The Philippines' Smart has revealed plans to expand its LTE network to cover all major cities in the nation by the end of the year.
The PLDT subsidiary will spend up to 32 billion pesos ($716.3 million) in capex in 2014, and the LTE expansion will mark a significant part of this outlay, the Sun Starreported.
Through the rollout, Smart aims to cover 50% of the population with LTE by the end of the year.
The capex budget will also be spent on extending 3G coverage to 100% of the population – from about 71% today - expanding Smart's fiber footprint and investing in a new international cable system.
It will also encompass investments in improving network resiliency in the wake of the impact last year's super-typhoon Haiyan had on the nation's communications systems. The cellco is specifically investing in systems that will allow its base station to withstand 300km/h winds.
Smart launched trials of LTE-Advanced in August last year, and plans to use the technology in conjunction with its fiber footprint to provide high-speed broadband services.