Philippines-based operator Smart Communications turned on standalone (SA) 5G sites at its headquarters in Makati City, the country’s major business district, as it upgraded its next-generation facilities to connect the 5G RAN with a 5G core network.

Smart Communications president and CEO Alfredo Panlilio said in a statement that with the first batch of SA sites fully operational, “we are starting to see the true capabilities of 5G which will play a critical role in the advancement of massive IoT, health care and smart cities”.

With SA 5G in place, Smart stated it will soon offer voice over New Radio and network slicing capabilities.

Mario Tamayo, head of technology at Smart, claimed the upgraded platform will create new opportunities for enterprises and consumers that will maximise its ultra-reliable and low-latency capabilities. “We are creating opportunities for Filipino enterprises to compete in the global arena.”

The operator has deployed 4,000 5G base stations nationwide, after starting trials of the technology in August 2018.

It launched its 5G Technolab facility in June 2018 to handle R&D, standardisation and testing.

Rival Globe Telecom last week announced it completed a SA 5G trial on a live set-up at a facility in Makati City.