Smart Wifi: Powering Filipino connections across PH
Carrier-grade Smart Wifi is now available in Metro Manila and 40 other provinces, following PLDT wireless arm Smart Communication Inc.’s (Smart) ramped-up roll-out of the service in the Metro Rail Transit (MRT), government offices, hospitals, schools, restaurants, airports and transportation hubs, and other key high-traffic areas across the country this year.
Hundreds of establishments nationwide now have Smart Wifi, including the 13 stations of the MRT, where around 230,000 commuters can already benefit daily from the service.
“Carrier-grade” means that Smart Wifi implements a network infrastructure following world-class standards, allowing mobile devices to experience fast and secure internet connection with high reliability, connectivity, and coverage. This also allows customers in areas where there are large numbers of users like airports, bus terminals, and entertainment centers to experience Value Added Services such as shopping, gaming, and streaming, among others.
A backhaul capacity of up to 100 megabits per second (expandable to 1 gigabit per second) allows users to have the best digital experience when accessing their emails and social media accounts, downloading and sending files on-the-go, and checking out relevant digital content and services online.
“Smart and PLDT continue to be at the forefront of the country’s digital transformation by providing Filipinos with quality internet connection wherever they go,” said Jovy Hernandez, Senior Vice President and Head of Enterprise for PLDT and Smart.
“With the help of our partners and government, we continue to invest in ICT infrastructure to help improve the quality of life of Filipinos all over country,” Hernandez added.
In June this year, Smart, in cooperation with the Department of Information and Communications Technology, launched the Smart Wifi service in the MRT stations and along the stretch of EDSA to improve the mobile experience of commuters traversing the country’s busiest highway. LGUs powered by Smart Wifi Carrier-grade Smart Wifi has also been installed in various locations in Benguet, Batangas, Laguna, Cebu, Cagayan, Cavite, Ilocos Norte, Bulacan, Palawan, Leyte, Misamis Oriental, Misamis Occidental, Iloilo, Davao, and Metro Manila, making online government services more accessible.
“By making quality internet access available to more Filipinos through Smart Wifi, we are helping make the delivery of public service more efficient, and contributing to the development of rural areas,” Hernandez said.
Smart Wifi is also available at the National Bureau of Investigation’s (NBI) headquarters in Manila, as well as in its offices in Bacolod, Bulacan, Batangas, Cavite, Pampanga, Cebu, Benguet, Leyte, Isabela and Sarangani.
The nationwide rollout of Smart Wifi complements Smart’s ongoing rollout of LTE and 3G facilities across the country, which has significantly improved the quality of Smart’s voice and SMS services, as well as its mobile Internet coverage and quality.