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| Smart reasserts dominance as the Philippines' Fastest 5G Mobile Network. |
Based on an analysis by Ookla of tests done with Speedtest® during the first half of 2021, Smart has reasserted its dominance as the Philippines' fastest mobile network for the fourth year in a row.
Based on 4,949,931 user-initiated tests done with Speedtest in the Philippines for Q1-Q2 2021, Smart received the Fastest Mobile Network Award with a Speed Score of 44.70, a significant increase over the previous year's Speed Score of 24.99.
Meanwhile, according to the recently released Fastest 5G Mobile Award report, Smart took first place in the Philippines with a Speed Score of 204.81, with median download and upload speeds of 220.66 Mbps and 20.61 Mbps, respectively, based on 237,142 user-initiated 5G tests taken with Speedtest in the Philippines from Q1 to Q2 2021.
The Speedtest Award is given to the fastest providers based on a Speed Score that takes a measure of each provider's download and upload speeds to rank network performance. Ookla uses the average of test results collected with Modern Chipsets to select the winners of the Speedtest Awards for mobile networks. All mobile tests, regardless of connection technology, are included in Modern Chipsets as long as they are performed on devices that have been identified as capable of obtaining the fastest speeds available in the market. After this filtering, the Speed Score is used to estimate the best speeds accessible in a country, as described above.
“The Ookla Speedtest Awards honor an elite group of network operators who have provided extraordinary internet performance and coverage in a given market. It is our pleasure to present Smart with two prizes, one for the fastest 5G mobile network and the other for the fastest mobile network in the Philippines. "Based on Ookla's rigorous examination of consumer-initiated tests done with Speedtest, this accolade is testament to their remarkable performance in Q1-Q2 2021," said Doug Suttles, CEO of Ookla.
“Smart continues to push for more people to have access to the latest 5G technology in more places. It's gratifying to see how these accolades represent real-world customer experiences, and how our entire data service experience is steadily improving,” said Mario G. Tamayo, PLDT and Smart's Head of Technology.
"These measurements are only a few of the tools we utilize as we work to provide a world-class service to our customers across the Philippines and improve overall internet speeds," Tamayo added.
Smart's mobile network, including its 5G network, which is currently operational in over 4,000 locations across the country, has enabled this level of performance. In addition, PLDT's most extensive fiber infrastructure, with over 511,000 kilometers as of June, supports Smart's network.
In crucial regions, the fastest 5G network is available.
Smart's 5G speeds are far ahead of its nearest competitor in key places nationally, including Manila, Cebu City, and Davao City, according to preliminary data included in Ookla's country reports, with Smart posting download and upload rates that are quicker than its nearest competitor in these areas.
For example, Smart's 5G download speeds in Manila are 268.01 Mbps, whereas the nearest competitor's speed is 81.82 Mbps.
Meanwhile, Smart recorded 5G download rates of 239.03 Mbps in Cebu City, compared to 99.99 Mbps for the competition, and 209.76 Mbps in Davao City, compared to 145.18 Mbps for the competition.
Government-wide assistance
According to the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), the government's all-out support in expediting the granting of LGU permits essential for the ramped-up improvement of telecom infrastructure has aided in the country's increased internet speeds. Since the government expedited telco applications last year, PLDT and Smart have acquired 25,000 fixed and wireless licenses as of July 27, 2021.
The Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) issued a Joint Memorandum Circular last year that expedited the issuance of permits. In addition, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) recently issued Department Order No. 29 (DO 29), which allows telecommunications companies to occupy a portion of the government Right of Way (ROW) under certain conditions. The issue of DO 29 also helps ensure that PLDT's fiber infrastructure and Smart's cell sites are maintained on a timely basis.
PLDT, Smart Enhance Speed Score, Hailed the Philippines' Fastest Network in 2020 by Ookla (2/22/21)
According to Ookla, the global leader in internet testing and research, as data demand grows in the New Normal, the Philippines' largest integrated telco PLDT and its wireless affiliate Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) have once again emerged ahead of the competition in the second half of 2020.
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| PLDT, Smart Enhance Speed Score, Hailed the Philippines' Fastest Network in 2020 by Ookla |
Based on Ookla's review of tests taken with Speedtest® covering the second half of 2020, PLDT and Smart were again listed as the country's fastest fixed and mobile internet networks.
With top download speeds of 79.48 Mbps and top upload speeds of 92.18 Mbps, Ookla announced that PLDT achieved a Speed Score of 27.28. The award for the fixed network is based on 74,788,737 client-initiated tests taken for Q3-Q4 2020 with Speedtest.
In the meantime, Smart had a Speed Score of 24.99, with an average download speed of 20.08 Mbps and an average upload speed of 7.42 Mbps, based on 3,915,679 user-initiated tests taken in the Philippines with Speedtest for the Q3-Q4 2020 timeframe.
These scores increased from the previous period when a speed score of 24.79 was reported by PLDT and a speed score of 18.33 by Smart.
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The Speed Score is a metric that takes both upload and download speeds into account.
Every year, more than half a billion users rely on Speedtest to assess their internet efficiency. Ookla analyzes these test results to get an unprecedented view of mobile and fixed broadband metrics worldwide. Based on our thorough research, it is our pleasure to recognize PLDT and Smart as the Fastest Fixed and Mobile Network in the Philippines. This award is a testament to PLDT and Smart's exceptional performance.
