Smart powers up commercial 5G SA network in Makati City

Smart Communications has started powering up its 5G Stand Alone (SA) sites in the country's financial hub Makati City.

Smart fires up 5G SA sites in Makati City

Smart bolsters 5G network

The PLDT's wireless unit claimed its commercial 5G SA network in the city is "one of the first 5G SA networks in the world."

Alfredo Panlilio, PLDT Inc. and Smart Communications president and chief executive officer, said this only proves that the Pangilinan-led telco has been "at the forefront of breakthrough innovations" in the Philippines telco sector.

With the first batch of our 5G SA sites now fully operational, we are starting to see the true capabilities of 5G which will play a critical role in the advancement of massive IoT (internet of things), health care and smart cities, delivering customer experience that is truly world-class, Panlilio said.

According to Smart, 5G SA technology paves the way for a variety of new industry applications that utilize 5G's full features. 5G SA will provide super-fast response times and faster access to higher data rates that are required by cloud gaming, or immersive media, for example.

Mario G. Tamayo, head of Technology at PLDT and Smart, said firing up the company's 5G SA sites in Makati City could further support the increased connectivity requirements of Filipino subscribers, but also local businesses amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Technology plays an important role in today's society as evidently seen during the pandemic. 5G and LTE have provided us with the means to stay connected with our loved ones, work, and study from our homes, and find means to keep ourselves entertained as we continue to keep our families safe, Tamayo said.

Following the new 5G development, Smart said it was looking to launch Voice over New Radio (VoNR) "soon".