Smart, Globe fire up 700-MHz frequency

MANILA, Philippines – Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) and Globe Telecom Inc. have started utilizing the 700 Megahertz (MHz) frequency.

In a statement yesterday, PLDT’s wireless arm Smart Communications Inc. said it fired up three LTE (Long Term Evolution) cell sites with 700 MHz in Tanay, Rizal; Matina, Davao City; and Manggahan area in Pasig City.

Smart said download speeds of 101 Mbps were attained on a single band 700 MHz set-up, while peak speeds of up to 222 Mbps were recorded in Tanay as the telco combined its 700 MHz and 1800 MHz frequency bands using the carrier aggregation capability of LTE-Advanced or 4.5 G.

“That’s only three base stations which are 700 MHz enabled so far. We will build more than 200 in key sites nationwide by year-end,” PLDT chairman and chief executive officer Manuel V. Pangilinan said.

In line with its three-year program which seeks to provide faster, affordable and reliable internet service in the country, Smart intends to activate a total of 360 cell sites with 700 MHz this year.

Globe meanwhile, started using the 700 MHz frequency through a cell site located near Hardin ng Bougainvillea in UP Diliman, Quezon City during the weekend.

The Ayala-led telco’s first cell site using the 700 MHz frequency generated speeds between 60 and 100 Mbps.

To utilize the 700 MHz frequency, Globe is looking to roll out an initial 200 cell sites.

“The intention is that the first batch of the 200 sites we plan to roll out will be in areas where connectivity matters most to our customers as well as in locations with high convergence of users like here in the National Capital Region,” Joel Agustin, Globe senior vice president for program governance, network technical group said in a statement.

PLDT and Globe gained access to the 700 MHz frequency after the joint purchase of San Miguel Corp.’s telco business.

SMC previously held the bulk of the 700 MHz spectrum which is considered key in improving internet services in the country due to its ability to easily penetrate buildings and walls and its greater coverage.

Apart from deployment of infrastructure to utilize the 700 MHz, Joachim Horn, PLDT and Smart chief technology and information advisor said the group is also working on making available more affordable LTE smartphones, pocket Wi-Fis and tablets compatible with the frequency.

The list of 700 MHz-capable devices include Samsung models such as Tab S2, Galaxy Note 5, S6, S6 edge, S7, S7 edge, J5 2016, J7 2016, A5 2016, A7 2016, and Tab A 2016; O+ models Sonic and Finite; and Huawei smartphone models GR3, GR5, GR8, P9 LITE and P9+.