"It's going to be lower than 2006. The penetration rate has already gone up," Pangilinan told reporters. "I think it will be true for the industry as a whole."
He did not provide further details.
The mobile-phone penetration rate in the Philippines is around 45% of the population.
PLDT, the country's largest telecommunications group by subscribers and assets, owns mobile-phone firm Smart Communications and Smart subsidiary Pilipino Telephone, or Piltel.
As of end-September, Smart and Piltel have total cellular subscribers of 22.9 million, up 2.5 million from the end of 2005, but just 400,000 more than the 22.5 million it reported at the end of the first half.
Together, Smart and Piltel account for about 58% of the Philippines' mobile phone market.
-By Cecilia E. Yap, Dow Jones Newswires; (632) 848-5051; cecilia.yap@dowjones.com
-Edited by Leslie Shaffer
(END) Dow Jones Newswires "
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