4G war on: Smart picks LTE, Globe has HSPA+
Posted on 18 Apr 2011 at 12:03am
The over-the-top battle between the country’s top mobile carriers is heating up again, with both telcos simultaneously announcing over the weekend the roll-out of their respective 4G (fourth-generation) mobile technology: Smart Communications with its LTE network and Globe Telecom with its HSPA+ platform.
Smart picks Boracay as the site of its LTE launch
As always, the bitter rivals again claimed credit for being the first to launch 4G in the Philippines – Smart for LTE and Globe for HSPA+. Both telcos could be right, however, since both LTE and HSPA+ are considered 4G mobile technology.
LTE (Long Term Evolution) is described as a 4G technology that can purportedly deliver download and upload speeds of up to 50 Mbps.
HSPA+, or Evolved High-Speed Packet Access, on the other hand, is a a high-speed broadband technology that allows for peak “theoretical” download speeds of up to 21 Mbps, with upgradeability for 84 Mbps.
Smart Communications, in statement issued, claimed it is firing up the country’s first LTE mobile technology this Holy Week in Boracay in Aklan.
After Boracay, LTE service will soon be rolled out to other areas, the company said.
“Recognized as the most advanced fourth-generation (4G) mobile broadband technology, LTE will enable individual users to download a movie in minutes rather than hours, download songs in seconds and easily watch high-definition video on Youtube with no buffering,” it said.
Smart said LTE data services can be accessed using USB dongles attached to laptops or networks, or, via LTE-powered wireless routers providing WiFi coverage.
Globe's 4G announcement (click to enlarge)
Not to be outdone, Globe said in a statement that it is first carrier in the Philippines to launch HSPA+, which it said will complement its 4G WiMax (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) network.
To date, Globe said its 4G mobile technology has been deployed covering sites across Metro Manila, which includes Marikina, Quezon City, Makati, Pasay, Las Pinas, Taguig and the City of Manila. By end-2011, Globe said it expects to increase its 4G presence dramatically with continued expansion planned into 2012.
Globe president and CEO Ernest Cu said in the statement: “In 2009, we were the first carrier to launch 4G through our WiMax network. Today, we extend our leadership by taking 4G mobile.”
The Ayala-owned telco it will soon roll out a suite of new multimedia services and 4G devices to complement the newly launched high-speed network infrastructure.
As for LTE, the company said it has already completed field trials of the technology in November 2010. It did not say, though, when it plans to launch the LTE service.
http://newsbytes.ph/2011/04/18/4g-wa...-deploys-hspa/
4G war on: Smart picks LTE, Globe has HSPA+
Originally Posted by gamemailxxx
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