MANILA - PLDT Inc said Friday wireless unit Smart Communications Inc has expanded its 5G network coverage in the country by firing up new sites in Benguet, Misamis Oriental and Zamboanga Sibugay.

Smart now has more than 1,400 5G sites nationwide including those in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Pampanga, Rizal, Cebu, Iloilo, Aklan and Davao, PLDT Inc said in a statement.

"As we expand our 5G network presence across the country, we are also bringing the possibilities of 5G, such as faster speeds and lower latency for streaming high-resolution videos and playing online mobile games, closer to more Filipinos. Through this, we are also opening the doors to more possibilities of 5G that we have yet to imagine," PLDT and Smart's head of Technology Mario Tamayo said.

To maximize 5G, subscribers need to have 5G-enabled handsets. Smart is tapping manufacturers such as Samsung, Huawei, OPPO, vivo and realme to make 5G devices more accessible, it said.

PLDT said it has more than 429,000 kilometers of fiber infrastructure in the country supporting its 5G network rollout, it said.

Its rival Globe Telecom is also rapidly expanding its network coverage to improve services in the country while third telco DITO Telecommunity will debut on March 8.

• More customers to enjoy 4G LTE services in select provinces next month: Globe

President Rodrigo Duterte earlier urged telco providers to improve services or face closure or expropriation.

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