Voyager Innovations looks for partnerships

PLDT, Inc.’s digital innovations unit Voyager Innovations, Inc. hopes to get partners by the first half of 2018, in order to take its business overseas.

Asked about plans for Voyager next year, PLDT Chairman, President and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan on Tuesday said: “to get partners, so we can push the various thrusts of Voyager, that this is a cash business, a capital-hungry company.”

He added Voyager will “most probably” get more than one partner, a combination of strategic and non-strategic partners.

“Hopefully, first half of next year,” Mr. Pangilinan told reporters on sidelines of the launch of Voyager’s DigiHub.

On a possible partnership with a Chinese company, the PLDT chairman was tightlipped, saying discussions so far are “confidential.”

At the same time, Mr. Pangilinan reiterated Voyager’s intention of expanding overseas, particularly the Southeast Asian market.

“At the end of the day, even if we’re able to cover the Philippine market, it’s still a small market so I think we need to scale, in larger market, to progress, at least the ASEAN market, because that’s a larger market. That means as you push, more cash are needed, to cover expenses,” he told reporters.

Voyager Innovations President and CEO Orlando B. Vea previously said the company is targeting emerging markets, particularly in Asia, where it sees a strong demand for its services.

OUTSOURCING
Meanwhile, PLDT is targeting to sign deals with Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. by year-end, and with Amdocs by the first quarter of next year, on the outsourcing of its information technology (IT) services.

“(Talks are) progressing very well, they’re asymmetric in progress. Hopefully, we could sign something with Huawei before the year-end. Amdocs probably first quarter next year,” Mr. Pangilinan said.

The number of PLDT personnel to be affected is yet to be determined. “Wala pa [none yet], that’s not yet been quantified. I think we’ll know in the next week or so. I don’t think it will be a major number,” he said.

PLDT is looking to outsource the bulk of its back-office operations, in an effort to reduce costs as part of its turnaround strategy. With this move, Mr. Pangilinan previously said the company can realize savings of as much as P7 billion over the next few years.

The company will also be looking at outsourcing personnel from the infrastructure side of the business, said Mr. Pangilinan.

“I think once we put this to bed, there might be some discussions on portions of our infrastructure which can be outsourced, we don’t know yet, so we want to put to bed Huawei and Amdocs first,” he said.

DIGIHUB
Voyager on Tuesday launched DigiHub, an office space at its Launchpad headquarters in Mandaluyong City that entrepreneurs can use.

This is part of the extension of Voyager’s digital transformation (DX) program to help equip micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the Philippines to become more competitive with the growing digital economy.

“Through DigiHub, Voyager aims to foster collaboration, accelerate learning and catalyze best practices among industry leaders, big enterprises and MSMEs,” Voyager said in a statement.

DigiHub is expected to be fully operational by first quarter next year, in cooperation with industry and trade partners.

Under the program, Voyager offers packages for MSMEs that includes its platforms and solutions, as well as digital loans from FINTQ’s Lendr partners such as First Circle, JK Capital, Development Bank of the Philippines, Esquire Financing, Asialink, Algo Leasing and Finance, and soon Radiowealth Financing.

Lendr will soon launch an “alternative credit scoring algorithm” for MSMEs, which can minimize “5-6” lending.

Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a stake in ����ý through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Patrizia Paola C. Marcelo