Smart among world’s topnotchers for 4G Availability improvement, leads PH in Network Speeds

Mobile services provider Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) has once again been named among the “Global Rising Stars” in terms of 4G Availability improvement in Opensignal’s Global Mobile Network Experience Awards 2021.

The independent analytics firm defines “Global Rising Stars” as “the top 30 operators where users have seen the greatest improvement in mobile network experience.”

“Our significant investments in our network over the years have allowed us to deliver the best data experience to our customers through the latest technologies available. As we continue to expand and improve our LTE network across the country, covering even far-flung areas like Pag-Asa Island in the West Philippine Sea, we are bringing this enhanced data experience to more Filipinos,” said Mario G. Tamayo, Head of Technology at PLDT and Smart. “Moving forward, our 5G rollout will build upon this strong LTE foundation to provide an even better experience to our customers.”

Smart’s 4G Availability improved by 7.2% between the 2nd half of 2019 and the second half of 2020, which is higher than the global average of 4.2%. 4G Availability is defined as the proportion of time 4G users spend connected to 4G or LTE.

Other operators in the same category include Free Mobile in France, Vodafone in New Zealand, O2 in Germany, MobiFone in Vietnam, U Mobile in Malaysia and Iliad in Italy.

The report, which is available on their website, covers 150+ operators from over 50 countries.

“To be one of the top 30 operators in the world for year-on-year percentage improvement in even a single metric is an impressive achievement, especially when we consider the challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Opensignal said in its report.

Ahead of competition

Smart remains ahead of the competition in terms of 4G Availability, Video Experience, and Download and Upload Experience, according to Opensignal’s latest Mobile Network Experience Report for the Philippines**.

Smart has also won every Video Experience award alongside their Download Speed Experience and Upload Speed Experience awards ever since Opensignal first analyzed Video Experience in a Philippines Mobile Network Experience Report back in March 2019.

As of the latest Opensignal report, Smart also remains way ahead of the competition in terms of Video Experience with a 16-point lead, notching a score of 54.2 (vs competition’s 37.7).

This level of performance is underpinned by PLDT’s fiber infrastructure, the most extensive in the country at over 429,000 kilometers. This fiber network supports Smart’s mobile networks, which cover 96% of the population. As of end-December 2020, Smart had increased the number of its base stations to over 59,000, an increase of 20% compared to end-2019.

*Global Mobile Network Experience Awards 2021 based on independent analysis of mobile measurements recorded during the period July 1 – December 27, 2019, & 2020. © 2021 Opensignal Limited

** Philippines: Mobile Network Experience Report November 2020, based on independent analysis of mobile measurements recorded during the period July 1 – September 28, 2020 © 2021 Opensignal Limited.