"These awards bear witness to the impact of the company's sustained network investments in recent years, allowing us, despite the challenges of the pandemic, to provide our customers with the best data experience," said Mario G. Tamayo, Head of Technology at PLDT-Smart.
PLDT, Smart outpace the competition in the first half of 2020 - Ookla (8/4/20)
Ookla – an Internet testing and analysis firm – has named PLDT and Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) the fastest fixed and mobile network in the Philippines for the first half of 2020.
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| PLDT, Smart outpace the competition in the first half of 2020 - Ookla |
According to Ookla, PLDT and Smart have again outpaced the competition and emerged as the fastest fixed and mobile internet networks in the country for Q1 and Q2 of this year. For those uninitiated, they also got the same recognition last year for the 2nd half of 2019.
"Over half a billion users rely on Speedtest to measure their internet performance every year. Ookla analyzes these test results to get an unparalleled view into mobile and fixed broadband metrics around the world. It is our pleasure to recognize Smart as the Fastest Mobile Network and PLDT as the Fastest Fixed Network in the Philippines based on our rigorous analysis. These awards are a testament to PLDT and Smart's exceptional performance, as experienced by their own customers, in Q1 and Q2," said Doug Suttles, CEO at Ookla.
According to the report, PLDT got a Speed Score of 24.79, which is 3 points higher than the second placer Converge ICT, which got 21.53. Moreover, it is more than 9 points higher than SKY's 15.56 and more than 15 points higher than the Globe's 9.17.
For the Top Download Speed, PLDT posted 70.54Mbps, which is more than half of the 34.23Mbps of Globe, and almost twice as much of Converge ICT's 37.89Mbps and SKY's 40.14Mbps. For the Top Upload Speed, PLDT left every competitor in the dust with 85.38Mbps, more than half of Converge ICT's 40.36Mbps, about 9 times higher than SKY's 9.59Mbps, and around 7x more than Globe's 12.65Mbps.
Smart has a Speed Score of 18.33, which is almost 6 points higher than Globe's 12.35. It also got a higher average Download Speed and Upload Speed of 15.94Mbps and 7.57Mbps compared to Globe's 11.96Mbps 4.03Mbps, respectively.
With the said numbers above, Ookla awarded PLDT with the Fastest Fixed Internet Award for Q1-Q2 of 2020, beating Converge ICY, SKY, and Globe. Meanwhile, Smart is awarded by Ookla with the Fastest Mobile Award for the same period beating its rival Globe Telecom.
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“The results of these consumer-initiated tests highlight the beneficial impact of the sustained investments we have made in our network infrastructure over the past five years. As a result, we have been able to ensure that our customers have the best data experience, even amid the global pandemic,” said Mario G. Tamayo, PLDT-Smart senior vice president for Network Planning and Engineering.
“We have achieved this by continuing our network expansion program, particularly by steadily extending the reach and increasing capacity of our 4G/LTE network. We’ve done this by combining the roll out of our physical installations with software systems upgrades that can be done remotely,” Tamayo said.
Ookla also revealed that Smart enjoyed big leads in key cities, including Cebu City, Makati City, and Quezon, while PLDT was also ahead in Quezon City, Cebu City, and Davao City.
PLDT, Smart Fastest Fixed and Mobile Internet Services in PH for 2nd Half of 2019 – Ookla
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| PLDT, Smart Fastest Fixed and Mobile Internet Services in PH for 2nd Half of 2019 – Ookla |
According to its Q3-Q4 2019 report, Smart was able to reach a Speed Score of 18.13 (up from 15.57 of the same period last 2018) through its average download speeds of 20.42Mbps (up from 17.86Mbps) and average speeds of 9.87Mbps (up from 8.61Mbps). Meanwhile, PLDT got a Speed Score of 25.03 (up from 18.57 of the same period last year) with its top download speeds of 62.87Mbps (up from 52.28Mbps) and upload speeds of 80.07Mbps (up from 55.95Mbps).
The result was based on 1,822,401 user-initiated taken with Speedtest on LTE-capable devices in the country and 29,505,821 customer-initiated Speedtest on the fixed network.
“With millions of tests taken using Speedtest every day, Ookla has developed a robust and comprehensive view of worldwide internet performance. It is our pleasure to recognize Smart as the Fastest Mobile Network and PLDT as the fastest Fixed Network in the Philippines based on our rigorous analysis. This award is a testament to Smart and PLDT’s exceptional performance, as experienced by their own customers, in Q3 and Q4,” said Jamie Steven, Executive Vice President at Ookla.
“The results of these consumer-initiated tests provide further proof that we are achieving our goal of progressively improving the service quality enjoyed by our customers. Aside from expanding our coverage, we are enabling our customers to have the best experience enjoying entertainment or learning new skills through online video, playing mobile games, or boosting their businesses through social media and online commerce," said Mario G. Tamayo, PLDT-Smart senior vice president for Network Planning and Engineering.
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Ookla also revealed that Smart enjoyed big leads in key cities, including Quezon City, Makati, and Manila, while PLDT was also ahead in Quezon City, Cebu City, and Cagayan de Oro.
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