Telecoms

Smart LTE launched; we got the fine details

Abe Olandres Editor-in-chief August 25, 2012 · 1 min read

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Smart today held the commercial launch of their LTE service in the Philippines. This puts Smart as the first commercial provider of 42Mbps LTE service in the country.

The LTE service comes in one postpaid plan, the Smart LTE Plan 3500.

Here are the fine details we were able to get from Smart today:

* Promised speeds of up to 42Mbps where LTE signal is available.

* An initial 49 locations where LTE is available but will grow in time.

* Monthly service fee of Php3,500 is good for 10GB of bandwidth (upload and download).

* Additional bandwidth on top of 10GB will be charged Php450 per GB.

* The service comes with a free Huawei E392 dongle.

* Network compatibility with HSPA+, HSPA, 3G, EDGE, GPRS for areas where no LTE is available.

Here’s a map of all the LTE areas currently covered:

Smart is also offering a promo where the Plan 3500 has unlimited bandwidth from today until October 25, 2012. There’s a 24-month lock-in.

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Abe Olandres

Editor-in-chief

Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and is considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines.

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92 Comments

ric · 13 years ago

as what cooljackz(ass) said, naging luxury na nga lang ang inter service dito. loko ang kumag kasi waldas nang waldas ng pera ng nanay niya siguro, wagas kung gumasto. afford ko naman yan, kaso ayaw ko magpaloko sa mga tanginang mga kompanyang yan. ang layo ng service kumpara sa hongkong at london, nakakahiya na nga rin sa bisita naming British, ripoff daw talaga.

psycotrompus · 14 years ago

For the LTE bands with Smart, its listed here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_LTE_networks

You guys are correct. For only 10GB per month for LTE? I DON’T EFFING THINK SO Smart Communications, Inc.! It’s just part of their nationwide marketing strategy, nothing so special. Even I don’t think its the true 4G since the standard minimum rate should be 50Mbps. 42Mbps is for HSPA+ only.

nexusboy · 14 years ago

i even doubt yugatech is willing to subscribe to this LTE plan even if he can afford it.

cooljackz · 14 years ago

Funny comments. Cguro globe subscribers kayo kaya puro negative comment nyo. We have the freedom to choose the services that we want. Eh ano kung afford naman ng tao ung SMART LTE di nyo naman ata kawalan un. Hehehe and maybe if ur thinking na smart subscriber ako, yes I am. Am also with Globe and Sun. I wanted to get the best of all carriers. LTE may not be for you especially if you consider them as Luxury Technology for the Elite. Pero nice at may LTE na ang pinas.

@jepoysr · 14 years ago

well said bro

nexusboy · 14 years ago

masyadong bilib sa sarili ang SMART. akala nila tanga ang mga subscribers. LOL

TAKE NOTE. speed is UP TO 42 Mbps. even if you’re getting 1 mbps, there’s no liability on the part of Smart.

roe · 14 years ago

What’s the sense of upgrading the system kung pangit nman ang serbisyo?!

cath · 14 years ago

-Its like a ferrari with 1 liter of gasolineâ€¦useless!

-pareho lang sila ng sister company nyang SUN CELLULAR! 3.6mbps daw pero di
nila nilalagay sa ad nila na 2AM-6AM mo lang marereach ang speed na to! KALOKOHAN!!!

-10gig a month nowadays is crazy.

-Even if they double the cap to 20gb, it still seems too low. I don’t see the point of having that
much speed if you’re limited in terms of the bandwith. Browsing speed wouldn’t have a lot of
difference between a 3mbps connection and a 41mbps connection.

-42Mbps can eat up 10GB in roughly 30 minutes of continuous, contiguous data transfer.
Spread that out over 30 days, and you might as well just be on 1Mbps.

-42 Mbps capped at 10 GB per month? That’s not SMART.

-precisely, what would you do with the speed and have a cap?

-10 GB/month? No way.

cindy · 14 years ago

if a subscriber will use this at full speed 1 hour daily,after 30 days the total bill will be P248,170 + tax
…

Sonofa · 14 years ago

Sana lagyan nalang nila ng per GB subscription for prepaid subscribers

Masaya na ako sa P450 per gb kung ganyan kabilis… Di naman ako malakas gumamit

John · 14 years ago

Good news is – I can get my iPad and jusy plug a SMART sim then I can use LTE. Cheat. As the iPad uses 700/2100 Mhz LTE just like Smart’s LTE running at a 2100 Mhz band. Too bad I’m at bacolod !

