Smart installs over 1,200 HSPA+ sites

MANILA, Philippines - The year 2011 is turning out to be the breakthrough year for the development of broadband services in the country.

Last week, Smart Communications Inc. announced it has fired up over 1,200 Evolved High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA+) base stations, thus making much more available high-speed mobile broadband in more parts of the country.

“Combined with other technology platforms, HSPA+ will play a big role in achieving our goal of extending broadband coverage to 95 percent of the Philippine population in the next three years,” said Rolando Peña, head of the Technology Group of Smart and its parent firm, the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT).

3G on steroids

HSPA+ is an upgraded version of the High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) technology. Based on standards set by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), HSPA+ is the fastest form of 3G, currently capable of delivering speeds of up to 42Mbps to mobile broadband users.

Smart has been conducting tests on HSPA+ since 2009.

“At this early stage, Smart has already rolled out the most extensive and robust high-speed mobile broadband network in the country,” said Smart chief wireless advisor Orlando Vea.

“Last month, we had about 500 HSPA+ base stations. It has taken us just a month to more than double that count. That shows how serious we are when we said we are transforming our network to further improve the quality of our service and meet the demand for new Internet-based services,” Vea said.

PLDT and Smart are currently implementing a P67.1-billion network transformation program designed to support the rapidly growing demand for broadband internet services in both fixed and mobile networks.

Less expense, more savings

On the mobile side, Smart set off this network transformation process with the conversion of its existing 2G and 3G base stations to the Single Radio Access Network (RAN) system.

With Single RAN, a base station can handle all types of cellular standards, allowing an operator such as Smart to quickly shift to new technologies just by upgrading the software in what is called a Base Station Controller.

“Our shift to Single RAN allows us to future-proof our base stations, and gives us the flexibility to rapidly upgrade them to the latest standards. Even as 3G evolved into HSPA, then into HSPA+, and even on to Long-Term Evolution (LTE), we do not need to have multiple base stations for each these cellular standards,” Peña said.

Fiber to the home

On the fixed line side, PLDT has begun introducing fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) services in selected areas of Metro Manila.

FTTH will make possible high-speed services such as video-streaming in high-definition quality. This will transform broadband usage at home to include entertainment services such as video-on-demand and live viewing of Web-based entertainment content and services.

The fiber optic edge

Connecting these access technologies on both the fixed and mobile side is the extensive transport grid — or the system of “highways” through which voice, SMS, and data go through — of both PLDT and Smart.

To date, Smart and PLDT have over 42,000 kilometers of looped FOCs, fully covering mainland Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao.

By end-2011, the combined PLDT-Smart network is expected to exceed 45,000 kilometers of fiber optic cabling throughout the Philippines.

“To offer high-speed access services, we need to support this with a robust, resilient transmission network,” said Peña. “Smart’s backbone infrastructure ensures that services will continue operating at the highest level even if some facilities have been damaged and suffer downtime.”

Moving to 4G

Smart’s HSPA+ rollout is complement by its preparations for the commercial deployment of LTE, often referred to as the fourth-generation of mobile phone technology or 4G.

Earlier this year, Smart fired up its LTE network on Boracay Island, where speeds hit 50 to 70Mbps, or roughly 35 times faster than that of the current 3G standard.

Much earlier, Smart had announced plans to expand its WiMAX deployment to 800 more sites, as part of efforts to enhance its fixed wireless broadband service, particularly in the provinces.

Since WiMAX covers a wider distance and serves more users at any given time while allowing high-speed data access, it can reach “blackout areas” that currently have no broadband Internet access — enabling Internet penetration even to the most remote barrios and barangays.

“We have clearly built the most advanced network in the country. To Smart, all this translates to an enhanced communication experience and mobile lifestyle for our subscribers,” said Vea.

Smart connects more than 47.8 million mobile subscribers and close to 1.5 million broadband subscribers that enjoy the most affordable and reliable wireless services.

Among Smart’s newest products is the Netphone — a line of Android devices pumped full of Smart’s proprietary services that, together, offer the best mobile Internet experience at low price points.

Another new product is the Smart Bro Rocket WiFi, the country’s fastest HSPA+ pocket modem and router in one.