MANILA - There could be stronger data demand for the rest of the year driven by more work from home set-up as well as the shift to e-learning as classes start in October, Globe Telecom said Monday.

Internet access has become "a lifeline" for many Filipinos in the "new normal" brought about by the coronavirus pandemic, the telco said in a statement.

“Data continues to be a bright spot for business, as demand remains strong and steadily growing," said Globe president and CEO Ernest Cu.

"People use the internet to do work from home, conduct business, make payments, and homeschooling, among others. We expect this trend to continue until the rest of the year,” Cu added.

Mobile revenues reached P35.8 billion in the first 6 months of 2020 as more customers spent time online whether due to work from home set-up or online learning, the telco said.

Data traffic soared by 45 percent, it said.

Its home broadband business reached P12.5 billion for the period, up 19 percent compared to P10.6 billion in the same comparable period, it added.

Home broadband subscriber base reached nearly 2.9 million and is expected to continue to grow as more households gear up for working from home and as schools open in October, it said.

Coronavirus lockdowns, which started in March, forced millions of Filipinos to stay at home. Despite easing restrictions, many are hesitant to go outside due to the fear of contracting COVID-19.

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