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Smart Communications Inc., commonly referred to as Smart, is a wholly owned wireless communications and digital services subsidiary of PLDT Inc., a telecommunications and digital services provider based in the Philippines. As of November 2023, it is currently the largest mobile network with 55.2 million subscribers. Smart offers commercial wireless services through its 2G, 3G, 3.5G
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, 4G LTE, and LTE-A networks, with 5G currently being deployed in multiple locations in the Philippines. Smart's terrestrial wireless telephony service is being complemented by its satellite communication services Smart Sat and Marino which also serve the global maritime industry. The company has introduced wireless offerings such as Smart Money, a mobile electronic wallet that also enables its SMS-based money remittance service Smart Padala (now integrated with
Maya Maya may refer to: Ethnic groups * Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America ** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples ** Mayan languages, the languages of the Maya peoples * Maya (East Africa), a p ...
). It has also been recognized for introducing the world's first over-the-air electronic prepaid loading service called Smart Load. One of its services, PasaLoad, allows its users to pass phone credits to other Smart prepaid accounts through SMS.


History

Anticipating the liberalization of the telecommunications industry in the Philippines a group of Filipino investors led by Orlando B. Vea and David T. Fernando organized Smart (then named Smart Information Technology, Inc.) on January 24, 1991. The company obtained its congressional franchise in April 1992 and was granted a provisional authority to operate a mobile cellular service in May 1993. In December 1993, Smart commenced commercial operations of its cellular service. By then, Smart had drawn in partners. These were: First Pacific, a Hong Kong–based conglomerate through its Philippine flagship Metro Pacific Investments Corporation and
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) is a Japanese telecommunications holding company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Ranked 55th in ''Fortune'' Global 500, NTT is the fourth largest telecommunications company in the world in terms of revenue, as well as the third largest pu ...
of Japan (NTT). In compliance with the government's telecommunications program, Smart established a local exchange service in the cities and provinces assigned to it under the "service area scheme." The company also obtained licenses to provide international gateway, paging and inter-carrier transmission services. On March 24, 2000, PLDT completed its share-swap acquisition of Smart, making Smart a 100%-owned PLDT subsidiary. In 2003, Smart was named the best employer in the Philippines in a study conducted by the firm Hewitt Associates. In February 2011, Smart unveiled the Netphone, its own line of Android-compliant smartphones designed for emerging markets at the
GSMA The GSM Association (GSMA) is a Nonprofit organization, non-profit trade association that represents the interests of mobile network operators worldwide. More than 750 mobile operators are full GSMA members and a further 400 companies in the bro ...
Mobile World Congress MWC Barcelona (formerly but still commonly referred to as Mobile World Congress) is an annual trade show dedicated to the mobile communications industry. The event is held in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain, at the Fira de Barcelona Gran ...
in
Barcelona, Spain Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a pop ...
. The Netphone was introduced as the world's first smartphone backed by an operator-managed platform. On August 25, 2012, Smart launched the Philippines' first 4G mobile broadband commercial service running on LTE technology. On April 13, 2016, Smart introduced the first commercial LTE-A Service in
Boracay Boracay (; sometimes shortened by non-natives as Bora) is a resort island in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines, located off the northwest coast of Panay, Panay Island. It has a total land area of , under the jurisdiction of thre ...
,
Aklan Aklan, officially the Province of Aklan, is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. Its capital and largest town is Kalibo. The province is situated in the northwest portion of Panay, Panay Islan ...
. On June 13, 2016, Smart and its parent company PLDT unveiled their new logos and identity as part of the company's continuing digital pivot. In February 2017, Smart and parent company PLDT signed a memorandum of understanding with China-based Huawei Technologies "to shape the strategic and commercial development of the 5G ecosystem in the Philippines". On April 21, 2017,
Philippine President The president of the Philippines (, sometimes referred to as ) is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in- ...
Rodrigo Duterte Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the first Philippine president from Mindanao, and is the oldest person to assum ...
signed Republic Act No. 10926 which renewed Smart's license for another 25 years. The law granted Smart a franchise to establish, maintain, lease and operate integrated telecommunications, computers, electronics, and stations throughout the Philippines. In October 2018, petitioners asked the Supreme Court to stop
Globe A globe is a spherical Earth, spherical Model#Physical model, model of Earth, of some other astronomical object, celestial body, or of the celestial sphere. Globes serve purposes similar to maps, but, unlike maps, they do not distort the surface ...
and Smart from using the 700 MHz and Smart announced that they were working to fix its slow internet service. On July 30, 2020, Smart activated their 5G mobile network initially in Makati Central Business District,
Bonifacio Global City Bonifacio Global City, also known as BGC, Global City, or The Fort, is a 240-hectare mixed-use estate and central business district located in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig, Philippines. It is the home of the Philippine Stock Exchange, the national ...
,
Araneta City Araneta City (stylized in all lowercase), formerly and still commonly known as Araneta Center, is a Transit-oriented development, transit oriented, commercial Mixed-use development, mixed-use urban development in Quezon City, Philippines. Situ ...
, SM Megamall and
SM Mall of Asia SM Mall of Asia (also abbreviated as SM MoA, or simply Mall of Asia or MoA; ), is a large shopping mall in the Philippines, located at Bay City, Metro Manila, Bay City, Pasay, Metro Manila within the SM Central Business Park, a reclaimed area w ...
Bay Area. In Opensignal's April report, on internet speed contest, Dito Telecommunity outplaced Smart Communications and
Globe Telecom Globe Telecom, Inc., commonly shortened as Globe, is a major provider of telecommunications services in the Philippines. The company operates one of the largest mobile, fixed-line and broadband networks in the Philippines. As of November 2023, ...
in the first quarter, with a
download In computer networks, download means to ''receive'' data from a remote system, typically a server such as a web server, an FTP server, an email server, or other similar systems. This contrasts with uploading, where data is ''sent to'' a remote ...
speed of 32 Mbps. It is also now the fastest operator for 5G, averaging 302.9 Mbps as against Smart’s 143.3 Mbps. In the reliability experience of subscribers, it further scored 835 out of 1,000 to breaking Smart’s 771 and Globe’s 748.


