Smart pushes LTE connectivity in cars, public transportation

MANILA, Philippines - Smart Communications Inc., the wireless arm of dominant carrier Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT), is pushing for the use of built-in long term evolution (LTE) connectivity in private vehicles and public transportation such as the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) along EDSA.

Lloyd Manaloto, broadband Internet and data services head of Smart, said in a statement that built-in connectivity in private vehicles or “auto” mobile LTE is already possible in the Philippines through the use of the Smart LTE Pocket WiFi device.

Dubbed the fastest wireless technology in the world today, LTE is capable of download speeds which are several times faster than present-day 3G and HSPA+ standards.

He pointed out that automobile LTE is ideal in local public transport as it could make available next-generation high speed internet access to millions of Filipinos.

For one, the MRT-3 along EDSA has a daily ridership of around 500,000.

Apart from this, he said various forms of mass transportation would also be given the chance to access GPS and location data in real time as well as gain the ability to transmit data such as when wirelessly livestreaming CCTV footage.

“Imagine a future of cars with an integrated SIM slot. True mobility, literally and digitally!—commuters in the Philippines’ busiest cities could soon begin to Live More even while they’re stuck in rush hour traffic,” Manaloto stressed.

He pointed out that automobile LTE could already be experienced in major cities and municipalities given Smart LTE’s widespread deployment in the country.

“The way ‘auto’ mobile LTE works is that LTE-enabled SIMs are installed in taxis, buses, jeepneys, or trains, thus, making available wireless services to passengers and even to the vehicle itself. While we await for the local introduction of this feature, the Smart LTE Pocket WiFi is the next best thing,” he added.

Smart LTE is currently present in a total of 46 cities and 69 municipalities around the country.

“All this could soon become real especially with Smart’s fast-improving LTE coverage nationwide,” he added.

Powering Smart LTE is the Philippines’ most extensive fiber optic cable network of more than 54,000 kilometers installed across the country.

“Fiber optic cables use beams of light to communicate from the core network to our base stations. This gives Smart a clear fiber optic advantage which simply cannot be matched by any other network,” he added.