PLDT-Smart to upgrade Cauayan City network

Filipino telecoms giant PLDT Inc., working with wireless arm Smart Communications, has signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) with the government of Cauayan City, Isabela Province, to drive the latter’s quest to be designated a so-called ‘smart city’. Under the terms of the MoA, PLDT-Smart will work to upgrade their fixed and mobile infrastructure services in the city to help transform Cauayan – which is described as ‘an agro-industrial hub’ in Northern Luzon – into a fully fibered, Smart LTE-powered city capable of delivering advanced digital services to its inhabitants. Under the plan, PLDT will roll out fibre-optic fixed broadband services with speeds of up to 1Gbps while Smart will upgrade all existing cell sites with 4G LTE technology. The upgrade forms a small part of PLDT’s record-high CAPEX of PHP78.4 billion (USD1.51 billion) in FY 2019 to support its countrywide network expansion; the telco’s fibre footprint currently spans more than 283,000km.