SMART Communications, Inc. has started deploying four-component carrier (4CC) aggregation technology in its Metro Manila network, which it says can provide “very high” LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) mobile data speeds.
In a statement, PLDT, Inc.’s wireless unit said it has conducted a series of tests in Marikina City using Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ smartphones, which showed Smart’s LTE-A network consistently delivered speeds of over 300 Mbps in a single-user scenario, and over 200 Mbps in a multi-user, daytime setup.
“These real-world tests show that we have in place a network that’s capable of providing extremely high speeds at par with those delivered by operators in other countries. As more Filipinos acquire LTE-A capable devices, so will we benefit from significant improvements in the speeds and quality of Internet in the Philippines,” Joachim Horn, chief technology and information advisor at PLDT and Smart, said in a statement.
Smart said the high speeds can be experienced by LTE-A capable devices.
Smart will use carrier aggregation (CA), or the combination of multiple frequency channels to provide a much wider highway for the flow of mobile data, to deploy LTE-A initially in the country’s urban areas.
In a large part of the National Capital Region, this will be done using 4CC, or the combination of four separate frequency channels to deliver bigger capacity and higher speeds.
“Ramping up our LTE-A deployment not only allows us to address the rapidly rising mobile data traffic among our customers, it also allows us to maximize the value of our investments in Long-Term Evolution (LTE), or the forerunner of LTE-A,” Mr. Horn added.
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. — P.P.C. Marcelo
