MANILA -- PLDT Inc said Monday it would activate its first 5G cell site in the Clark Freeport Zone in November, making the former US military reservation the country's first 5G area.

PLDT, its mobile arm Smart, telecom infrastructure maker Ericsson and the Clark Development Authority signed a memorandum of understanding for the venture, the carrier said in a statement.

"This will benefit not only Clark but the country as well by demonstrating that we are in step with the rest of the world in adopting advanced intelligent technologies," PLDT and Smart chairman and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan said.

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PLDT said it was "ramping up" its LTE roll out in Clark and equipping all of them with 5G.

"This, we believe, will not only be of benefit to Clark locators but also the many industries, various businesses and communities in the country as well," said CDC President and CEO Noel Manankil.

With a 221,000-kilometer fiber network, PLDT said it was "best positioned" to deploy 5G in the Philippines.