PLDT Inc. sees increased capital expenditures in 2020 to partly finance the deployment of 5G and 4G technology nationwide.
“Yes. It will start. I was looking that way. Well, I mean the technology group is really continuing to make the network more robust,” said PLDT chairman and president Manuel Pangilinan.
“There are still some more investments that are going to be made on 4G and of course we are starting on 5G, that’s the IT part of it,” he added.
Pangilinan said 5G would be a big part of capex for next year.
PLDT’s capex for 2019 is expected to reach P78.4 billion, including allocations for the expansion of PLDT’s fiber broadband service, which also supports Smart’s mobile network by providing high-capacity links for cellular base stations.
Meanwhile, PLDT and wireless subsidiary Smart Communications Inc. have forged an agreement with the Araneta Group to launch 5G technology in premier lifestyle hub Araneta City and transform it into the country’s first Smart 5G Lifestyle Hub, which will feature the country’s first 5G indoor deployment and the first 5G-enabled shopping mall.
“Last year, we fired up our first 5G base stations in Clark and Makati and launched the first Smart 5G Cities. Earlier this year, we launched the first Smart 5G Campus in Ateneo, and the Smart 5G Alliance. Today, we are marking another milestone in our 5G journey, this time by enabling Araneta City to be the country’s first full 5G coverage lifestyle hub,” said PLDT and Smart chief revenue officer Alfredo Panlilio.
With its capability to deliver extremely high speeds coupled with low latency, 5G opens up many possible applications on the Internet of Things and smart cities, as well as smart applications for the retail, transport, manufacturing, logistics and warehousing sectors, as well as intelligent solutions for customer support and smart homes.
Smart has also already rolled out fast, free and open fiber-powered Wi-Fi connectivity through Google Station in key areas, including Gateway Mall, Smart Araneta Coliseum, New Frontier Theater and the Araneta City bus port.
To date, Google Station is already available in Gateway Mall, Gateway Tower and Gateway Gallery, Coliseum Arcade, Ali Mall, Farmers Plaza, Shopwise Arcade, Cyberpark 1, New Frontier Theater, Manhattan Parkway, Parkview and Heights Arcade, Telus Arcade, Farmers Market-Dampa, Aurora Tower Arcade, Smart Araneta Coliseum and Araneta City Bus Port.
These Araneta City venues are part of the growing list of more than 600 Google Station sites nationwide that Google and Smart announced.
Google Station has also been deployed in government offices, city and provincial halls, hospitals, tertiary schools, and transportation hubs like airports and seaports.
