Smartphones and devices in general are starting to come with 5G support by default in 2022. The exponentially-higher network speeds this provides helps people with their day-to-day activities, especially for tasks that require web surfing. The telco giant has foreseen this surge in demand and is readying up to meet it by adding 2,500 more Smart base stations across local soil.

In the first quarter of this year alone, the company claims to have deployed Smart 5G base stations in locations such as Davao City, Quezon City, Mandaluyong, Manila, Cavite, Laguna, and other progressive areas with considerable web traffic. The twofold goal here is to reduce stress on the existing network infrastructure while expanding connections and reinforcing signal strength.

“As the economy recovers and people become more mobile, the demand for fast and reliable connectivity will only further increase. This consistent expansion of our fixed and mobile network over the years has enabled us to respond to the needs of our customers, who have been relying on the internet to power their hybrid workplaces, online learning, electronic banking, and e-commerce,” said Mario G. Tamayo, Head of Technology at PLDT and Smart.

Q1 of 2022 saw a 30% YoY growth of mobile data usage to 1,010 petabytes. This isn’t an outlier but an expected rising trend, which is why Smart’s formerly 4,800 5G base stations had ballooned to 7,300. Totals sum up to around 70,000+ base stations nationwide, with the company claiming 97% country coverage of either 3G, LTE, or 5G.

PLDT continually increases its capital expenditures, only at a PHP 75B projection at the start of the year, to almost PHP 89B as of now. This funding will go towards the construction of more towers alongside other network-related activities such as lengthening PLDT’s 803,000-kilometer fiber infrastructure.  We’ll have to wait and see if these efforts will be enough to keep Smart as the fastest 5G network in the country.