Smart to build more cell towers in Bantayan and Liloan, Cebu

PLDT's wireless arm Smart earlier shared that the company will construct more cell sites in Northern Cebu. This is a part of its continuous network expansion efforts across the country.

Bantayan Mayor Arthur Despi during the groundbreaking

More areas with 4G LTE cell sites in Northern Cebu soon!

Together with the local government units of Bantayan and Liloan in Cebu Smart recently held groundbreaking ceremonies to formally commence the construction of Smart's cell sites to cater to unserved and underserved areas in these municipalities.

Groundbreaking ceremony in Bantayan

To recall, the Bantayan Island continues to top lists for tourist destinations in the country. However, some tourism corridors on the island still do not have signal or data connectivity.

Groundbreaking ceremony in Liloan

In particular, Smart said that it will be expanding its network in Barangays Sillon and Oboob.

Mario G. Tamayo, Head of Technology at PLDT and Smart, emphasized the importance of expanding the network to support even far-flung communities, despite the current challenges.

Rolling out in an archipelago and in the countryside presents a variety of unique challenges. But we are committed to expanding our network and making sure our technology reaches all communities and have the best customer experience with Smart.

Mayor Arthur Despi of Bantayan also that the municipality is also set to build roads across their tourism corridors to make the Smart towers in the area more accessible.

We are really thankful to Smart that we are able to take the first step towards the improvement of the island’s communication facilities, says Mayor Despi.  "Through this project, we can also prepare Bantayan to become a place that can offer better job opportunities to our youth, our future workforce, he added. 

On the other hand, Smart's Corporate Communications VisMin Center Head/AVP, Atty. Maria Jane Paredes said that Smart recognizes the importance of communication in achieving the Local Government Unit of Bantayan's goals for its constituents.

If these plans are not equipped with actions and infrastructure, like communication, these plans will never be realized, she said. 

There's no timetable on when the cell site builds will be finished yet. There's no info if it will support the next-gen 5G tech as well. But, once implemented, it will clearly benefit both the residents and tourists in those areas.

To recap, Alfredo Panlilio, PLDT chief revenue officer and Smart Communications President and CEO, said the group may invest between PHP 88 billion to PHP 92 billion of capex in 2021.

The majority of the capital expenditures would be earmarked to finance the expansion of PLDT's fiber footprint and wireless coverage.