PLDT 5G service launch faces delay

Subscribers of Pangilinan-led PLDT and its wireless arm Smart Communications may have to wait until next year before they could experience their 5G network services.

PLDT 5G service launch faces delay

To launch 5G in 2020 instead

Its chair Manuel Pangilinan said the launch of 5G services would be moved to "early next year", a delay from the supposed fourth quarter of 2019. 

The tycoon stressed the listed group has yet to "determine the standards by which 5G will operate", as well as partner with a technology provider.

Over the next few months, we will determine which vendor we’ll choose for 5G, Pangilinan said. 

PLDT was in talks with five vendors: China’s Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., and ZTE Corp.; Sweden’s Ericsson, Inc.; Finland’s Nokia Corp.; and United States’ Cisco Systems, Inc.

This delay made PLDT inferior to its main rival Globe Telecom as the latter led the 5G race in the country with the launch of its 5G services for home last end-June.

Last week, PLDT launched the "Smart 5G Alliance" to entice technology firms and the academe to determine potential use cases of 5G. 

The 5G Alliance is different because our approach is we’re working with partners to really develop 5G solutions that can be used in the local setting, PLDT-Smart Senior Vice-President and Head of Enterprise Jovy I. Hernandez said.

Source: BusinessWorld