John Cheater · 14 years ago

Well, good luck on connecting your new iPad with a Smart SIM to the LTE network! You need to subscribe to Plan 3500 to be able to acquire a Smart LTE SIM that would allow you to surf at 4G speed.

http://www1.smart.com.ph/Bro/lte/faqs#q1

Christian Pungtilan · 14 years ago

Kuntento na ko sa 1mbps with landline. XD

jmr_85 · 14 years ago

Hmmmm. Just get the stick, use prepaid unlisurf. I did the same thing with the Rocket and it works. As long as you have the APN, and as long as the signal is there, it should work.

chrismun · 14 years ago

sir natry niyo po ba yung rocket plug-it with unlisurf sa smart? ok po ba ang speed niya? how about sa globe po?

pixel · 14 years ago

Inuna muna metro manila. :D Since LTE-ready na rin yung mga naswap na BTS outside MM, next naman na irorollout ang LTE dun.

Ram · 14 years ago

I think you missed the part wherein they’re offering an unlimited data LTE surfing for free until October 25.

Cebu · 14 years ago

Sir Yuga,

Mukhang kulang yata ang mga location na pinakita mo sa cebu meron naring mga LTE signals,
I was able to test there LTE in Jump Center @ SM Cebu

Jesse Robredo · 14 years ago

Sana kumalat na ang Google Fiber worldwide para di na tayo ginagago ng mga mediocre telcos.

lolseriouslywow · 14 years ago

lol. This is hilarious. Just 10gb for the month? 10gb can be used up in a little more than half an hour!

PaulC · 14 years ago

Foreign competitors should enter our country. They will be cheaper and more stable than our own telcos.

PH:poor/mediocre service = expensive 0.5-4Mbps ave
Others:excellent service = expensive 5-20Mbps ave

Justin · 14 years ago

Kalokohan. Period.

Marck · 14 years ago

Smart can charge premium for first adopters because they can… I just wish they could raise the cap higher.

baluga · 14 years ago

kawawa naman yung mananakawan ng 3,500 per month. lugi. bwakaw yang SMART na yan! Ubusin nyo na load namin.

topgun · 14 years ago

it’s just too expensive for me, and besides the coverage is still soo small..antayin nalang natin mga 2 years baka mura na hahaha..

Eds · 14 years ago

Hey Smart telco Filipinos are smart they won’t be sucked by your blackhole advertisement.

dave · 14 years ago

if i were rich.. i wouldnt mind trying it out.. =)

Enya · 14 years ago

Yours is the best comment thus far! This is a premium service that comes with a premium price of course! If you cant afford it, then shut up. If you dont like it, dont mind! Sa mga can afford lang to.

obob · 14 years ago

Smart thinks that most filipinos by default are idiots. Gahaman ang Smart!

Ramon · 14 years ago

10gig data cap with 450 pesos per gig afterwards….

Then they have the nerve of offering “unlimited bandwidth” for the first 2 months but with a 2 year lock-in period LOL

Trap is an understatement…it’s a freakin balckhole >_<

I agree with cindy, I pity those fools that would get sucked in -_-

poz · 14 years ago

SMART nga kayo sa mga ULOL, GAGO at walang mga UTAK !!!

cindy · 14 years ago

kawawa yung mga magtitiwala at mag-aakalang maganda ito.
I pity those who will subscribe.
speed of 42mbps is equivalent to 18.7GB per hour. but the data cap is less than 1 hour of use for one whole month! Ridiculous. totally misleading.

Rommel · 14 years ago

Yeah, more specifically, it’s just 32 minutes of usage at maximum speed. Who are they kidding?

Biggs · 14 years ago

Paps, 1800 MHz ang frequency band ng Globe LTE.

Match · 14 years ago

As long as I can see the word “up-to”, I will never satisfied with the internet connection. I think it would be better to see, “minimum” speed of, lets say 2MB.. I can pay with that amount.

Abe Olandres Editor-in-chief · 14 years ago

There are actually a lot of postpaid plans that have a minimum but they are the wired ones. No one can give a minimum on wireless because the locations are not 100% covered.

If you look at the Business Plans on DSL, they offer a minimum guarantee and gives back a rebate if you are down.

Pipo · 14 years ago

yup, I really hate the way they advertise bandwidth. It should be the minimum stable rate that you’re paying for, not burst speeds.

Elly · 14 years ago

If the low average wireless speeds attained is due to the losses or the heavy data traffic, what is with the Philippine atmosphere that makes the connection so “lossy” compared to the other countries? Pollution perhaps? Dense population perhaps?

I don’t know, I do not buy that coverage thingy. There are people who devise the coverage, to the point that there is an allowable minimum signal percentage — unless there isn’t really any?

nexusboy · 14 years ago

SMART LTE is on 2100 MHz band. if you’re a New iPad owner, it won’t work. does anyone know Globe’s network band for their LTE service? is it similar to Smart?

John · 14 years ago

Why won’t it work ? The international ipad uses 700/2100 Mhz frequency bands for LTE. Look at http://www.apple.com/ipad/specs/ . Globe uses 1800 Mhz, which won’t work on the iPad.

nexusboy · 14 years ago

grabe haha! P3,500 per month, 10 Gb only? i read somewhere that T-Mobile in the US is offering Unlimited call, text and unlimited 4G for only P2,900/month equivalent. i hope T-Mobile will set up shop in the Philippines soon. haha