Smart cited as Philippine’s best network

MANILA, Philippines — Smart Communications Inc. has been named as the best network in the country by international internet testing organization umlaut.

Smart won the “Best in Test” award by the global benchmarking company, which also recognized PLDT’s wireless unit for having the best-rated broadband coverage, user download experience and latency experience.

“This citation not only reinforces Smart’s superiority in 5G and LTE network performance, but further affirms our relentless push to provide world-class connectivity,” PLDT Inc. and Smart president and chief executive officer Alfredo Panlilio said.

Smart posted an overall score of 777 out of a maximum of 1,000 points in umlaut’s benchmarking survey.

The score includes Smart’s performance in terms of broadband coverage, download speed, and latency, which refers to the time it takes for data to make a round trip through the network.

The extensive analysis tested and measured 722 million samples from 871,000 users over six months between April and September.

“Congratulations Smart for being awarded as the best network in the Philippines, winning in all categories,” umlaut CEO Hakan Ekmen said.

Smart was also given the “Best in Test” award and was cited for having the best and widest 4G/LTE coverage and fastest upload and download speeds.

Last year, in conferring the “Best in Test” award alongside other citations, umlaut noted Smart’s superior and progressively improving network even with the impact of COVID-19.

Umlaut covers more than 200 mobile networks in more than 120 countries worldwide.

“These awards continue to inspire us to constantly improve and deliver the best network. The work does not stop for us, as we strive to provide superior network experience to more Filipinos, especially to our new Smart subscribers who have joined us via mobile number portability--connecting them with loved ones, powering their work and study from home setups and enabling their livelihoods,” PLDT and Smart head of technology Mario Tamayo said.

Smart said the results of umlaut’s benchmarking survey shows that its network is in the best position to deliver superior network services in the country.

“This is a win for all Filipinos because with mobile number portability at hand, everyone can now make the Smart move, and gain access to the country’s fastest and most reliable network, without having to change mobile numbers,” Panlilio said.