Smart Communications Inc. on Monday bared the sustained expansion of its mobile data business on the back of Filipinos spending more time on social media apps.
“Amid the company’s commitment to continue to improve service quality, there is a need to constantly innovate to ensure that we remain relevant to our customers,” Alex O. Caeg, head of Consumer Wireless Business at Smart, said.
According to him, while the heat index, hybrid work, and other macroeconomic indicators have somewhat dented demand, the growing popularity of livestreaming and social media platforms such as TikTok has driven increased usage and data traffic on Smart’s network.
“We constantly monitor customer usage patterns so we can calibrate the network to deliver value and above-par customer experience,” Caeg said.
He projects its performance boosted further by an increase in data consumption as more 5G-enabled devices latch onto the Smart network.
“With the price of handsets approaching the sweet spot that is more attractive to the mass market, we continue to push for greater 5G adoption with the latest devices being more accessible to our subscribers and unleashing more innovations that will enable the ever-evolving digital customer lifestyles,” he said.
Smart posted an 11 percent annual growth in mobile data revenue in the first three months of the year on the back of increased mobile data usage.
PLDT’s individual wireless segment posted mobile data revenue of P18.8 billion, which accounted for nearly 90 percent of the total P21.1 billion individual wireless revenue in the first quarter this year.
PLDT and Smart also continue to invest in capacity and coverage of their integrated fixed and wireless networks to support robust traffic growth.
Supporting the sustained increase in data usage is Smart’s award-winning network, which was recently recognized for delivering the country’s best 5G coverage experience, according to the latest report by independent analytics firm Opensignal.
As of end-March 2024, Smart’s mobile network covers 97 percent of the population and rated the country’s largest integrated network that includes PLDT’s 1.1 million cable kilometer fiber infrastructure.
