The country’s largest telecommunication company has ramped up its network rollout nationwide on the back of a record number of permits secured in 2021.
PLDT and Smart have secured more than 45,000 fixed and wireless permits as of December 21 this year.
“As the economy re-opens and our countrymen continue to recover from the pandemic, the demand for reliable internet connectivity only continues to accelerate. As such, we are one with our government in ensuring faster delivery of quality connectivity to more Filipinos nationwide,” said PLDT Inc. and Smart Communications Inc. president and chief executive Alfredo Panlilio,
“Government initiatives such as the streamlining of permitting guidelines for our cell sites and fiber lines are really helpful in expediting the expansion of our network across the country,” he added.
These include the recently signed Joint Memorandum Circular No. 1, Series of 2021 simplifying the permitting process for cable laying, including the erection of poles, construction of underground fiber ducts, and installation of cables and facilities along national, local, and subdivision roads, including pavements and sidewalks.
PLDT’s fiber infrastructure, the country’s most extensive, is at around 615,000 kilometers as of end-September.
The fiber lines also support Smart’s 3G, 4G/LTE and 5G network, which serve 96 percent of the population from Batanes to Tawi-Tawi.
In addition to being the fastest mobile network in the country according to Ookla, Smart also operates the country’s widest 5G network with around 6,400 base stations deployed nationwide.
The initiatives of PLDT and Smart to upgrade their integrated fixed and wireless networks across the country are in support for the government’s call to elevate the quality of telco services in the Philippines.
PLDT and Smart are on track to meeting the 2021 full-year capital expenditure guidance of at least P88 billion.