Philippines mobile Internet more pervasive than ever!

With plummeting device prices, improving software ecosystems, and increasing service reach and reliability, mobile Internet in the Philippines has become more pervasive than it has ever been. According to Smart Broadband Internet and Data Services Head Lloyd Manaloto, the abovementioned factors have greatly increased the Filipinos’ growing appetite for mobile Internet access prompting the wireless leader to stay ahead of demand.

“We have foreseen the rise in demand as early as last year which is why we expedited ‘super-charging’ our mobile network” said Manaloto.

The P67.1 billion endeavor which Smart has recently completed in cooperation with parent company, PLDT, has made its mobile Internet service more accessible to more Filipinos nationwide using the latest 4G and 3G technologies.

An estimated 9,500 base stations which have been installed with the latest mobile equipment along with a nationwide network of 50,000kms of fiber optic cabling have increased Smart’s capability to deliver high-speed Internet.

The completion of the upgrade comes at an opportune time as a study by market research firm GfK reveals that Android, the mobile operating software (OS) owned by Internet giant Google, now powers 82.2% of all smartphones in the Philippines.

“This is certainly good news especially considering that the average Android smartphone price in the Philippines is below Php7,500,” said Manaloto.

The GfK study further reveals that close to 95% of these are equipped with 3G High Speed Packet Access Plus (HSPA+) technology thus making high speed mobile data access possible.

“Our supercharged network is now ready to deploy LTE, HSPA+, and 3G to provide the data speeds required given the demand of the subscribers,” said Manaloto.

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