PLDT Inc. will roll out its fifth generation (5G) network by the end of this year, the listed telecommunications company said, citing the current virus outbreak as the reason for the delay.
In a Laging Handa briefing on Wednesday, PLDT Spokesperson Ramon R. Isberto said the 5G services under mobile subsidiary Smart Communications, Inc. will be launched by the fourth quarter of 2020.
“Tuloy pa rin ho iyong 5G project ng Smart. Dahil nga doon sa COVID (The 5G project of Smart will still push through. Because of COVID), we have not been able to move as fast as we want to, so we’re looking at possibly launching the 5G service by the later part of this year, possibly the fourth quarter of 2020,” he said.
PLDT is now looking at the consumer, commercial, and industrial applications of the 5G network.
Mr. Isberto said preparations for the 5G program include improving the fiber networks for PLDT and Smart. Intelligent Fiber Network will be used for the 5G services instead of E-Long Fiber Network.
“We have to overhaul our fiber network of PLDT and Smart. Iyon po ang ginagawa namin together(That’s what we are doing together) with the US company called Cisco. We are transforming our fixed fiber network,” Mr. Isberto said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Isberto said PLDT welcomes the release of guidelines on the Department of Information and Communications Technology’s policy on shared telecommunications towers.
“Our legal team is now in the process of going through the new guidelines, to the new policy. We are preparing a more comprehensive response. But initially I can say that we welcome that provision that allows the telecom operators to set up their own towers if their network roll out requirements demand it,” he said.
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. — Gillian M. Cortez
