Smart upgrades LTE in Cebu region

The Philippines’ Smart Communications has completed an upgrade to its LTE and 3G networks in Cebu, the nation’s second largest urban hub.

The upgrade has increased median download speeds of Smart’s LTE service in Cebu to 17.6Mbps, compared to the operator’s nationwide average of 11Mbps, Smart said.

By the end of the year, Smart plans to roll out LTE in more than 25 areas in the Cebu province, including some of the province’s most popular tourist areas. Smart is meanwhile introducing LTE support for customers of its Sun Cellular brand, which has a plurality of its subscriber’s in Cebu.

This will be accompanied by network expansions elsewhere. Smart has set a target of covering 70% of the Philippines’ population with LTE by the end of the year.

“Smart is committed to bring LTE to more areas in the Philippines and to make it available to even more Filipinos. We are encouraging our customers to check their SIMs and upgrade them so they can fully enjoy our improved network,” commented Mario Tamayo, SVP for network planning and engineering at Smart and parent company PLDT.

“We are also partnering with device vendors to make more LTE-capable handsets, especially those utilizing the 700 MHz frequency, available for those who already have LTE SIMs but may not have an LTE device just yet.”