PLDT, Inc. wireless unit Smart Communications, Inc. said it is tapping Chinese smartphone brand Oppo to grow the adoption of long term evolution (LTE) network in the country.
In a statement Wednesday, the telecommunications giant said the partnership involves selling Oppo A3S devices at a discounted price to subscribers of Smart, TNT and Sun, in the hopes it will encourage more users to start availing the LTE network.
“Apart from our continuing investments in upgrading our network, we are also partnering with manufacturers like Oppo in empowering our customers with capable devices, so that they can maximize the network that we have put in place,” Oscar A. Reyes, Jr., PLDT-Smart senior vice-president and head of Consumer Market Development, said in the statement.
Smart said it has rolled out 18,000 LTE base stations all over the country as of the first quarter of the year. It estimates about two-thirds of its subscribers are smartphone users that utilize its mobile data services.
“To keep up with our customers’ growing demand for data, we are continuously upgrading and expanding our network across the country,” Mario G. Tamayo, PLDT-Smart senior vice-president for Network Planning and Engineering, said in the statement.
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
