With 5G fast becoming the next battleground of local telcos, Smart Communications and Globe Telecom are now busy pitching the new wireless technology to consumers and businesses alike.
The competition is becoming intense, in fact, that PLDT’s chief technology and information advisor Joachim Horn recently threw a shade at the 5G infrastructure of a rival firm during a recent press event.
“Don’t believe them when they say they have real 5G if they haven’t rolled out the fiber network needed for 5G,” said Horn, an apparent dig at Globe which supposedly became the first telco in the country to introduce 5G technology in 2019.
Horn stressed it is only PLDT and Smart which has laid down the fiber optic infrastructure required for a robust 5G network. The company has not failed to emphasize that it has the country’s most extensive fiber network footprint at over 307,000 kilometers.
Last July 30, Smart Communications formally announced the activation of its commercial 5G service on Thursday, July 30, with the initial phase of deployment in key business districts of Metro Manila.
The mobile operator, along with PLDT Enterprise, has thus started to offer 5G solutions to businesses wanting to use the ultra-high speed wireless technology.
“Our customers’ needs are evolving, and we at PLDT Enterprise ensure to continuously keep up with those demands by always innovating our services and products. We have to be prepared for whatever demand will arise in the future, which is why we’re setting the groundwork for future technologies as early as now,” said Jovy Hernandez, SVP and head for PLDT and Smart Enterprise Business Groups of PLDT Enterprise.
PLDT Enterprise said it has added new wireless offerings to its portfolio of services, namely Smart Giga Study, Smart Queuing Solution, and Smart Tracker, and Smart 5G.
The Smart Giga Study offering is a prepaid service tailor-made to help students and other members of the academe transition to e-learning through generous data allocation and access to academic suites such as Microsoft for Education, Google Classroom, Google Meet and Docs, YouTube, and various other learning management systems.
Smart Bizload, which supplements the Smart Giga Study, allows various learning institutions to load their students and faculties in bulk with a Web-based prepaid loading platform for Smart and TNT services.
The Smart Queuing Solution, meanwhile, allows users to virtually line up at their selected retail and utilities store. Through this solution, users can book their space in line even before they set foot in an establishment. This is achieved by the service’s cloud-based queueing, booking, and service management system. The feature enables users to easily reserve a queue number at shops using the Qmobile app.
The Smart Tracker, on the other hand, helps ensure that deliveries are monitored and secured — enabling suppliers and logistics companies to have near real-time monitoring vehicle location, engine status, speed, and driver behavior through a GPS tracking system. Companies can monitor their deliveries from their office using a Web dashboard or via a mobile application. Delivery recipients are also given a locator link access to ensure that the products are in transit.
“The ways we are expected to explore, discover, and live — will be defined, and even disrupted by wireless solutions that are anticipated to transform business across sectors. And to keep moving forward is also our direction at PLDT Enterprise. We are one with our customers in facing head-on the challenges of these times,” said Jojo Gendrano, FVP and head of PLDT Enterprise core business solutions.
