PLDT Group is ramping up its network expansion and upgrade efforts in Bohol to provide faster connectivity amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This is part of our commitment to improve customer experience across the country, wherever they may be,”  Mario G. Tamayo, PLDT-Smart senior vice president for Network Planning and Engineering said.

“Achieving this amid the pandemic has been a team effort among our people in the field who do physical installations and upgrades, as well as those in charge of systems upgrades that can be done remotely,” he added.

Tamayo underscored the importance of connectivity and technology amid these difficult times. “The internet is vital for our customers who need it to stay connected with their families and friends especially due to the community quarantines, to entertain themselves through video streaming and mobile games, and to work and run their businesses from home safely,” he said.

In addition to network upgrades, PLDT and Smart are also teaming up with local partners to make LTE more accessible to Boholanos.  

As of end-March, Smart increased the number of 4G/LTE base stations to 26,000, up 6 percent  from end-2019 and 60 percent  more than end-2018. 

PLDT’s fiber infrastructure, which supports Smart’s network by providing high-capacity links to LTE base stations, is now at 338,500 kilometers nationwide, 5 percent more than end-2019 and up nearly 40 percent  from end-2018.

In April, Smart further increased the capacity of its LTE network by reallocating its assigned 1800 Mhz frequency from 2G to 4G/LTE. As a result, 3,785 base stations of Smart have also been providing additional capacity for its LTE network.