Customers in Bulacan can now look forward to improved connectivity as PLDT wireless arm Smart Communication Inc. (Smart) rolls out Long Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) across Bulacan, which is expected to benefit students, employees, families, local governments and industries operating in the province.

“Our network upgrades in Bulacan are part of our nationwide efforts to bring better connectivity across the country, in order to improve the lives of our customers and their families, and to enhance the productivity of Bulacan’s businesses and enterprises,” said Mario Tamayo, senior vice president for Network Planning and Engineering for PLDT and Smart in a media release.

Improved networks are now in place for Smart, Sun and TNT customers with enhanced LTE coverage and capacity in the Bulacan capital of Malolos, City of San Jose Del Monte, Obando, Balagtas, San Ildefonso, San Miguel, San Rafael and Pulilan, for example. Meanwhile, Dona Remedios Trinidad now has LTE for the first time.

With the upgrades, Smart’s LTE service is now available in more areas across Bulacan, including indoor locations.

LTE is the best technology to help bring fast, affordable and reliable mobile internet services to as many customers as possible. It is also quickly upgradable to LTE-Advanced, which can provide even greater capacity and speeds to users with capable smartphones.

Smart is also currently ramping up its carrier aggregation (CA) roll-out across the country. A major feature of LTE-A, CA combines two or more separate bands of radio frequencies to create a bigger pipe for faster data rates, and improve the overall user experience for streaming video, sending files on-the-go, and accessing information online, for example.

These network upgrades are part of Smart’s thrust to provide world-class internet service to Filipinos in Bulacan and in other parts of the country.

“We encourage our Smart, Sun and TNT customers in Bulacan to upgrade their SIMs to LTE and use LTE-capable phones, so they can enjoy better mobile experience to stay connected with family through video calls and photo sharing, discover new things on YouTube, or access important online services,” Tamayo said.

As of end-September, Smart has equipped over 5,700 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 puts the total count of LTE base stations at over 14,400, a 65-percent increase from the end-2017 count.

Underpinning PLDT’s integrated fixed and mobile network roll-out was the expansion of PLDT’s fiber optic transmission and distribution network. PLDT’s 221,000-kilometer fiber network also supports its mobile network by providing high-capacity fiber connections for LTE base stations.