor servicenormally, you'll have worse service when there's an event like this goingon," Gary said, adding that there is no way for you to know if your callsare cut off due to spotty service or an solar event. [source]

A little pun intended.

2005: Aggressive Strategies

2008-11-10T00:33:00.000-08:00

TELECOMWORLDWIRE-21 February 2005-Philippine senator questions standard of Sun Cellular's service(C)1994-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD http://www.m2.com

A senator in the Philippines has asked the country's National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to investigate complaints about the quality of service provided by mobile phone operator Sun Cellular.

Marcelino Libanan, representative for Eastern Samar, said that complaints against Sun Cellular have risen, and that the company only has a 38% connection rate and that it drops calls after 15 minutes. Libanan said that the NTC minimum connection rate is 93% and that the rules must be imposed on operators without fear or favour.
The poor connection rate experienced by Sun Cellular users has been blamed on the company's aggressive subscriber acquisition strategy which, although highly successful, has put a strain on the operator's facilities, reports Asia Pulse. [source]

SUN and the ratio game for complaints

2008-11-10T00:04:00.001-08:00

Four months ago a survey was conducted to show the number of complaints in the telecommunications industry. In terms of cellular networks SUN seems to have the highest in terms of ratio.

Look, we all have the right to complain - there is no perfect network and this is how a public utility works. But wow, look at the ratio of complaints. If you look closely at the numbers, even though SMART and PLDT have the highest number of aggregated complaints, SUN has the highest in terms of ratio!

SMART: 362 complaints (30M ++ subscribers)
SUN: 325 complaints (6M ++ subscribers)

The regulator said subscriber complaints against the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) topped those leveled against other telcos at 562, of which unit Smart Communications Inc. had 362 complaints and the parent firm another 200.
Digital Telecommunications Philippines Inc. (Digitel) and unit Sun Cellular followed with a combined 325 complaints, while subscribers of Globe Telecom Inc. lodged 182 complaints.

.....
Digitel and Sun Cellular subscribers complained of poor service at 111; vanishing prepaid load, 48; and erroneous billing, 71. Of the 325 complaints, 324 were resolved. [source]

Thankfully, SUN was able to resolve all but one of the complaints. I still think though that the ratio given SUN's relatively low prepaid subscriber rate at over 6 million is very high.

Flashback into 2006

2008-11-09T23:57:00.000-08:00

The full text of a forum item written in 2006:

This is to protect your rights as a subscriber to a telecommunication company such as Sun Cellular.

On a romantic afternoon of Feb 14, I suddenly couldn't send and recieve text and calls through my Sun Cellular. The reason, network failure.

I reported the problem the following night, expecting that they could restore the network within 24hrs. And guess what, 10days after, Sun Cellular did not make any concrete solution to the problem, did not even consider to send one of its people to make an actual physical field test in our area RATHER they had the guts to close the case because according to them, there's no problem in the network!!! When I asked them what their basis for making such conclusion is, they said, that is what's indicated on their bulletin board in their comfy office in Libis. Well, what can you say?!?!?

Btw, this is not an isolated case. I already asked several sun cellular subscribers in our area, and it was not surprising to find out that they too are experiencing the same network related problem.

To all SUN CELLULAR PEOPLE. Don't blame it to the cellphone!!! Your subscribers are not dumb!!!

I tried my Sun sim with four different cellphones and still the situation didn't change, network failure. When I used my four cellphones with other networks' sim, they worked perfectly. I did the same tests in three different locations outside my area in Pasig. My four cellphones worked perfectly with my Sun sim.

This clearly means that the problem is not with the cellphones nor with the sim itself. THE PROBLEM HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH SUN CELLULAR'S NETWORK COVERAGE IN OUR AREA!!!

Well, it's already 2008 and I still can't get a decent signal in my room. You know what, I'm just glad that the SIM only cost P70.00.

