Philippine Telegraph and Telephone Corp. said it will start testing 5G fixed wireless broadband “on a proof of concept” basis  as part of its strategy to join the 5G bandwagon.

During the company’s virtual annual stockholders’ meeting last September 25, PT&T shared that the company was allocated 200 megahertz (MHZ) of High Band Spectrum by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) and will be “undergoing Proof of Concept on 5G Fixed Wireless Access use cases.” 

“This is in line with the company’s initiative to get into 5G broadband services in the near future,” PT&T said. 

PT&T also highlights its continuous upturn in performance for the past three years as the need for connectivity heightened during the quarantine period. 

Following a 22 percent increase in its broadband connections, PT&T had a 23 percent revenue growth year-on-year to P207.67 million during the first half of the year.  

Its net loss during the period dropped by 45 percent to  P19.5 million from P35.72 million last year.

“We are now benefiting from having spent the past two years transforming both PT&T’s operations and product offerings to be relevant in the digital age,” James Velasquez, President and Chief Executive of PT&T said.

“This makes us even more resilient during these times as the requirement for high speed internet and digital services becomes a priority,” he added. 

Currently, PT&T has a network reach of 13,500 fiber kilometers in high-growth areas and covering almost 40 percent of the total Philippine population. 

In 2019, the company forayed into the IT services space, offering accessible, enterprise grade solutions to complement their connectivity portfolio.

PT&T holds a 25-year franchise which allows the company to establish, maintain, and operate both wired and wireless telecommunications systems for domestic and international communication in the country.