SMART Communications, Inc. said over the weekend internal tests have shown improvements in its mobile data speeds in Metro Manila.
In a statement, the wireless subsidiary of PLDT, Inc. said recent tests conducted showed the average download speed on its LTE service is 21.5 Mbps in the areas covering Quezon City, Caloocan, Valenzuela, Novaliches, Malabon, Mandaluyong, San Juan, Pasig, Manila, Makati, Pasay, and Marikina.
On the other hand, tests showed an average of 14.4 Mbps was seen in Muntinlupa, Las Piñas, Taguig and Parañaque.
Smart said the results are supported by the J.P. Morgan Asia Network Quality study, conducted from April to June, which showed LTE availability in Metro Manila has jumped to 63% from 49% at the start of 2017.
The J.P. Morgan study, which cites crowd-sourced data from OpenSignal, found that Smart had a “significant lead in LTE speeds” in the Philippines.
Nationwide, Smart maintained its lead in LTE download speeds at 11 Mbps. Its average download speed stood at 12.9 Mbps in Metro Manila, 9.5 Mbps in South Luzon, and 8.3 Mbps in Visayas.
“We are halfway through (the network upgrades) in north NCR, while we are close to completion in south NCR. With these upgrades and our growing array of digital services and content offers, we look forward to serving our customers better with a truly superior experience,” Mario G. Tamayo, PLDT and Smart senior vice-president for Network Planning and Engineering, said.
In its three-year network rollout plan that parent company PLDT submitted to the National Telecommunications Commission in July last year, Smart said it will make LTE progressively available to 95% of the country’s cities and municipalities by the end of 2018.
Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Patrizia Paola C. Marcelo
