Smart keeps lead in 5G roaming

MANILA, Philippines — Smart Communications Inc. has maintained its leadership in 5G roaming with a footprint covering 70 countries through its partnerships with 118 operators.

“With customer centricity as our guide, we continue to expand our 5G roaming coverage through our ever-growing list of international telco partners, to empower our global customers with fast 5G data roaming speeds wherever they are in the world,” Smart vice president for wireless core and international business group Chet Alviz said.

The 5G roaming services of the wireless arm of PLDT Inc. are available in countries such as the US and Canada in North America as well as in Brazil in South America.

In Europe, Smart subscribers can avail of the company’s 5G roaming services in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

In the Middle East, Smart’s 5G roaming service covers Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and United Arab Emirates.

The roaming service is also present in South Africa.

In Asia, Smart subscribers can use the company’s 5G roaming service in Brunei, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Macau, Malaysia, and Maldives, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

Smart’s 5G roaming service can likewise be used in Australia, Guam, New Zealand, Northern Mariana Islands and the US Virgin Islands.

As of end-March, PLDT’s fiber footprint has expanded to over 1.1 million kilometers, composed of over 231,000 kilometers of international fiber and over 874,000 kilometers of domestic fiber, covering 97 percent of the country’s population.

Smart said this fiber infrastructure supports its 3G, 4G/LTE and 5G network.

Efforts to expand local and global roaming coverage are expected to contribute and help the country meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal No. 9, which seeks to build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.