Tests confirm improvement in Smart network efficiency

MANILA, Philippines - Tests conducted by network turnkey provider and a third party consultant validated the superior network of wireless giant Smart Communications Inc. in North and South Luzon after the completion of the P67.1-billion network modernization by dominant carrier Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co.

Ericsson revealed that Smart’s North and South Luzon networks showed consistently high performance in all key performance indices.

Lawrence Macalintal, Ericsson director for Philippines and Pacific Islands, said the company has tested the different key performance indices that Smart has prioritized including call setup success rate and drop calls rate.

 “As part of the completion of our network transformation project with Smart in North and South Luzon, we closely monitored and tested the performance of the upgraded network for 90 days, starting from June 30 onwards,” Macalintal stressed.  

Data recorded prior to the network transformation program revealed that network performance in North and South Luzon improved after the transformation was completed in June. 

He pointed out that the same key performance indices were tested before and after the site swaps, and the tests show improvement in all areas after the 90-day observation period.

Smart technology services division head Mar Tamayo said the company’s network has improved significantly as shown by the results of the observation period given by Ericsson.

 “This shows that we have indeed been able to create a supercharged network in North and South Luzon, and have also improved our customers’ experience in those areas,” Tamayo explained.

Apart from delivering a superior network quality experience, new equipment such as the Ericsson RBS6000 radio base station makes possible the deployment of next generation services such as Long-Term Evolution (LTE) mobile technology to more areas nationwide.

“With the help of the new equipment from Ericsson, we will be able to realize our vision of bringing LTE closer to all Filipinos. We believe this technology will contribute greatly towards increasing productivity, attracting foreign investment to the country, and providing Filipinos with an excellent mobile experience,” he said.

Smart is one of the first in the world to offer commercial LTE, joining the ranks of Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Australia and Singapore, and the only one to use LTE in three bands.

Meanwhile,  network supplier Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) has commissioned independent British firm AIRCOM International to run a series of mobile network quality benchmark tests using parameters consistent with those of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) and international standards.  

The tests confirmed that Smart network complying to high international standards for both voice and data, following the release of the results of network quality tests done over the period of Oct. 29 to 31.