As 5G adoption picks up globally, Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart), a subsidiary of PLDT, Inc., is at the forefront of driving 5G adoption in the Philippines.
Between the second and third quarter, data traffic on Smart’s 5G network also posted triple-digit growth, as average monthly data traffic grew by nearly 20x between the 4th quarter of 2020 and the 3rd quarter of 2021. Smart also delivered a three-fold increase in 5G data traffic in the first quarter and second quarter of 2021.
This is bolstered by recent data from YouGov, a London-based international research data and analytics group, which reported countries in the Asia-Pacific region are the world’s largest and quickest growing smartphone markets, and they also lead the way in 5G adoption compared to other parts of the world.
In the Philippines, Smart-, delivered the most consistent and most available 5G service, according to Ookla–the telco leads the way in 5G adoption and network deployment.
Smart operates the country’s widest 5G network at more than 4,400 sites nationwide. Most recently, Smart fired up the country’s first commercial 5G Stand-alone (SA) cell sites in business hub Makati City. 5G SA technology paves the way for new industrial applications as it provides super-fast response times and faster access to higher data rates that are critical in advancing Internet of Things solutions for businesses, health care, and smart cities.
To benefit from the best 5G experience in the country, more customers have been making the move to the Smart network without having to change their numbers, as enabled by Mobile Number Portability.
In contrast, Malaysia which was supposed to kick start its 5G in 2019 was hindered by a government change and the subsequent deferment of the project to 2021. The delay had led to Malaysia being laggard in the 5G race in the region and eventually affecting our position as a forward-driven nation.
