Smart assures worry-free communication for delegates of Asean Summit in Cebu

Staying connected will be the least of worries of the more than 5,000 delegates attending the 12th ASEAN Summit in Cebu City this week as leading wireless service provider Smart Communications has committed to ensure that Metro Cebu will be covered by its various broadband voice and data services.

As the official communication service provider of the 12th ASEAN Summit, Smart assured the delegates guaranteed easy and quick connection to their respective home countries via its international roaming service. International roaming allows subscribers of Smart’s roaming partners to use their mobile phones via Smart’s network.

To date, Smart has 300 roaming partnerships with different telecom operators in more than 200 countries, including those affiliated with the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).

"Regardless of where they’re coming from, I can assure that most of the delegates will be able to roam seamlessly in our network as most operators in ASEAN participating countries are roaming partners of Smart," said Hiyasmin Quinal, Smart’s wireless service assurance head for Visayas and Mindanao .

Smart has also firmed up the roll-out of its wireless broadband zones to give the ASEAN delegates a taste of its innovative offering Smart Bro, a high-speed fixed wireless broadband Internet connection that uses the nationwide cellular network of Smart to wirelessly deliver Internet service.

For the entire duration of the event, participants are entitled to free unlimited access to the Smart Bro service that would enable them to check their emails, upload pictures, download files and surf the Internet in specific Smart Hotzones. These areas include the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC), Shangri-La Mactan Resort, and the Mactan Cebu International Airport.

According to Quinal, each of these hotzones is being serviced by a dedicated antenna that is able to cover a radius of up to 1.5 kilometers. "At the CICC, we’ve deployed 10 antennae to ensure that delegates at every level and every corner are able to access the Internet via Smart Bro," she said.

"Moreover, to ensure that we provide consistent quality service, we shall have a round-the-clock monitoring of the usage of our hotzones, so we can readily expand our capacity whenever necessary," Quinal added.

The Smart Bro Hotzones will be available to the delegates from Dec. 8 to Dec. 14.

Participants who wish to access the Internet in the familiar ‘Internet-café’ set-up may do so in a three-seater make-shift ‘Internet cafe’ dubbed Smart BroOM (Smart Bro on Mobile). Using the same Smart Bro antenna, this Internet café on a van will be stationed just outside the CICC.

For areas outside the Smart Bro Hotzones, Smart has beefed up its 3G facility to ensure a seamless and always-on broadband connection even on the go. Smart 3G is the country’s first nationwide third generation (3G) network, Launched early this year, it provides cutting-edge, data-rich services like video calls, video conferencing and high speed Internet browsing.

"The whole of Metro Cebu - from Lapu-Lapu to Mandaue, and the Cebu Business District to Talisay – is already covered by the Smart 3G network. This will allow participants with 3G-capable handsets or HSDPA (high speed downlink packet access) cards to easily and wirelessly connect to broadband Internet," Quinal explained.