Smart to introduce LTE service nationwide

MANILA, Philippines - Leading wireless services provider Smart Communications Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of dominant carrier Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT), is set to launch the Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology in key cities nationwide within the year.

PLDT and Smart head of technology Rolando Peña said in an interview with reporters yesterday that the mobile phone provider is expected to commercially launch the LTE technology on Aug. 25.

Initially, Pena said the LTE technology would be available in Metro Manila, Davao, Boracay, Baguio, Cebu, and Davao making the Philippines among the early adaptors of the technology worldwide.

 “Before the year is over, we will try to cover majority of the key cities in the country,” Peña said. The service would initially be available for P3,500 for a 10 gigabyte download per month.

LTE is a mobile technology capable of very fast data connectivity, surpassing download speeds currently available in 3G technology. It is commercially available in the US, Western Europe, and Japan.

By bringing LTE first into the country, he pointed out that Smart is ahead of most of its peers within Asia Pacific and among other countries outside of the US and Western Europe.

Smart president and chief executive officer Napoleon Nazareno said in a statement that the LTE deployment was made possible with the completion of the PLDT Group’s P67.1-billion network technology upgrade wherein over 9,500 base stations nationwide were transformed into 4G-ready facilities.

 “Come Aug. 25, the Philippines joins the growing ranks of countries offering high-speed mobile broadband via LTE. This will be a boon to our customers and help power the country’s development,” Nazareno stressed.

Smart chief wireless adviser Orlando Vea pointed out that the project would allow the company to provide LTE service that is capable of delivering data wireless at speeds of up to 42mbps allowing users to download large files in minutes instead of hours, stream high definition videos with no buffering, and play online games with no lag.

Cisco Systems’ chief technology officer, mobility, APAC Dirk Wolter said the LTE rollout in the Philippines would not only lead to the best mobile broadband experience ever but would also play a key role in making available Internet even to the remotest parts of the country.