PLDT Inc. said on Thursday its fixed wireless business grew by almost half in 2021, as the pandemic compelled people to conduct their businesses at home.
The company said its fixed wireless business, operated by Smart Communications Inc., posted a 47-percent increase in revenues to P3.3 billion, “as limited mobility confined customers to their homes and increased the demand for more affordable and accessible fixed wireless broadband internet solutions, particularly in areas not yet served by fiber.”
As of year-end 2021, Smart’s fixed wireless subscriber base reached approximately 1 million subscribers.
“Our fixed wireless solutions catered to the requirements of our subscribers who need shared broadband connectivity or simply to power high-draw devices such as laptops, but with the flexibility provided by wireless mobility for work or study from anywhere applications,” said Jane J. Basas, SVP and Head of Consumer Wireless Business at Smart.
The increase in Smart’s mobile data traffic, Basas added, was supported by the 75,400 base stations deployed nationwide, which also includes the 7,200 5G base stations of the telco.
In January, PLDT said it ended 2021 with a 73-percent increase in its fiber footprint to 743,700 kilometers with 14 million homes passed. The figure is “significantly higher” than the 9 million homes passed the year prior.
Aside from this, the company built 1.7 million ports bringing its ports to 5.77 million to date, claiming to be the “largest number of ports in the Philippines.”
Smart, meanwhile, beefed up its wireless network with new 3G, 4G, and 5G base stations, which total to 75,400 as of end-December.
In November 2021, PLDT said its home and enterprise verticals will continue to drive the company’s growth, as it expects to ride on the persisting effects of the pandemic as well as the rising demand for solutions from so-called hyperscalers.
Manuel V. Pangilinan, the company’s chairman, said the group expects both business segments to “figure as major revenue growth drivers” for the company in the next three years.