Smart Communications Inc. is ramping up its fifth generation (5G) coverage in the next three years.
“Last year, we made the bold decision to accelerate 5G, and I’m glad we did that,” said Alfredo Panlilio, PLDT chief revenue officer and Smart president and chief executive officer, noting that using 5G-ready equipment in Smart’s 4G rollout has made the 5G rollout easier and more efficient.
As of May, Smart said it has fired up more than 3,000 5G sites across the country and is currently the Philippines’ fastest and widest 5G network.
“It is important for us to expand 5G coverage. Today, we are launching 5G data subscription packages. We launched Unli 5G. We are encouraging our customers to upgrade to Smart 5G-certified handsets, so that they can experience and maximize our 5G network,” Panlilio said.
From its initial selected sites covering Metro Manila, Angeles City, Baguio City, Cavite City, Cebu City, Clark City and Davao City, Smart’s Unli 5G offer is now available to customers at over 3,000 Smart 5G locations around the country, including Batangas, Bacolod, Boracay, Cagayan de Oro, Laguna, Pampanga, Pangasinan and Quezon.
Smart 5G complements Smart’s continuous expansion of its 4G/Long Term Evolution network, which has also been recognized as the fastest mobile network in the country by third-party analytics firms including Ookla and Opensignal.
Currently, Smart’s mobile networks serve 96 percent of the population from Batanes to Tawi-Tawi.
Meanwhile, Panlilio said providing world-class customer experience is the best way to serve the new generation of Filipino consumers.
“We have to be excellent in three things: Operational efficiency, innovation and customer experience,” he said.
However, Panlilio emphasized the importance of customer experience.
“We have to be world-class in at least one aspect, and that is customer experience. Our North Star is the customer,” he said.
Asked about his vision for PLDT and Smart in the next 10 years, Panlilio said the focus should ultimately be in improving within the company.
“We need to improve ourselves first, beat our personal best and keep getting better and stronger. This is the only way to beat competition — be the best in the industry and serve our customers better than anyone else,” he said.
“By 2030, we hope to continue being the leader in customer experience. We also ought to be more digital by then, with a platform in place that makes it easy for our customers to engage with us whenever they need us. Technology is driving us there, especially 5G. We hope to make customer engagement seamless and simple — this is the only way we can continue to be top-of-mind for our customers,” Panlilio added. – Myla Iglesias
