MANILA - PLDT Inc's mobile arm Smart Communications on Wednesday said it was able to make the country's first live 5G to 5G video call.

The videocall was made between the newly launched Smart 5G cities in Pampanga and Makati using 5G radio and core equipment of Smart's partners Huawei in Makati and Ericsson in Clark, Smart said in a statement.

This showcased the "interoperability" in a multi-vendor environment, the telecommunications firm said.

“5G is real and it is now here in Makati and Clark,” PLDT-Smart chairman and CEO Manuel Pangilinan said during PLDT’s
90th anniversary celebrations.

He said PLDT is working with technology partners to establish even more Smart 5G cities in the country.

Initial test had also shown speeds of up to 700 mbps using Huawei's 5G equipment in Makati, Smart said.

The telco said it was set to fire up other 5G cell sites in Makati.

“By bringing 5G to Makati, we are putting the possibilities of 5G closer to the Philippines’ premier commercial hub, which is home to the country’s most ultra-connected enterprises and workforce, Juan Victor Hernandez, PLDT and Smart's Senior Vice President and Head of Enterprise said.

PLDT-Smart chief technology and information advisor Joachim Horn said 5G is a "versatile platform" that can be used for a new set of applications.

Smart earlier said it would deploy the country's pilot 5G network by the first half of 2019.