Smart - Philippines
Smart (Philippines) uses 2 GSM bands, 2 UMTS bands, 6 LTE bands, and 3 5G NR bands. Find out if your unlocked phone or mobile device will work with Smart (Philippines). See the tables below for details.
Check device compatibilityCarrier website: http://smart.com.ph/
Last updated: 2024/08/03 - See latest updates
Smart Philippines, a subsidiary of PLDT Inc., is a leading telecommunications company in the Philippines. Here are some key points about its mobile network:
Coverage and Infrastructure:
- Smart’s mobile network covers approximately 97% of the population, providing 2G, 3G, 4G LTE, and 5G services.
- The network includes 77,200 base stations, with 7,300 of them being 5G base stations and close to 40,000 being 4G/LTE base stations.
5G Data Traffic:
- Smart has seen a significant increase in 5G data traffic, with a 16% rise in average monthly data traffic in the fourth quarter of 2023 compared to the previous period.
- The company’s 5G network has been recognized for delivering the Philippines’ Best 5G Coverage Experience, according to Opensignal.
Awards and Recognition:
- Smart has been consistently recognized as the Philippines’ Fastest and Best Mobile Network by Ookla, winning both the Fastest Mobile Network and Best Mobile Coverage awards in Q3-Q4 2022.
- Smart outperformed competitors in key cities such as Quezon City, Cebu City, and Davao City in terms of speed and coverage.
Network Performance:
- Smart’s network offers high speeds, with a median download speed of 31.04 Mbps and a median upload speed of 6.8 Mbps, surpassing its competitors.
- The network supports the country’s extensive fiber infrastructure, which spans over 1.1 million kilometers.
Customer Experience:
- Smart aims to deliver value-packed offers and enhance the mobile experience for its subscribers, aligning with PLDT’s efforts to narrow the digital divide and support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG).
Overall, Smart Philippines’s mobile network is highly regarded for its extensive coverage, advanced infrastructure, and high performance, making it a leading provider of mobile communications services in the country.
Frequency Bands
GSM
| Name | Interface | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 900 MHz (E-GSM) | GSM | Smart Philippines uses the GSM 900 MHz (E-GSM) frequency band for its mobile communications. This frequency band is deployed in various countries around the world, including the Philippines. The GSM 900 MHz (E-GSM) band operates on the 880–915 MHz uplink and 925–960 MHz downlink frequencies. It is one of the two GSM bands used in the Philippines, along with the 1800 MHz (DCS) band. |
| 1800 MHz (DCS) | GSM | Smart Philippines uses the GSM 1800 MHz (DCS) frequency band for 2G services. This band operates within the 1.8 GHz frequency range, offering reduced signal interference and greater channel availability compared to the more crowded 900 MHz and 1800 MHz bands used by GSM. The frequency ranges for GSM 1800 are:
This band provides services such as voice communication, text messaging (SMS), and basic data communications, similar to GSM. It is known for its efficient use of the 1.8 GHz band through modulation schemes like Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) and Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS). |
Supported GSM Protocols
| Name | Generation |
|---|---|
| GPRS | 2.5G |
| EDGE | 2.5G |
UMTS
| Name | Interface | Description |
|---|---|---|
| B1 (2100 MHz) | UMTS | Smart Philippines uses the UMTS frequency band B1 (2100 MHz). This band is deployed for UMTS services. |
| B8 (900 MHz GSM) | UMTS | Smart Philippines uses the UMTS band B8 (900 MHz GSM). This band was added to their network on August 3, 2024. |
Supported UMTS Protocols
| Name | Generation |
|---|---|
| UMTS | 3G |
| HSPA+ | 3.5G (4G speed) |
LTE
| Name | Interface | Description |
|---|---|---|
| B1 (2100 MHz) | LTE | Smart Philippines uses LTE frequency band B1 (2100 MHz). This band was deployed to support 4G services, enhancing mobile broadband propositions and improving coverage and data speeds. The deployment of this band has been instrumental in offering more attractively priced data tariffs and greater availability and affordability of higher speed devices. |
