In a move that brings tears of joy to our eyes, Smart has just announced that LTE-A data conectivity is now available on their network. For those of you who are still enjoying the LTE connectivity they rolled out just two years ago, prepare to feel the appropriate levels of gadget inadequacy, as LTE-A promises data speeds between 100 megabits per second (mbps) to 1 gigabit per second (Gbps), or ten times faster than 3G services and more than twice as fast as 4G services.
Switching on LTE-A here in the Philippines puts SMart in a unique league of telcos globally, as few carriers offer the service at this point, notably some in South Korea, the United States, Singapore, Australia, and Hong Kong.
“Even as our 3G and 4G networks continue to be unrivaled, Smart becomes the first operator to leap into the future and put the Philippines at par with the world’s most advanced countries in terms of mobile communications technology,” said Orlando B. Vea, founder and Chief Wireless Advisor of Smart.
With LTE-A, a 10MB file takes less than a second to download, YouTube videos no longer have to buffer, and video calls are almost lag-free. But beyond speed, LTE-A’s main feature is also its capability to allocate more network resources to users when the need arises. Smart started testing LTE-A across the country in August last year, delivering results of more than 100Mbps in Makati City, in Boracay, and in Davao City during the Kadayawan festival.
That’s the good news. The not so great news is that you’re going to have to cash out for an LTE-A-compatible device once they become locally available.