Among the 4 telcos that were granted licenses to operate third-generation (3G) mobile networks, Smart looks like it’s on its way to serve up broadband speeds for mobile phones.
Of the lot Smart claims it got a perfect 30 from NTCs rating.
Among the companies that applied for a Third Generation (3G) license, SMART ranked highest, garnering a perfect score of 30 based on the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) 30-point grading system designed to gauge the capability of aspiring telco operators to massively and effectively provide 3G services.
As a result, Smart has been assigned the largest radio frequency allocation – 15 MHz compared to 10 MHz for the other operators. Moreover, it now has the choice of the best frequency spectrum. This will enable Smart to rapidly deploy its 3G network nationwide and also offer the highest quality 3G service to its subscribers.
“We have already ordered the network facilities needed to establish nationwide 3G coverage in the shortest possible time,” Smart President and CEO Napoleon Nazareno said. “We will repeat the rapid roll-out that we accomplished in deploying, first, our analog and then, our GSM network infrastructures. We are in 3G for real.”
Get ready to experience technology that allows for faster data transmission speeds from 114 Kbps up to 2 Mbps. Soon, Smart subscribers here and abroad will benefit from the convenience of high-speed data communications and mobile multimedia services such as video conferencing, audio streaming and mobile Internet.
I highlighted the 2Mbps transmission speed. Taking into account their track record with Smart Wifi, I am not so sure if they’ll do any better with the 3G offering.
P.S.
So far, only the following mobile handsets are 3G capable : Nokia 6630, Nokia 6680, Nokia N70, Nokia N90, Sony Ericsson Z800, and Sony Ericsson K600. I’m sure more will come.


Same here bro. Nokia n95. 3g settings downloaded OTA. SMART. Phone set configured already. Pero pag try to get on the internet, “PACKET DATA NOT AVAILABLE, CHECK NETWORK SERVICES”. Hindi din maka send ng via MMS. Video calls, ayaw din. 3G? Parang hindi nag wowork? May problema ba ang smart sa 3G nila?? Thanks.