Smart tests latest Internet system in Metro Manila

Dominant carrier Smart Communications will begin public tests of its long-term evolution (LTE) Internet in Metro Manila ahead of the commercial launch of the “game-changing” technology by early next year. In a statement, Smart said it would give some of its subscribers the chance to experience LTE technology in Metro Manila for several months. The company’s first LTE tests were held in Boracay Island last April. “The beta test shows that we have never stopped working on our LTE network,” said Gio Bacareza, head of Smart’s broadband business. Aside from testing in Boracay, Bacareza said Smart also provided LTE connectivity at the recently concluded advertising congress in Camarines Sur. The lucky few who will qualify for the Metro Manila tests will be issued special LTE-capable USB dongles, which they can use for free in several key areas in Metro Manila until Feb. 13, 2012. A total of 30 LTE sites have been fired up across the city for the beta test. Beta testers are encouraged to report their experiences and findings to Smart in an effort to evaluate the experience and identify potential improvements. For this, Smart has set up several touchpoints for beta testers. Participants will be contacted via e-mail for instructions. “As the only network of its kind in the Philippines, Smart LTE is several times faster than the average wireless and wired connections being offered today,” Bacareza said. “Its low latency also makes it ideal for viewing streaming videos and engaging in other media-rich online activities such as gaming and accessing web-based applications and programs,” he added. He said the wireless LTE dongles to be used for the tests will be capable of delivering connection speeds of as much as 42 megabytes per second-faster than most wireless or fixed-line connections in the Philippine market today. “Smart has always been prepared to take on the latest technologies,” Bacareza said. “We were the first to come out with 3G… now we are the first to introduce LTE and we will continue to be the first in many more endeavors in the years to come,” he said. Smart’s parent firm, Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT), is one of the country’s most valuable firms in terms of market capitalization. The company is owned by Hong Kong’s First Pacific Co. Ltd. and Japan’s NTT DoCoMo. Last year, PLDT announced a plan to spend P67 billion in 2011 and 2012 to expand its network capacity in anticipation of an increase in demand.