Smart increases coverage in remote, rural areas

A significant number of remote and far-flung towns all over the country now have improved communications through cellsites recently put up by wireless services leader Smart Communications Inc. (Smart).

The wireless operator announced that it already has full network coverage of 703 municipalities and cities in the country for the first half of 2002, up from 656 as of end-2001.

In a span of six months, Smart has installed more than 100 cellsites in various provincial towns, providing much-needed communication services to the residents and small businessmen in remote areas like Tabuk, Kalinga and Isabela, Basilan.

"As we continue to offer new wireless services, it is imperative that we make all of these available to a larger base," said Rolando Peña, Smart head for network services division.

"I am pleased to say that our rollout campaign has attained full coverage in the country’s major cities and more than enough coverage even in towns far from the provincial capitals," he added.

Tabuk, the only urbanized town in the Kalinga area up north, now boasts of GSM coverage. This connects the Kalingas not only to its neighboring areas Mt. Province and Apayao but to all areas in the country as well.

In Southern Leyte, residents of Hinunangan now enjoy cellphone signal as Smart recently activated its cellsite in the area. Its activation is seen to boost the agricultural potential of the town, which is hardly connected by roads to its neighboring barrios.

Smart has also upped its cellsites in the Mindanao region, where one-third of all its barangays remain phoneless. The industrial town of Nasipit, Agusan del Norte and Saranggani, at the soouthermost tip of Mindanao now enjoys full cellular coverage. Banga in South Cotabato; Isabela, Basilan; Lupon, Davao Oriental; Salay, Misamis Oriental; Tukuran, Zamboanga del Sur; and Isulan, Sultan Kudarat have been also installed cellsites.

The Smart network has also covered tourist spots. To address the call and text traffic on account of an increasing number of tourists, Smart has put up cellsites in the areas of Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte; Panglao, Bohol; and Carmen, home of Bohol’s famous Chocolate Hills.

Smart has been making substantial investments in the provinces in line with the government’s call to provide people in unserved areas with wireless communication services. Aside from putting up GSM facilities, the company has also invested in satellite phone-backed public calling offices and Tawag Centers.

For extensive wireless connectivity outdoors, Smart also offers its ACeS satellite phone service that combines both satellite and GSM technology. With this service, Smart is able to reach coverage as far as "China, Indonesia, and Pakistan.

"Our communication services prove that Smart has provided solutions to all telecommunication needs," said Peña.

A subsidiary of dominant Philippine carrier Philippine Long Distance Telecommunications Co. (PLDT), Smart is the country’s largest and fastest growing wireless services provider. It introduced Smart Money, the award-winning electronic wallet linked to a cellphone, and also Smart zed, the mobile portal for personalized services.