SUN gives away Motorola phones together with EPSON

2008-11-09T17:58:00.000-08:00

Here's a promo - EPSON and Sun Cellular are giving away stuff:

From August 30 to November 30, 2008, Epson and Sun Cellular will be giving away Motorola W181 Phones, plus a 250 Easy Line Load. The 250 Easy Line Load is valid for (1) one month for the unlimited Sun to Sun text and 20 minutes of Sun to Sun calls.

Getting your free Motorola Phone is easy! Every purchase of an Epson Multimedia Projector (EMP S5/X5) automatically makes you eligible to be a brand-new owner of the Motorola W181 or any similar Motorola phone unit. Promo runs until November 30, 2008. [source]

I think SUN should be making itself more visible in promotions such as these to bring up their brand equity (public image). They aren't big on promos, as their main product (Unlimited texting) already seems like one. Well, good one for them.

VOIPinoy powered by SUN Cellular

2008-11-08T11:39:00.000-08:00

Poor OFW's. I should introduce them to Skype or Gizmo Project. I get unparalleled connection quality. I'm still not sure why they even bother with this service. What's worse - it's pretty expensive at P2,000.00. With that amount of money I can get myself 4x much more Skype credits so I can call direct lines in the USA.

Feedback:

I’m not sure what some of these other companies are like ,but I have had much experience with voipinoy.com and sun cellular. Wow oh wow! What a unreliable service it is .If you like to sit on hold indefinitly, waiting to connect( most of the time for hours trying and trying) If you like to not have simple questions answered, and then to be hung up on or told silly lies.

Better service please! Better service! We're tired of ranting!!!

SUN Cellular Blocked Calls

2008-11-07T22:18:00.000-08:00

Let's talk about an advocacy. To some extent it may sound absurd but hear me out. It's a matter of context as well as timing.

We're in the era of 3G data connectivity with the big players - SMART and Globe slugging it out to see which one holds the better service. In fact the NTC recently proclaimed Globe to be the overall winner with SMART at a very close (like really close!) second. We're past 2G and the basics. We've enjoyed good reception, SMS and calls for many years now with the two giants; now we're ranting about cheaper (!) and faster (!!!) 3.5G / HSDPA connectivity. After reading the survey results from both the Manila Times and INQUIRER.net it made me see how far behind SUN Cellular was in terms of basic services - namely calls (I guess we can add SMS there as well):

Yet, Smart registered 93 blocked calls (3.79 percent of 2,475) while Globe posted 49 (1.99 percent) and Sun, 779 (17.05 percent). On dropped calls, Smart registered 35 (1.42 percent), Globe 35 (1.42 percent), and Sun 48 (1.95 percent). [source]

17.05% is a BIG number. That's almost 20% -- meaning one in every 5 calls don't make it!

This article came out the other day, November 6 2008. That will explain the timeliness of my creating this blog. The context of my argument was that a few days prior to this, I had gotten myself a prepaid SUN SIM as a secondary number to my SMART BlackBerry line - a number which I can then post publicly since I've been giving an increased number of talks and workshops this year. So it made sense.

The last SUN number I had was way back about 1 1/2 years ago for the purpose of cutting down costs (it didn't really work - I was left with the burden of a second number and a second phone and people got confused). But I guess 18 months can really change a mindset so I invested P70.00 in one of those unlimited 24/7 SIM cards. I'm not doing it to cut costs, but to compartmentalize a part of my professional life.

18 months later, that's today - my inhibitions were confirmed. SUN still doesn't have a very good signal in my area (no signal in my room in Paranaque compared to Globe and SMART) and it still drops calls.

2G is such a basic commodity these days. We shouldn't be worrying about calls or texts being missed out. It's already 2008! I guess the purpose of this blog is not to rant (too much ranting already), but to plead for a better SUN service. It's no secret that people aren't happy with the overall performance of SUN's network. I really urge them to take a look into what they're doing and improve their network. They can't stay competitive if their core competence is broken.