Subscribers

The company has more than 66 million mobile subscribers as of 2022, under the brands Smart,
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, and TNT, in addition to wireless broadband subscribers number more than 3.9 million under the brands Smart Bro and Sun Wireless Broadband. By virtue of SIM Registration Act and due to the deactivation of unregistered SIM cards, Smart has 50.0 million subscribers as of July 26, 2023. As of November 2023, Smart reported that it has 55.2 million subscribers following the implementation of SIM card registration, which is slightly more than 54.7 million of close competitor Globe Telecom Inc., regaining its place as the mobile network with the largest subscriber base.


Radio frequency summary


Esports

Smart and its parent company PLDT launched Omega esports, a professional esports team for
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, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, and
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that competed in the 2019 The Nationals. It is also a major sponsor of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang esports events in the Philippines such as the previous MSC 2019.


Sports teams

* TNT Tropang 5G ( PBA basketball team) * Smart Giga Hitters (
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women's volleyball team)


Sponsorships

*
FIBA The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French language, French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. FIBA defines the rules of basketball, specifies the Basketball equipment ...
(International Basketball Federation), since 2020, renewed until 2027 * KCON:TACT, since 2020 *
Mnet Asian Music Awards The MAMA Awards (, formerly Mnet Asian Music Awards) is a major Music award, music awards ceremony presented annually by entertainment company CJ ENM. First held in South Korea, the majority of prizes have been won by K-pop artists, although ...
, since 2020 *
M Countdown ''M Countdown'' () is a South Korean music program broadcast by Mnet from the CJ E&M Center Studio in Sangam-dong, Mapo District, Seoul. It features appearances by popular music artists who also perform live on stage. First hosted by Leeteuk ...
, since 2021


See also

* TNT (Smart's low-end cellular service) * Sun Cellular (cellular service absorbed by Smart and is now defunct as of 2022) * Smart Gilas ( Philippine men's national basketball team)


References


External links


Official Homepage
{{Malaysia mobile phone companies PLDT subsidiaries Members of the Conexus Mobile Alliance Philippine brands Mobile phone companies of the Philippines Telecommunications companies established in 1991 Companies based in Makati Philippine companies established in 1991 2000 mergers and acquisitions Internet service providers of the Philippines