Smart Communications

Smart Communications, Inc., commonly referred to as Smart, is a wholly owned wireless communications and digital services subsidiary of PLDT, Inc.,[1] a telecommunications and digital services provider based in the Philippines.[2] The company has 58.3 million mobile subscribers[3] on its GSM network as of 2017 , under the brands Smart, Sun, and TNT. Smart's wireless broadband subscribers number 3.8 million under the brands Smart Bro and Sun Wireless Broadband.

Smart Communications, Inc.
Wholly owned subsidiary of PLDT
IndustryCommunications services
Remittance
FoundedManila, Philippines (1991)
Headquarters
Smart Tower, 6799 Ayala Avenue, Makati City
,
Philippines
Area served
Philippines
Key people
Manuel V. Pangilinan,
(Chairman of the Board and President & CEO)
ProductsCellular Telephony
Broadband Services
Digital Platform Services
ParentPLDT
DivisionsDigital Telecommunications Philippines
Sun Cellular
Websitewww.smart.com.ph

Smart offers commercial wireless services through its 2G, 3G, 3.5G HSPA+, and 4G LTE networks, with LTE-A currently being deployed in key areas in the Philippines. It has recently entered the research and development phase for its 5G services.[4] Smart's terrestrial wireless telephony service is being complemented by its satellite communication services Smart Sat and Marino which also serve the global maritime industry.

The company has introduced wireless offerings such as Smart Money,[5] a mobile electronic wallet that also enables its SMS-based money remittance service Smart Padala. It has also been recognized for introducing the world's first over-the-air electronic prepaid loading service called Smart Load.[6] One of its services,[7] PasaLoad, allows its users to pass phone credits to other Smart prepaid accounts through SMS.

History
Smart logo (2011–2016)

Early history

Anticipating the liberalization of the telecommunications industry in the Philippines a group of Filipino investors led by Orlando B. Vea and David T. Fernando organized Smart (then named Smart Information Technology, Inc.) on January 24, 1991.

The company obtained its congressional franchise in April 1992 and was granted a provisional authority to operate a mobile cellular service in May 1993. In December 1993, Smart commenced commercial operations of its cellular service. By then, Smart had drawn in partners. These were: First Pacific, a Hong Kong-based conglomerate through its Philippine flagship Metro Pacific Investments Corporation and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone of Japan (NTT).

In compliance with the government's telecommunications program, Smart established a local exchange service in the cities and provinces assigned to it under the "service area scheme." The Company also obtained licenses to provide international gateway, paging and inter-carrier transmission services.[8]

2000s

On March 24, 2000, PLDT completed its share-swap acquisition of Smart, making Smart a 100%-owned PLDT subsidiary.

2010s

In February 2011,[9] Smart unveiled the Netphone, its own line of Android-compliant smartphones designed for emerging markets at the GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. The Netphone was introduced as the world's first smartphone backed by an operator-managed platform.

On August 25, 2012,[10] Smart launched the Philippines' first 4G mobile broadband commercial service running on LTE technology. On April 13, 2016,[11] Smart introduced the first commercial LTE-A Service in Boracay, Aklan.

On June 13, 2016, Smart and its parent company PLDT unveiled their new logos and identity as part of the company's continuing digital pivot.[12]

In February 2017,[13] Smart and parent company PLDT signed a memorandum of understanding with China-based Huawei Technologies "to shape the strategic and commercial development of the 5G ecosystem in the Philippines".

In October 2018, petitioners asked the Supreme Court to stop Globe and Smart from using the 700 MHz[14] and Smart announced that they were working to fix its slow internet service.[15]

Radio frequency summary
Frequencies used by Smart Communication
Frequency Protocol Class Band Number Duplex Mode
900 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE 2G 8 E-GSM
1800 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE 2G 3 DCS
850 MHz UTMS/HSPA+ 3G 5 CLR
900 MHz UMTS/HSPA+ 3G 8 UMTS-FDD
2100 MHz UMTS/HSPA+ 3G 1 UMTS-FDD
700 MHz FDD-LTE/LTE-A 4G 28 FDD
850 MHz FDD-LTE/LTE-A 4G 5 FDD
1800 MHz FDD-LTE/LTE-A 4G 3 FDD
2100 MHz FDD-LTE/LTE-A 4G 1 FDD
2300 MHz TDD-LTE 4G 40 TDD
3500 MHz NR 5G n78 TDD

Esports

Smart and its parent company PLDT launched Omega esports, a professional esports team for Dota 2, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, and Tekken 7 that competed in the 2019 The Nationals.[16][17][18] It is also a major sponsor of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang esports events in the Philippines such as the previous MSC 2019.[19]

Sports teams
  • TNT Katropa (PBA basketball team)
  • Smart Giga Hitters (PSL women's volleyball team)
gollark: Wait, so evilcraft is *required*?
gollark: How do you get the nethery materials, by the way?
gollark: No.
gollark: Why bedrock armor in particular though?
gollark: I see.

See also
  • TNT (cellular service)
  • Sun Cellular (cellular service, now a Smart brand)
  • Smart Gilas (Philippine men's national basketball team)
  • Global (UFL football team)

References
  1. Sullivan, Nicholas P. (2007). You Can Hear Me Now: How Microloans and Cell Phones are Connecting the World's Poor To the Global Economy. Terrence Palangyos. p. 123. ISBN 9780787994631.
  2. "About PLDT - Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company". pldt.com. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
  3. "Globe vs. PLDT: Which had more subscribers in 2017? | YugaTech". www.yugatech.com. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  4. Marasigan, Lorenz S. "Smart-PLDT, Huawei partner to research, develop 5G in PHL | BusinessMirror". www.businessmirror.com.ph. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
  5. "SMART Money | SMART Padala". smartpadala.ph. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
  6. Reyes, Mary Ann Ll. "Smart captures 2 major int'l awards". The Philippine Star. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
  7. "Innovations and Awards - Smart Communications". smart.com.ph. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
  8. "About Smart Communication". elitefavors.net. June 14, 2010. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  9. "The Netphone - Smart Communications". smart.com.ph. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
  10. "Smart launches the Philippines' first commercial LTE service on August 25". smart.com.ph. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
  11. "Smart starts deployment of LTE-Advanced mobile service". smart.com.ph. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
  12. "PLDT, Smart unveil new logo in line with 'digital pivot'". PLDT. June 13, 2016. Retrieved June 13, 2016.
  13. "PLDT-Smart, Huawei seal 5G partnership". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
  14. "SC asked to stop Globe, Smart's use of 700 MHz frequency". Rappler.
  15. Gonzales, Cathrine. "Smart network announces slow internet services". Philippine Daily Inquirer.
  16. "PLDT, Smart launch pro gaming team 'Omega' for country's first franchise-based esports league". Philippine Daily Inquirer. February 17, 2019.
  17. "Pro gaming team 'Omega' of PLDT, Smart launched". BusinessWorld. February 18, 2019.
  18. "PLDT, Smart launch pro gaming team 'Omega' for country's first franchise-based esports league". The Philippine Star. February 18, 2019.
  19. Roslan, Firdaus (May 27, 2019). "MSC 2019 Will Take Place in the Philippines!". eGG.
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