The Philippines’ largest operator Smart launched the country’s first commercial LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) network in Boracay, offering theoretical download speeds of 200-250Mb/s, which it said are three times higher than its current LTE speeds.

Smart, which has a 52 per cent market share, is testing LTE-A in Boracay, a popular tourist destination, before rolling out across the country.

Joachim Horn, Smart’s chief technology and information advisor, described the new network, which used carrier aggregation, as “LTE with a turbo boost”, BusinessWorld reported.

Both Smart and rival Globe Telecom have trialled LTE-A in various regions, including Makati, Cebu, Davao and Boracay.

The LTE-A network only supports the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge models, but Smart said other handset makers will soon introduce LTE-A-capable smartphones.

Expanded coverage
Smart’s parent company, PLDT, is working to integrate the Smart, Sun Cellular and Talk ’N Text networks by the end of the year, Horn said. It started the integration in 2014 and is about 60 per cent finished with the project, which he said will boost coverage in some areas by 50 to 100 per cent, BusinessWorld reported.

PLDT’s 2016 capex budget is set at PHP43 billion ($930 million), similar to its spending last year.

PLDT in March outlined a three-year recovery plan after reporting a 35 per cent drop in its net profit for 2015 and cutting its profit guidance this year by 20 per cent. Its market share dropped to 52 per cent from 60 per cent over the past year, as its mobile connections fell by seven million to 62.6 million, according to GSMA Intelligence.