SMART Communications, Inc. said it has started activating five-component carrier (5CC) aggregation in Marikina City, which the telco says can push speeds recorded by long-term evolution-Advanced (LTE-A)-capable devices to over 500 Megabits per second (Mbps).
“In a series of daytime tests done last week in a densely populated residential area of Marikina City using a Samsung Galaxy S9 smartphone, which is a 5CC-capable device, Smart’s LTE-A network consistently reached data rates of over 500 Mbps, hitting 558 Mbps at one point,” Smart said in a statement.
A major feature of LTE-A, carrier aggregation (CA) puts together two or more separate bands of radio frequencies to build a bigger pipe for faster data rates, and improve the overall user experience.
“In its 5CC deployment in Marikina City, Smart has taken five bands and bound them together, providing extremely high LTE-A mobile data speeds to users with capable devices,” the company said.
Smart has deployed two-component carrier (2CC), three-component carrier (3CC), and four-component carrier (4CC) aggregation in cities across Metro Manila, and in major cities in other regions of the country.
Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a majority stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — PPCM
