Network monitoring conducted by Smart Communications Inc. revealed that from February to August, smartphone use within the Smart network has doubled while use of mobile broadband service, Smart Bro, has risen nearly six-fold.
“In just six months we have recorded a tremendous increase in data consumption as evidenced by the spikes in usage,” said Smart chief wireless advisor Orlando B. Vea.
“If there are still doubts on where the industry is headed, this should put an end to all speculation,” he added.
BlackBerry devices, made by Canada-based Research In Motion, continue to account for the majority of smartphone usage as it dominates the category with a 44-percent share. Devices powered by Google’s Android operating systm, which recently doubled its presence in the network in May, has a 27-percent share but is growing on the average at 20 percent a month.
The cellular firm said the figures were based on a snapshot of the devices running in Smart’s network.
Meanwhile, Smart Bro enjoyed phenomenal growth as usage increased 576 percent during the same period. Despite this, maximum speeds for the Smart Bro Plug It have been increased while the quality of Internet service has improved. Speed tests conducted by an independent engineering firm showed that Smart Bro bests the competition by as much as 2.29 megabytes per second.
In anticipation of this rise in mobile data usage, the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. group of companies is undergoing a P67-billion network transformation program.
The measures include, among others, the installation of additional fiber optic cables (FOCs) which connect wireless services to base stations, base stations to the core network, and the core network to international gateways.
By the end of 2011, PLDT and Smart plan to have over 56,000 kilometers of FOCs installed nationwide. By the time the round of upgrades end, more than 10,000 additional kilometers are estimated to have been installed. The same goes for international gateways which send traffic in and out of the country.
To date, PLDT has a total of two landing sites which are in Nasugbu, Batangas and in La Union. Another is set to be operational next year. About 80 percent of all Internet traffic in the Philippines is directed out of the country.
(Lenie Lectura)
