PLDT, Inc.’s wireless mobile unit Smart Communications, Inc. said it has upgraded more than 92% of its sites in Metro Manila with Long Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) technology.
In a statement on Tuesday, the telco giant said it has deployed LTE sites in Quezon City, Marikina City, Caloocan City, Valenzuela City, Navotas City and Malabon City.
For Makati City and Manila City, PLDT said it expects completion of network improvement efforts by October.
“Smart has deployed over 2,000 LTE sites across Metro Manila, which use low-frequency bands such as the 700 MHz band for wider coverage and better indoor penetration, and high-frequency bands like 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz bands for additional capacity,” Smart said.
Smart said it has “deployed carrier aggregation technology across all of Metro Manila’s 17 cities and municipalities, paving the way for much greater speeds in Metro Manila, where over 12 million Filipinos work and live.”
“In addition to our continuous investments in upgrading our network to improve customer experience in Metro Manila and across the country, we are also working with device manufacturers to make more LTE and LTE-A-capable devices available in the market,” Mario G. Tamayo, PLDT and Smart senior vice- president for network planning and engineering, was quoted as saying.
PLDT has allocated a P58-billion capital expenditure for the year, and its Smart unit is pushing for a more aggressive roll out of its LTE and LTE-A services.
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. — Denise A. Valdez
