Smart Communications has fired up a new cell tower in San Vicente, Palawan, giving the locality and its surrounding areas strong, and reliable internet services.
“By bringing fast and reliable mobile connectivity to towns like San Vicente in Palawan, we enable more Filipinos in underserved communities to access opportunities in education, livelihood, and innovation,” said Menardo G. Jimenez, PLDT chief operating officer and network head.
“This milestone also highlights the power of strengthened collaboration with our government partners, so that together, we can deliver meaningful connectivity solutions that accelerate inclusive development,” added Jimenez, who is also PLDT’s representative to the Presidential Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC).
The firing up of the cell tower at San Vicente, Palawan also boosts the initiative of the government’s Bayanihan SIM initiative, which provides free SIMs with mobile data to Filipinos in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs). San Vicente is a GIDA located around 500 kilometers southwest of Manila.
Smart Communications and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) have already distributed about 1,500 SIM cards with prepaid load to government-identified beneficiaries, including students.
Under the partnership, beneficiaries will receive 25GB of data per month for 12 months, fully subsidized by the government.
Also, the Old Caruray Elementary School was a recipient of a School-in-a-bag from the PLDT Smart Foundation, which comes with a portable digital classroom that includes a laptop for the teacher, 10 tablets pre-loaded with DepEd curriculum-based learning materials and interactive educational applications, a Smart Bro LTE Pocket Wi-Fi device, and expandable storage.
The Bayanihan SIM program is a key initiative supporting the government’s push for nationwide digital connectivity. It is enabled by Smart’s mobile network and is supported by PLDT’s fiber infrastructure, the country’s most extensive. The PLDT Group’s continued investment in enhancing its integrated fixed and wireless network is part of the Group’s broader commitment to deliver a leveled-up customer experience across the country.
