061709: Smart, Ericsson start a mobile 'revolution'

Technology

Written by Rizal Raoul Reyes / Correspondent

Wednesday, 17 June 2009 19:47

IN history, tandems have done earthshaking movements. There’s the Great Plebian Andres Bonifacio and Emilio Jacinto, who spearheaded the Katipunan to challenge the Spanish colonial order. In Cuba, the names of Fidel Castro and Ernesto “Che” Guevara figure prominently when the Cubans decided to establish a new social order. In music, the tandem of John Lennon and Paul McCartney are among the legends of the music industry for revolutionizing the music industry. In the Philippine telecom landscape, a “revolution” recently launched by a dynamic tandem in Smart Communications and Ericsson Philippines when they launched a high-speed data mobile broadband service across the country. Rajendra Pangrekar, country manager and president of Ericsson Philippines, said the project is a “remarkable milestone for Ericsson as it will enable us to launch a commercial high-speed packet access (HSPA) project in the Philippines with one of the largest mobile operators in the region.” For his part, Orlando Vea, chief wireless advisor of Smart Communications, pointed out that this is a ‘revolutionary event’ in the Philippine telecom sector because of the 850-megahertz speed of the HSPA-enabled mobile-broadband network, the fastest in the Southeast Asian region. “This deployment is another level which can be called Smart’s second revolution in the cellular phone, said Vea, the founder of Smart Communications. Under the agreement, Ericsson will be Smart’s main supplier of the 2G/3G common core packet data network. It will also be one of the main suppliers of the radio access network in the Philippines. This will enable Smart to offer the highest possible 3G speeds available in the world today. Further, Ericsson will also provide services, network design, network deployment, training and system integration to Smart. During the open forum, Vea waxed nostalgic when he recalled that mobile phones in the early 1990s used to cost an arm and a leg. With the dynamic developments in telecommunications, Vea said the once elite device has become an everyman’s tool. He added Ericsson was also the telecom provider during those days when the analog was still the dominant technology. Now in their second partnership, Vea said Smart seeks to empower Juan dela Cruz by providing affordable mobile-broadband Internet access wherever he is. “Our message here is we will democratize access to the Internet to the Filipinos,” said Vea. “We are launching a much more powerful and more versatile network that will put the power of the Internet in the pocket of Filipinos wherever they go,” he said. “This partnership with Ericsson will enable us to offer our customers, exciting possibilities that will enrich their lives and enhance their communications and mobile lifestyle experience,” he added. Asked why Smart opted to go HSPA instead of Wireless Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Vea said HSPA offers better economies of scale because Smart has already the equipment and terminals plus other equipment. Moreover, HSPA offers better indoor coverage and wider coverage base. To widen their offering, Vea said Smart will also offer WiMax in the next two quarters. He did not provide further details on this plan. Ericsson supplies around 240 commercially launched HSPA networks in more than 100 countries around the world.

 

http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/component/content/article/52-technology/11877-smart-ericsson-start-a-mobile-revolution.html