MANILA - PLDT Inc said Tuesday its mobile unit, Smart Communications, has forged a $28-million (P1.4 billion) partnership with China's Huawei as part of a record P50-billion spending plan this year to improve its services.

Huawei will "improve" Smart's online charging and electronic loading for prepaid subscribers under the 15-month agreement, said PLDT Group chief corporate services officer Ray Espinosa.

"This partnership will enable PLDT Group's wireless services under the brands PLDT, Smart, Sun and TNT to become much more agile, efficient and resilient in developing and delivering a growing array of digital services,” PLDT chairman and CEO Manuel Pangilinan said.

The partnership was announced after President Rodrigo Duterte late last year invited China to help set up a third telecommunications company in the Philippines to take on PLDT and Globe Telecom.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. said in December that Duterte wanted the third player up and running by early 2018.

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With the Huawei partnership, PLDT said it would be able to offer "more personalized" offers and rewards to subscribers.

"Huawei is confident we can successfully deliver this critical program in a timely way together with PLDT,” said Wilson Zang, president of Huawei Revenue Management product line.