Network upgrades in Bulacan approach finish line

Customers in Bulacan can now look forward to improved connectivity as PLDT wireless arm Smart Communication Inc. (Smart) rolls out Long Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) across Bulacan, which is expected to benefit students, employees, families, local governments and industries operating in the province.

“Our network upgrades in Bulacan are part of our nationwide efforts to improve the lives of our customers and their families, and to enhance the productivity of Bulacan’s businesses and enterprises,” said Mario G. Tamayo, Senior Vice President for Network Planning and Engineering for PLDT and Smart.

Improved networks are now in place for Smart, Sun and TNT customers with enhanced LTE coverage and capacity in the Bulacan capital of Malolos, and City of San Jose Del Monte, for example.

With the upgrades, Smart’s LTE service is now available in more areas across Bulacan, including indoor locations. LTE is the best technology to help bring fast, affordable and reliable mobile internet services to as many customers as possible. It is also quickly upgradable to LTE-Advanced, which can provide even greater capacity and speeds to users with capable smartphones.

Smart is also currently ramping up its carrier aggregation (CA) roll-out across the country. A major feature of LTE-A, CA combines two or more separate bands of radio frequencies to create a bigger pipe for faster data rates, and improve the overall user experience for streaming video, sending files on-the-go, and accessing information online, for example.

PLDT’s ramped up LTE rollout is part of a broader effort to improve the overall quality of service available to millions of Smart, TNT and Sun subscribers. As of end-September, Smart has equipped over 5,700 base stations across the country with LTE, not only to expand LTE coverage but also to lay the ground for LTE-A, which can provide even greater capacity and speeds to users with LTE-compatible smartphones. This puts the total count of LTE base stations at over 14,400, a 65-percent increase from the end-2017 count.

Underpinning PLDT’s integrated fixed and mobile network roll-out was the expansion of PLDT’s fiber optic transmission and distribution network. PLDT’s 221,000-kilometer fiber network, the most extensive in the country, also supports its mobile network by providing high-capacity fiber connections for LTE base stations.

Smart is on track to fulfilling its commitment to the National Telecommunications Commission to cover 90% of the country’s cities and municipalities with 3G/LTE coverage by the end of this year. PLDT has committed historic levels of resources to support network transformation which is estimated to amount to US$ 5 billion from 2016 to 2020, with capital expenditures expected to reach P58 billion this year.