Smart Communications Inc., abbreviated as Smart, is a fully owned subsidiary of PLDT Inc., a telecommunications and digital services provider based in the Philippines. Smart was organised on January 24, 1991, by a group of Filipino investors led by Orlando B. Vea and David T. Fernando, in anticipation of the liberalisation of the telecommunications industry in the Philippines. The company started its commercial operations of its cellular service in December 1993, after obtaining its congressional franchise in April 1992 and a provisional authority to operate a mobile cellular service in May 1993. The company became a wholly owned subsidiary of PLDT after a share-swap acquisition completed on March 24, 2000. Smart's operations have been marked by a series of technological advancements, including the introduction of the Philippines' first 4G mobile broadband commercial service running on LTE technology in 2012, the first commercial LTE-A Service in 2016, and the activation of their 5G mobile network in 2020.
Alias
Smart Communications, Inc.
Country
Philippines
Type
Network Operator
Smart Communications logo

3G Network

The company launched its 3G network in April 2006 over the B1 (2100 MHz) and B5 (850 MHz) bands. The network closure was announced for years-end 2023.

Network Frequency Band Status
B1 (2100 MHz)
Shut Down
B5 (850 MHz)
Shut Down
Date Event Subtype
Launch of 3G Network
Launch

4G Network

The company's 4G LTE network was launched in August 2012 using the B1 (2100 MHz) band. LTE service was almost immediately expanded with B3 (1800 MHz) and B5 (850 MHz) in September 2012. In November 2013 Smart announced completion of LTE Multicast trials for delivery of multimedia content. 3C CA 250 Mbps LTE- Advanced was introduced in April 2016 in Boracay.

Smart began activating B28 (700 MHz) in June 2016 and planned to deploy 360 700 MHz cell sites by end 2016. In October 2016 Smart announced results from its 5C CA LTE-Advanced Pro lab technology trial, achieving 1.4 Gbps downlink data rates.

4G Frequency Bands
Network Frequency Band Max. Channel Bandwidth Status Known EARFCNs
B1 (2100 MHz)
20
Active
150
B3 (1800 MHz)
15
Active
1350, 1775
B5 (850 MHz)
10
Active
2460
B28 (700 MHz)
15
Active
9485
B40 (2300 MHz)
20
Active
38927
B41 (2500 MHz)
20
Active
39965
Date Event Subtype
Launch of 4G Network
Launch

5G Network

Smart launched its 5G network in the Philippines in July 2020 using the n78 (3500 MHz) band. The network was upgraded to Standalone (SA) in October 2021, along with the implementation of VoNR.

Network Frequency Band Max. Channel Bandwidth Status
n78 (3500 MHz)
60
Active
Date Event Subtype
Launch of 5G Network
Launch