Smart ramps up network rollout

More customers of PLDT wireless subsidiary Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) are using Long Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE-Advanced (LTE-A)-capable devices to connect to its mobile network, following its rampedup network rollout across the country. The number of LTE-capable devices on Smart’s network grew by 78 percent year-on-year. These include those that support at least one of Smart’s LTE frequencies. Of these LTE-capable devices, about one in every five is an LTE-A-capable device.

The number of LTE-A devices on Smart’s network also grew by 72 percent, compared to the first quarter of last year. These include devices capable of two-component (2CC) up to five-component (5CC) carrier aggregation.

“Alongside our accelerated network roll-out, we are also partnering with device manufacturers to help our customers access capable devices, in order to take full advantage of the network that we are putting in place,” said Mario G. Tamayo, PLDT-Smart senior vice president for Network Planning and Engineering. Smart has partnered with popular smartphone manufacturers in getting more affordable LTE-capable handsets out in the market.

“Today, the quality of customer experience is dependent not only on the network, but also on the devices being used by our customer. To fully utilize the network we are rolling out— whether it’s LTE, LTE-A today or 5G in the future—it is important for customers to adopt the devices that can fully tap the network’s capabilities,” Tamayo added.