Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) is repurposing some of its 5G base stations, particularly those in areas with low traffic, into LTE (long-term evolution) as part of its network optimization program.
“This will pave the way for better customer experience on our LTE network as we provide greater capacity to support the exponential growth in LTE traffic. In addition, this effort will enable the company to realize operational, capex and spectrum efficiencies,” Eric Santiago, head of Network at PLDT and Smart said.
Santiago also noted that the consumption of data has continued to increase as more Filipinos rely on the internet for their day-to-day activities, such as online banking and digital payments, e-commerce and online shopping, social media, video streaming and mobile games.
In the first quarter of the year, mobile data traffic increased to 1,191 petabytes, 18 percent higher than the same period last year.
For continuing to provide significantly higher download speeds for customers, Smart has again been hailed as the fastest mobile network in the country in the first quarter of 2023, according to the latest report by Ookla, the global leader in mobile and broadband network intelligence.
Across the country, Smart has been cited as the fastest mobile network in 16 regions: Metro Manila, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Central Luzon, Calabarzon, MIMAROPA, Bicol, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao Region, Soccsksargen, and Caraga.
Smart has also been hailed as the fastest 5G mobile network in CAR, Central Luzon, MIMAROPA, Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas and Northern Mindanao.
The latest results further strengthen Smart’s position as the first and only Philippine mobile operator to win Ookla’s Best Mobile Network Award for Q1-Q2 2022 and Q3-Q4 2022.
Supporting this level of performance is Smart’s nationwide mobile network. As of end-March 2023, Smart’s 3G, 4G/LTE and 5G network covers 97 percent of the country’s population.
This infrastructure is also supported by PLDT’s domestic and international fiber footprint, which had spanned over 1.1 million kilometers as of end-March 2023.
