Smart Communications Inc. posted a higher video experience score than rival Globe Telecom Inc., according to independent mobile analytics company OpenSignal.
OpenSignal published an independent analysis of the customer experience for video services by telecom carriers in Asia, showing that Smart garnered a video experience score of 42.2, ahead of Globe with 29.2 percent and above the national average of 34.98 percent
OpenSignal’s video experience metric uses an International Telecommunication Union-based approach for measuring video quality. It is derived from several underlying parameters based on real-world measurements of video streams from the world’s largest video content providers.
“Our ‘YouTube Everyday’ promo was part of our initiative to unlock the billions of hours of content online for every Filipino. We were confident that our customers would enjoy the experience because we built a world-class network that can cater to their demanding video needs. This report from Open Signal validates not just our strategy, but the work put in by the entire company to build our network,” PLDT-Smart chairman Manuel Pangilinan said.
Smart launched in April its YouTube promo, where subscribers get to enjoy an hour of YouTube for free daily if they purchase various mobile data packages. The promo, which ran until the end of October, boosted the number of YouTube users by nearly 400 percent and the volume of YouTube traffic by over 850 percent .
“Our customers love watching YouTube, Netflix and other videos on their smartphones. This is the reason why we invested heavily into making the country’s fastest LTE network, Smart, the best network for watching videos on-the-go. This recognition from an independent global and analytics firm, Open Signal, affirms our commitment to our customers to be their trusted and preferred digital and technology partner,” PLDT-Smart executive vice president and chief revenue officer Ernesto Alberto said.
Smart said to meet this growing demand for mobile data, it continued its stepped-up deployment of long term evolution, LTE-Advanced and carrier aggregation technology across the Philippines by re-equipping cell sites with low-frequency and high-frequency bands for improved coverage, capacity and speeds.
Smart said that as of end-September, it equipped over 5,600 base stations across the country with LTE, not only to expand LTE coverage but also to lay the ground for LTE-A, which can provide even greater capacity and speeds to users with LTE-compatible smartphones. This put the total count of LTE base stations at over 14,300.
As a result of these upgrades, Smart continues to lead in terms of LTE download speeds, according to OpenSignal’s latest Mobile Networks Update.