| B3 (1800 MHz +) | LTE | Smart Philippines uses LTE Band 3 (1800 MHz +) for its LTE deployments. This band is one of the most widely used frequency bands globally, supporting both FDD and TDD configurations. It is particularly popular in Europe, APAC, MEA, and selected countries in South America, facilitating international roaming for mobile broadband services. Smart Philippines supports LTE Band 3 as part of its LTE network, contributing to the global adoption of this band for LTE deployments. |
| B5 (850 MHz) | LTE | Smart Philippines uses LTE Band 5 (850 MHz). The deployment details for this band are not specified in the provided information. |
| B28 (700 MHz APT) | LTE | Smart Philippines uses LTE Band 28 (700 MHz APT) for its 4G LTE network. This frequency band operates between 703 MHz and 803 MHz, supporting channel bandwidths of 5, 10, 15, and 20 MHz. The band is known for its excellent propagation characteristics, allowing signals to penetrate buildings and cover larger geographic areas with less infrastructure. It was added to Smart Philippines's frequency bands on August 3, 2024. |
| B40 (TD 2300 MHz) | LTE | Smart Philippines uses the LTE B40 (TD 2300 MHz) frequency band. This band operates in the 2300 MHz spectrum range, leveraging the Time Division Duplexing (TDD) configuration. The 2300 MHz range strikes an effective balance between network coverage and data capacity, making it particularly suitable for dense urban areas where high data throughput is essential. This band is recognized as one of the top-10 most implemented LTE bands globally, attributed to its effective use of spectrum resources, scalability, and performance metrics that cater well to modern data-intensive applications. |
| B41 (TD 2500 MHz) | LTE | Smart Philippines uses LTE B41 (TD 2500 MHz). It was deployed on August 3, 2024. |
Supported LTE Protocols
| Name | Generation |
|---|---|
| LTE | 4G |
5G NR
| Name | Interface | Description |
|---|---|---|
| N28 (700 MHz) | 5G NR | Smart Philippines uses the 5G NR frequency band N28 (700 MHz) for its 5G services. The deployment of this band is not specified in the provided information. |
| N41 (2500 MHz) | 5G NR | Smart Philippines uses the 5G NR frequency band n41, which operates on a frequency range of 2496-2690 MHz. This band is primarily used for 5G New Radio (NR) networks and supports carrier aggregation, higher order MIMO technology, and beamforming to enhance network performance. The n41 band offers good network coverage and capacity, making it ideal for high-speed data transfer and low-latency applications such as streaming video and online gaming. |
| N78 (3500 MHz) | 5G NR | Smart Philippines uses the 5G NR frequency band n78 (3500 MHz) for its 5G services. This band operates in the 3300 to 3800 MHz range and supports channel bandwidths from 10 MHz to 100 MHz. The n78 band is designated for Time Division Duplexing (TDD) and is widely used for 5G deployments due to its relatively common availability and potential for high capacity throughput. Advanced technologies like massive MIMO, beam-forming, and beam-tracking help mitigate the limited range and building penetration issues associated with higher frequencies. The most popular channel width for fully deployed n78 5G networks is the maximum 100 MHz. |
Latest updates
- 2024/08/03 - Frequency UMTS B5 (850 MHz) removed from Smart Philippines.
- 2024/08/03 - Frequency UMTS B8 (900 MHz GSM) added to Smart Philippines.
- 2024/08/03 - Frequency LTE B28 (700 MHz APT) added to Smart Philippines.
- 2024/08/03 - Frequency LTE B40 (TD 2300 MHz) added to Smart Philippines.
- 2024/08/03 - Frequency LTE B41 (TD 2500 MHz) added to Smart Philippines.
- 2024/08/03 - Frequency 5G NR N28 (700 MHz) added to Smart Philippines.
- 2024/08/03 - Frequency 5G NR N41 (2500 MHz) added to Smart Philippines.
- 2024/08/03 - Frequency 5G NR N78 (3500 MHz) added to Smart Philippines.
