Smart expands LTE roaming services with Singapore’s Starhub

Wireless services leader Smart Communications (Smart) has expanded its Long Term Evolution (LTE) roaming services by offering the first commercial LTE roaming service between the Philippines and Singapore through a partnership with StarHub, a leading info-communications firm in the Lion City.

The strategic partnership allows Smart LTE subscribers to utilize the extensive StarHub LTE network and enjoy consistent and reliable internet whenever they roam in Singapore.

Smart subscribers may now enjoy the same lightning-fast LTE experience they have in the country when they head to Singapore with a rate of only USD 10 per day.

Singapore remains to be among the top international destinations among Filipinos, drawing over 670,000 tourists from the Philippines in 2011 alone.

“As the forerunner of LTE in the country, Smart cements its dominance in the LTE space through this partnership that enables us to provide seamless and high-quality connectivity to our subscribers here and abroad,” said Smart Chief Wireless Advisor Orlando B. Vea.

This milestone bodes well for the growing number of mobile data users in the region. A Cisco study released early this year projected that mobile data traffic in the Asia Pacific region would see a 76 percent annual growth rate between 2012 to 2017 as more and more people depend on data on their mobile devices – from the wide-eyed traveler who cannot wait to share his or her adventures on various social networking sites to the businessman who relies on real-time updates for important business decisions. For people on the move, mobile data is a communications staple and faster is better.

With LTE, currently the fastest fourth-generation (4G) wireless connection in the world, users can rely on speeds as fast as 100 Mbps, making it ideal for high-speed broadband applications. It allows users to stream high-definition videos without buffering, download files in minutes, and play lag-free online games.

“These partnerships for LTE roaming services elevate our commitment to our subscribers by providing not only mobile services of the highest quality, but also the fastest and most dependable – not only in the country, but also beyond our borders,” said Conexus chair Alejandro Caeg, also the Smart Head for International & Carrier Business Division.

Smart pioneered LTE in the Philippines in August 2012, and now offers the widest coverage with more than 1,000 sites covering 180 cities and municipalities in the North Luzon, South Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao areas. Smart LTE also covers all the cities in Metro Manila.

Smart and StarHub are members of Conexus Mobile Alliance (Conexus), one of the largest mobile alliances in Asia, aimed at developing roaming and other corporate mobile services among its member-networks. The alliance has a total customer base of 280 million mobile subscribers in its members’ markets, and 690 million subscribers when combined with the Vodafone Group, its strategic partner.

Source: Smart Communications

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