After April 2011, Smart officially Launch 4G LTE service in the Philippines

On April 2011, Smart Communications & PILTEL launched the first LTE (Long Term Evolution) mobile broadband technology as the first country in Southeast Asian countries and 3rd country in whole Asia next to Japan to introduce such high-end wireless connection mobile technology. Japan launched its first LTE last December 2010 with 2100 MHz.  

LTE (Long Term Evolution) Mobile Technology introduction in Asia

1. Hong Kong – November 2010
2. Japan – December 2010
3. Philippines – April 2011
4. South Korea – June 2011
5. Singapore – December 2011
6. India – April 2012

Official Launching of LTE for the Whole Philippines

Smart Communications, a subsidiary of the Asia's famous Telecommunication Company, PLDT has formally announced that it will officially launch  it LTE services to be available in the whole country on August 25, 2012-  the country's first Long Term Evolution (LTE) mobile technology.

The announcement comes after a year of LTE test deployments conducted by PLDT's wireless subsidiary in various parts of the country since April 2011.

"Come August 25th, the Philippines joins the growing ranks of countries offering high-speed mobile broadband via LTE. This will be a boon to our customers and help power the country's development," said Smart President and CEO Napoleon L. Nazareno.

"The Philippines' first and only LTE service is here and it's running on Smart's 'super-charged' mobile network," said Smart chief wireless adviser Orlando B. Vea.

The public can take part in the launch by downloading an e-invite www.smart.com.ph/lte.

Smart said its LTE service is capable of delivering data wirelessly at speeds of up to 42 Mbps. This makes possible downloading large files in minutes instead of hours, streaming high definition videos with no buffering, and playing online games with no lag because of its high speed and low latency.

"LTE provides the cutting edge for our mobile broadband network which is also equipped with HSPA+, HSPA and 3G facilities," said Smart wireless consumer division head Emmanuel Lorenzana. "This combination of wireless broadband technologies enables Smart to provide customers with unmatched mobile broadband services in more parts of the country."

Smart's LTE deployment was made possible by the PLDT Group's ₱67.1-billion network technology refresh program which has replaced the base station equipment in all of Smart's over 9,500 base stations nationwide with 4G-ready facilities.

"This enables us to quickly and easily expand our LTE network depending on market demand," Vea said.

This program has also strengthened the PLDT Group's fiber optic networks and overseas fiber optic cable systems to ensure that high-speed broadband services offered via LTE will be fully supported.

Several LTE sites located in Metro Manila, Cebu, Davao, and Boracay have already been active months prior to the commercial launch.

To date, Smart LTE has powered several events such as the Sinulog Festival in Cebu and the Kadayawan Festival in Davao as it streamed the festivities online in full high definition.

During "The First Philippine LTE Forum" held last Aug. 13, 2012, various speakers from Smart and its technology partners Cisco, Ericsson, Nokia Siemens Networks, Huawei, and NTT Docomo showcased the many potential uses of LTE.

They cited possible applications of LTE in security and surveillance services, transportation management, health care and education.

Manila Standard Today

Continue reading

Russia, Philippines ratify UN treaty guaranteeing maritime labor rights

ILO Director-General Juan Somavia. UN Photo/Rossana Fraga

21 August 2012 – A comprehensive range of labor standards for the world's 1.2 million merchant sailors, covering decent working conditions and health and safety issues, is now set to go into effect following its final two required ratifications, the United Nations International Labor Organization (ILO) announced today.

The ratification of the Maritime Labor Convention, 2006 (MLC, 2006) by Russia and the Philippines fulfils the minimum requirement that 30 ILO Member States – representing nearly 60 percent of global shipping tonnage – ratify the Convention. This means that in a year's time, seafarers working on the majority of the world's shipping will have their rights ensured by the new Convention.

"This is great news for the world's more than 1.2 million seafarers," ILO Director General Juan Somavia said. "It was a dream of the ILO as early as 1920, and I pay tribute to the international maritime community for having made it reality," he added, noting that the ratification was "a remarkable achievement."

The Convention delineates a seafarers' 'bill of rights' while allowing a sufficient degree of national discretion to deliver those rights with transparency and accountability. The Convention also contains provisions allowing it to keep in step with the needs of the industry, and help secure universal application and enforcement.

Its provisions will help to meet the demand for quality shipping, crucial to the global economy. It will apply to all ships engaged in commercial activities with the exception of fishing vessels and traditional ships (such as dhows and junks). The Convention sets minimum requirements for seafarers to work on a ship and contains provisions on conditions of employment, hours of work and rest, accommodation, recreational facilities, food and catering, health and medical care and welfare and social security protection.

Along with protecting the rights of seafaring laborers and mariners, the Convention will also facilitate the inspection of ships through what is known as "port State control" which allows port countries to inspect ships flying under different national flags.

"The maritime labor inspection and certification system is a big step forward by the ILO in taking concrete and specific action to address the very serious problems that arise because of international ownership of ships and the inability of some countries to ensure that their ships meet international standards for quality shipping," noted Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry, Director of the ILO's International Labor Standards Department.

When it comes into effect, the MLC, 2006 will replace 37 existing ILO maritime conventions adopted since 1920.

The Philippines is the world's largest provider of Marine officers and world's leading provider of sea fearers. In the 2010 data, Filipino Seafarers contributed 44% of the total OFW remittance to the Philippines of around $7 Billion US Dollars from the total OFW remittance of $16 Billion Dolars.

UN.org

Continue reading