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SMART Communications, Inc. is ramping up the deployment of LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) and carrier aggregation technology, as it seeks to improve mobile data services to its subscribers.
“The more widespread deployment of LTE-Advanced with carrier aggregation is the cutting edge of our broader effort to deliver world-class Internet service to our customers. Our ramped-up rollout of LTE-A is boosting Smart mobile data speeds in more areas of the country,” Mario G. Tamayo, PLDT and Smart senior vice-president for network planning and engineering, said in a statement.
PLDT, Inc.’s wireless unit said it is rolling out carrier aggregation, a “feature of LTE-A which enables the combination of two or more radio frequency bands in order to deliver bigger bandwidth and much faster data speeds to mobile phone users.”
Smart said it has activated 3CC CA sites, which combine three frequencies, in Metro Manila and other major cities. These include Baguio; Sta. Rosa, Calamba and Biñan in Laguna; Iloilo, Bacolod, Tagbilaran, Ormoc Cagayan de Oro, Dipolog, and Zamboanga.
“We plan to roll out more sites with carrier aggregation capability in more areas across the country this year. In Metro Manila, we are deploying 4CC starting with Marikina and Quezon City,” Mr. Tamayo said.
This year, Smart is doubling the number of LTE base stations to about 17,700 and increasing the number of LTE-equipped cell sites to more than 6,800. It is also deploying another LTE-A based technology called 4×4 Multiple Input Multiple Output, which raises the radio frequency efficiency by using multiple antennas for sending and receiving data.
PLDT earlier said it will spend as much as about P58 billion this year, a historic amount for the company for massive network infrastructure spending.
PLDT reported a P13.4-billion net income for 2017, lower than P20 billion in 2016.
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. — PPCM