Smart Communications Inc. overtook rival Globe Telecom Inc. in terms of average download speeds for both 3G and LTE nationwide, according to a study by J.P.Morgan.
J.P.Morgan’s Asia Network Quality study, which cited crowd-sourced data gathered by wireless coverage research firm OpenSignal, showed Smart LTE service was leading nationwide, with average download speed of 11.64 megabits per second on the country level compared to Globe’s 6.65 Mbps.
The May 2017 report also showed Smart was leading across areas in terms of LTE service, with average download speeds of 12.52 Mbps in Metro Manila, 11.96 Mbps in the Visayas and 9.44 Mbps in South Luzon.
Globe had average download speeds of 6.79 Mbps in Metro Manila, 6.91 Mbps in the Visayas and 6.45 Mbps in South Luzon.
“PLDT’s Smart has significant momentum across all circles measured. This likely implies a higher likelihood of market share gains going forward, with potentially better pricing power,” J.P.Morgan said in the study which covered the months of February to April 2017.
Smart also led in terms of 3G speeds nationwide, posting 2.29 Mbps average download speeds on a country level compared to Globe’s 2.08 Mbps.
Across areas, average download speeds on Smart’s 3G service were at 3.41 Mbps in Metro Manila, 1.74 Mbps in the Visayas and 1.82 Mbps in South Luzon.
Globe had 2.64 Mbps in Metro Manila in terms of 3G download speed, 2.02 Mbps in the Visayas and 1.98 in Southern Luzon.
“There is still a lot of work to be done, but these test results show that our network improvement program is making progress. They are a testament to Smart’s commitment to continuously contribute to improving overall speeds in the country,” PLDT and Smart senior vice president for network planning and engineering Mario G. Tamayo said.
Smart is re-equipping its cell sites to use low-frequency bands such as 700 MHz and 850 MHz to provide better indoor coverage. It is also deploying high-frequency bands like 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz to increase the cell sites’ capacity to handle more calls, texts, and ever-increasing mobile data traffic.