TELECOM | PLDT, Smart expand entrepreneurship, AI training, workforce recognition programs
The initiatives reflect how telecommunications companies are expanding their role beyond connectivity services to include entrepreneurship support, digital skills development and workforce recognition.
Telecommunications firms are expanding initiatives that support entrepreneurship, engineering education and workforce development as part of broader efforts to strengthen the Philippines’ digital ecosystem.
Recent programs involving Smart Communications Inc. and parent firm PLDT highlight initiatives ranging from livelihood networks and artificial intelligence training to employee recognition programs within the telecommunications sector.
Smart, TPC mark 14 years of reseller entrepreneurship
Smart Communications Inc. and Telepreneur Corp. (TPC) marked 14 years of partnership during TPC’s 2026 Kick-Off event, highlighting the continued role of prepaid mobile services in supporting small-scale entrepreneurs.
The collaboration, which also involves TNT and key account partner Hatchiko, allows individuals to earn income by selling prepaid mobile credits within their communities.
“Our partnership with Smart and TNT through Hatchiko has been with us since day one,” said Mariel Astudillo, president of TPC. “They have supported us through ups and downs, helping us overcome challenges to become a foundation of this industry.”
According to company officials, the reseller network has produced more than 1,200 self-made millionaires among its members since the partnership began.
TPC Vice President for Sales and Marketing Sajiron Dayao said the company’s longevity is notable in the Philippine multi-level marketing sector, where few organizations remain active beyond a decade.
Christian So, assistant vice president and head of national key accounts for Smart, said the model continues to rely on direct interaction between sellers and customers.
“TPC thrives on person-to-person selling,” So said. “There is a level of customer education and service there — helping a customer pick the right product for their budget — that cannot be done by self-service e-wallets.”
During the event, Smart and TNT introduced the Sumakses Loyalty Promo to encourage members to expand their networks. The program offers incentives and prizes, including a motorcycle, a laptop and a raffle of 14 smartphones marking the partnership’s 14th year.
TPC said it continues to upgrade its internal systems and expand membership, including participation from overseas Filipino workers.
University partnership expands AI engineering training
Smart also renewed its partnership with Wesleyan University-Philippines through the Smart Wireless Engineering Education Program (SWEEP), which is expanding its focus to artificial intelligence and emerging digital technologies.
Now entering its fifth phase, the program introduces engineering students to areas such as prompt engineering, AI-assisted coding, data analysis, generative tools and automated decision systems.
“Technology is here to stay, and among its most significant advances is artificial intelligence,” said Dr. Irineo Alvaro Jr., president of Wesleyan University-Philippines. “Its value lies in strengthening human reasoning and capability — not replacing them.”
The expanded curriculum also introduces students to extended reality technologies — including virtual, augmented and mixed reality — and concepts related to the metaverse and network disaggregation.
Students receive mentorship from Smart engineers and exposure to operational functions such as systems monitoring, diagnostics and preventive maintenance.
“Smart supports the development of industry-ready engineers and technopreneurs who can contribute to the country’s digital transformation,” said Stephanie Orlino, assistant vice president and head of stakeholder engagement at Smart.
Smart also conducted an “AI for All” boot camp for Wesleyan teachers to demonstrate how artificial intelligence tools can assist in lesson planning, feedback systems and administrative tasks.
Since the program began, SWEEP has trained more than 43,000 faculty members and students and facilitated internships for more than 4,000 individuals within the PLDT Group.
PLDT recognizes long-serving employees
Meanwhile, PLDT honored employees with decades of service through its Pamana Service Awards, recognizing staff who have served the company for 25, 30, 35 and 40 years.
Among the awardees were Ruel Brual, Alan Abrina and Allan Reyes, whose careers reflect long-term involvement in telecommunications operations across the Philippines.
Brual, now zone head for Tarlac and Nueva Ecija, joined PLDT in 1990 as an engineering assistant and later assumed leadership roles overseeing connectivity initiatives across Luzon.
“I am very happy and fulfilled being in PLDT for 35 years,” Brual said.
Abrina, who received the 30-year service award, began his career as a cable splicer helper and now serves as repair head for business delivery and fulfill in the Visayas and Mindanao district.
“PLDT employment was indeed my first job, and it will eventually be my last — and that in itself is a blessing which I treasure,” Abrina said.
The company also recognized Allan Reyes, a senior telecom engineer assigned to PLDT’s Batangas International Cable Station Operation, for reaching the 40-year milestone.
“I’m very blessed and happy that I reached 40 years of my career. Para kasing bihira ang nakakaabot ng 40 years of service,” Reyes said.
PLDT said the Pamana Service Awards highlight the institutional knowledge and technical expertise developed by employees who have supported the country’s telecommunications infrastructure over decades of technological change.
The initiatives reflect how telecommunications companies are expanding their role beyond connectivity services to include entrepreneurship support, digital skills development and workforce recognition.
