MANILA — Mobile services provider Smart Communications reported that it has managed to post PHP14.8 billion in service revenues for the first quarter of this year higher by 2 percent from the previous year driven by ongoing improvements on its mobile data network.
Wireless individual service revenues reached PHP6.5 billion during the first quarter which was up by 21 percent year on year compared to the same period last year with mobile data services contributing 44 percent of its revenues.
“The contribution from data and digital to our total business continues to grow steadily. We will accelerate this further as we transform our networks into powerful platforms for delivering digital services and solutions. This will enable us to more effectively pursue our goal of becoming the preferred digital partner of our customers,” Ernesto Alberto, PLDT and Smart Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer, said in a statement Monday.
Smart has installed more than 1,300 Long Term Evolution (LTE) base stations for the first three months of 2018 leading to a total of more than 10,000 stations nationwide.
These facilities utilize various radio frequency bands particularly the 700 megahertz (MHz) band for better coverage and penetration and the 1,800 MHz and 2,100 MHz bands for additional capacity.
The rollout of LTE services has resulted in the number of LTE subscribers tripling year-on-year, posting an increase of 211 percent.
Luzon, where more than half of the LTE sites were deployed in the past six months, likewise posted a 5 percent revenue growth in the first quarter.
The installation of multiple LTE base stations in existing cell sites has brought about the activation of LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) technology which can deliver faster mobile data services to subscribers.
“On mobile, as shown by the experience of other countries, the network rollout must be accompanied by the adoption of LTE-Advanced-capable mobile phones and devices,” according to Mario Tamayo, PLDT-Smart Senior Vice President for Network Planning and Engineering.
Smart has also expanded its network coverage to include high foot traffic areas such as tourist spots like Baguio, Sagada, and Batanes, among others, in line with its commitment to the National Telecommunications Commission to bring high-speed mobile data using LTE, LTE-A and 3G to over 90 percent of the country’s cities and municipalities.
Its parent company PLDT has allocated PHP58 billion as capital expenditures for this year for the rollout of its fixed and mobile services. (Aerol John Pateña/PNA)
