MANILA, Philippines, June 12 (UPI) -- The wireless market in the Philippines is expected to peak soon at about 50 percent of the population.
The head of the National Telecommunications Commission, Ronald Solis, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer Sunday that economic conditions would likely see wireless subscriptions growing by about 7.5 million from the current 40-percent penetration.
While cell phones already sell at relatively low retail prices in the islands, Solis said prices would have to come down further, or the national economy would have to pick up steam, before the wireless market would get past the 50-percent threshold.
The Inquirer noted that at 50 percent, the Philippines lags well behind South Korea and Taiwan but is on a par with Japan and ahead of Thailand.
