Smart fires up 4G LTE network in Manila – let the 4G wars commence

Smart Communications, Inc. has started up its first LTE (Long Term Evolution) network in Metro Manila at the company’s Annual General Meeting in Makati yesterday. LTE is billed as one of the fastest 4G technology currently available, with download speeds of up to 70Mbps. Smart did an initial test in Boracay earlier this year, and the results have been positive (at least, from what we’ve heard).
“Everyone wanted to experience downloading movies in minutes and streaming in High Definition, and now here it is” said PLDT and Smart Technology Head Rolando G. Peña. “Soon, we will bring the same breakneck connection speeds to cities and municipalities all over the Philippines.”
If you remember, Globe has rolled out their own 4G offering, though through the slower HSDPA+ tech (for now), with plans to upgrade later on. This means when Smart starts rolling out packages and phones that use LTE, their subscribers will have an enormous speed advantage over Globe users.
Details like pricing, area availability and units are still scarce, however. We’ll update you guys as soon as we have more info.