PLDT targets last 3G frequency slot

THE Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) Group is going after the last and fifth 3G (third-generation) frequency slot. This, as the telco giant stressed its need for additional frequencies to service the growing demand for broadband services.
Smart Broadband Inc. (SBI), a unit of PLDT cellular arm Smart Communications Inc., has notified the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) on Wednesday that it will pursue the filing of the 3G frequency application of Pilipino Telephone Corp. (Piltel).
Piltel has ceased to be a cellular operator. It is no longer engaged in mobile phone business, with the 20 percent holding of Manila Electric Co. as its primary asset and source of income. Its nationwide cellular mobile telephone system (CMTS) permit has likewise been transferred to SBI.  
“Since the regulators approved the transfer of CMTS and PCO (public calling office) permits of Piltel to SBI, SBI will now take the place of Piltel’s pending 3G application,” said Smart legal counsel Roy Ibay in a phone interview.  He noted that a letter has been submitted to the NTC for its approval. Piltel, as early as January last year, filed a 3G frequency application with the NTC.  
The NTC has opened for bidding the paired 10MHz which is in the frequency band 1965–1975MHz/2155–2165MHz or 1890-1900MHz/1970-1980MHz. This is the only 3G frequency slot left for assignment. This frequency spectrum may be used to deploy Long-Term Evolution technology which is touted as the next big thing after 3G. “Piltel was already looking then at offering 4G (fourth-generation) mobile phone service because the frequencies can be used for the service,” added Ibay.
The wireless arm of the PLDT Group has cornered a total of 35MHz of 3G frequencies, including Smart’s own 15MHz (1920-1935Mhz/2110-2125Mhz), which were awarded in January 2006 for the nationwide deployment of its 3G network; Connectivity Unlimited Resource Enterprise’s (CURE) 10MHz (1955-1965/2145-2155Mhz); and Piltel’s 10Mhz (825-835MHz/870-880Mhz).  CURE is another unit of Smart and is a licensed 3G operator. “We are now using some of Piltel’s frequencies for our 3G service,” said Smart chief wireless advisor Orlando Vea yesterday at the sidelines of SBI’s latest product offering SurfTV.
SBI’s high-speed broadband service covers the country’s major towns and cities, through a network of 3G/high-speed packet access (HSPA) cellular and fixed broadband base stations. Smart said it is the only carrier in the country and one of the only few in the world that have deployed HSPA running on the 850MHz and 2100-MHz frequency bands, which offer improved coverage quality and data rate capacity for mobile broadband.
Smart is set to deploy the more advanced broadband technologies such as HSPA+, which delivers three to four times the speed of HSPA, and worldwide interoperability for microwave access or WiMax, which is expected to complement its HSPA network.
SurfTV widens the Internet service portfolio of Smart, through SBI, which reported 1 million broadband subscribers by end-2009, the largest in the industry.