PLDT and mobile division Smart have announced the launch of the Philippines' first 5G cell sites in Pampanga.
The new sites at the PLDT headquarters in Makati City and the Clark Freeport Zone are 3GPP standards compliant. The former base station was supplied by Huawei while the latter was supplied by Ericsson.
PLDT and Smart recently signed an agreement with Clark Development Corporation to transform the Clark Freeport Zone into the Philippines' first 5G city.
PLDT CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan said the company is in a strong position to roll out 5G, as the network will be supported by the operator's 221,000km fiber network. The company has been upgrading its existing cell sites to fiber backhaul across the country.
“I am happy to announce that PLDT and Smart just fired up the first 5G cell sites in the country, putting the company alongside the first tier operators in the world to have deployed live 5G base stations,” he said.
“This is part of our commitment to bring the most advanced technologies to the country.”
He said 5G will open up exciting possibilities for IoT and smart city applications for the Philippines, particularly in areas including transport, traffic management, manufacturing, logistics, retail and customer support.