PLDT, Smart to make 5G connectivity available in 2019

PLDT Inc. and mobile subsidiary Smart Communications Inc. turned on a fifth generation (5G) cell site Wednesday in Makati City, the first in the area.

The PLDT-Smart intends  to make 5G connections commercially available next year.

PLDT Enterprise and PLDT Home will get their first shot at 5G technology, said Manuel V. Pangilinan, PLDT chairman and CEO, told reporters in Makati City.

“I suspect it will be Enterprise and the Home that might benefit first from the 5G until the handheld device is introduced. As early as 2019," he said.

Enterprise is the corporate business arm of PLDT. It offers fixed-line, wireless, and ICT solutions to businesses. It’s non-enterprise counterpart, Home, sells its services to households across the country.

Earlier this November, PLDT activated a 5G cell site in Clark Freeport Zone in Central Luzon.

According to PLDT no commercially available mobile device is yet capable of accessing 5G connectivity. It plans to introduce a device that can connect to 5G sites and convert the signal to Wi-Fi connections.

“You might see it late in the second half of 2019,” Pangilinan said.

“We are working very hard with our technology partners Huawei and Ericsson, as well as government and industrial partners like Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) and Clark Development Corp. in piloting 5G ... and establishing even more Smart 5G Cities across the country soon,” he said.

5G Wi-Fi connections give clients download speeds that are 100 times faster than 3G, said PLDT-Smart chief revenue officer Ernesto Alberto, noting that full-length movies can be downloaded in a matter of seconds.

“We are keen to explore with our partners the vast potential of 5G as a platform for exciting new innovations,” he said. —VDS, GMA News