LTE-ready Smart devices more than double last year

The number of Long Term Evolution (LTE) devices using Smart Communications Inc.’s network doubled year-on-year, while data traffic surged 204 percent as the telco accelerated deployment of the wireless technology to reach more customers in the country.

Smart said, notable increases in LTE data traffic on the network were recorded in Cebu province, where it increased by as much as 219 percent, and in Davao del Sur, where it grew by 75 percent between 2016 and 2017.

PLDT Inc. and Smart have earlier completed its 3G and LTE rollout in Metro Cebu and Metro Davao, which are considered the country’s biggest urban hubs outside of Metro Manila.

Meanwhile, LTE data traffic in Pampanga rose 130 percent year-on-year, while LTE data traffic in Bulacan went up 244 percent between the same period, due to the ongoing rollout of LTE sites in the area.

The number of LTE devices being used on the Smart network in Cebu and Davao posted increases of 95 percent and 108 percent, respectively.

“The results of our network upgrades are evident. More and more customers are making the leap to LTE where they enjoy faster internet speeds,” Mario Tamayo, PLDT and Smart senior vice president for network planning and engineering, said.

“Alongside this rampedup LTE rollout, Smart has also been setting the pace in helping our customers shift to LTE devices to experience our improved network by partnering with device makers,” PLDT chief revenue officer Eric Alberto said.

Smart is also encouraging customers to switch to LTE SIMs through a program which allows them to upgrade to LTE SIMs for free and to retain their number.

“We are urging our customers to level up to LTE and see for themselves what they can do with our super-charged network. Our efforts at continuously improving our services are geared toward making the best video, social media and gaming experience more accessible to them,” Alberto said.

After Smart’s LTE and 3G expansion program which initially covered Metro Cebu, Rizal and Metro Manila, the telco expects to meet ahead of schedule its commitment to the National Telecommunications Commission to cover over 90 percent of the country’s cities and municipalities with mobile broadband using LTE and 3G by next year.

LTE which is the best technology to help bring fast, affordable, and reliable internet services to as many customers as possible, can be upgraded to LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) to provide even greater capacity and speeds to users with capable smartphones.

Smart plans to roll out its LTE-A service with carrier aggregation or the combination of two or more radio frequency bands to deliver faster speeds, in more areas of the country this year.