Smart Communications, Inc. partnered with leading 5G smartphone vendor Samsung to drive the development of 5G Standalone (5G-SA) technology in the Philippines.
"5G SA creates new opportunities for enterprises and consumers, enabling industrial automation, autonomous mobile robotics deployment, safe remote crane operations, fast response in gaming and interactive video streaming, among others," explained Mario G. Tamayo, Head of Technology at PLDT and Smart.
Smart recently fired up commercial 5G-SA sites in Makati after Samsung tested 5G-SA for calls using Voice over New Radio (VoNR) at the PLDT-Smart Technolab in Makati.
VoNR elevates the voice and video call experience of users, enabling much better call quality using the 5G-SA network.
Smart made its first successful VoNR call as early as July, 2021 with another vendor at the Technolab.
"For the 5G future of Philippines to be fully realized, we need to accelerate the rate of deployment for more use cases and new applications to thrive," says James Jung, president of Samsung Philippines.
"With 5G networks expanding across the globe, people are now experiencing the impact 5G can have on the mobile experience," he elaborated.
"At Samsung, we continue to expand our 5G-enabled devices so more Filipinos can experience the power of next-generation 5G connectivity and enable them to share more, play more, and do more, faster.”
5G SA technology paves the way for a variety of new industry applications using 5G’s full features.
It enables super-fast response times and faster access to higher data rates that are required by cloud gaming and immersive media.
This connectivity will also help drive the future-readiness of the telco network, creating new business opportunities and enabling new consumer services beyond the mobile phone screens.
The collaboration boosts Smart's leadership in the 5G space.
To date, Smart has deployed around 6,400 5G base stations nationwide.