Meralco, PLDT to tie up for 5G Internet technology rollout
Power utility giant Manila Electric Company (Meralco) and affiliate firm Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) are sorting out a partnership deal on the rollout of 5G networks for faster Internet connectivity.
“Yes, we could work with Meralco. I think it’s a thought that has been discussed internally at PLDT and we’re part of the biggest pole users of Meralco,” Manuel V. Pangilinan, who is chairman of both companies, told reporters.
He qualified though that “nothing has been finalized yet, but we’re aware of that possibility.”
The deployment of 5G next-generation technology for faster Internet speed and more reliable connections is anticipated globally by year 2020.
The 5G network will work alongside 3G and 4G technologies to enable endusers of online connections whatever locations they may be.
Primarily for industry players in the Philippines, the 5G rollout is a matter now being discussed seriously in telecommunications companies’ boardrooms – done within the sphere of near-term technology advancements.
Pangilinan intimated that the Meralco poles will be ideal for the propounded 5G network rollout, because they are lower and of smaller scale – fitting for the technology design set for 5G.
As noted by experts, streetlights and utility poles and towers accompanied by refrigerator-sized containers on the ground could be the underpinning infrastructure for 5G networks.
5G technology would be able to provide Internet service with multitudes of connections and enable download speeds of about 1GBps.
Such high-speed Internet connection is seen as the best match to the massive rise of Internet of things (IoT) technology, an infrastructure required in storing and processing gigantic volume of data and will also power what is envisioned as smarter and more connected world.
Filipino internet users are still incessantly complaining of mediocre Internet connections – and this is a matter yet to be addressed by telco players with a degree of satisfaction.
The digital divide between city dwellers and rural communities is also being addressed by government – via the National Broadband Program that is anticipated significantly on stream around years 2020 to 2022.