MANILA, Philippines - Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) and wireless subsidiary Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) are now on the final stretch of their fast-tracked, nationwide P67.1-billion network transformation program.
Once complete, the program will benefit close to 50 million Smart subscribers all over the country, by enhancing the quality of its wireless services, including SMS, call, data and Internet access to the most remote areas.
This was disclosed during the courtesy call yesterday of Eric Xu, Vice Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Huawei, a leading global provider of commercial telecom networks, to Manuel V. Pangilinan, Chairman of PLDT and Smart.
Huawei is one of the telco's partners in the network initiative.
"While the rest of the industry is just about to lay the groundwork, we've already passed the halfway mark of this landmark network undertaking," remarked Orlando B. Vea, co-founder and Chief Wireless Advisor of Smart.
Originally scheduled to run for three years after its launch in early 2011, the program will be completed by the middle of this year - taking only a total of a year and a half.
To date, PLDT and Smart have modernized and optimized the network covering the entire Visayas and Mindanao areas and Bicol in Luzon, with the rest of the country to follow soon.
Aside from Huawei, PLDT and Smart are also working with Ericsson and Nokia Siemens Network on the program.
"By tapping the individual strengths of the world's three biggest network suppliers, we are able to ensure the efficient and timely progress of this initiative," added Vea.
Once fully completed, PLDT and Smart also expect the transformation program to allow it to reach "blackout areas," or places that used to have no broadband Internet access - enabling Internet penetration to even the most remote areas of the country.
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