Leading integrated telco network PLDT Inc (PLDT)’s wireless arm Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) and Clark Development Corp. (CDC) have recently signed lease agreements covering telco facilities inside CDC, boosting connectivity for businesses and other locators in the area.
At the signing ceremonies were CDC officials led by President and CEO Atty. Agnes VST Devanadera and Smart executives led by Atty. Pamela Felizarta, Head of Joint Strategic Operations at Smart.
“We at Smart are always ready to work hand-in-hand with partners like the CDC in ensuring that we are able to serve our customers through fast and efficient rollout of our network particularly in areas where new communities are being built, and that we are also able to continuously support the Government’s nationwide digitalization thrust to narrow the digital divide,” Atty. Felizarta said.
This partnership is aligned with the PLDT Group’s commitment as one of the founding members of the government-mandated Presidential Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) under the Digital Infrastructure Pillar, represented by its President and CEO Alfredo S. Panlilio. Driving the nation’s digital transformation, PLDT, through its B2B arm PLDT Enterprise, has also been empowering businesses nationwide to realize their visions of transformation by delivering relevant digital and connectivity solutions, facilitating their digital pivot.
This agreement with CDC also enables the fast and efficient rollout of PLDT and Smart’s integrated fixed and wireless networks. The PLDT Group has further expanded its total fiber footprint to over 1.1 million kilometers, consisting of over 231,000 kilometers of international fiber and over 885,000 kilometers of domestic fiber as of end-June 2023. This fiber infrastructure supports Smart’s mobile network, which covers around 97% of the population with 3G, 4G/LTE, and 5G.
It also boosts PLDT’s aspirational multi-year transformation, with elevating customer experience as one of the key priorities, as well as contributes to the Group’s endeavors to provide connectivity to all, and to anchor initiatives on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG) particularly on SDG No. 9 – Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure.