With the Philippine archipelago housing a population of over 110 million people across vast seas and mountain ranges, it has always been a challenge to provide internet connectivity to far-flung areas in the country. This will soon be addressed by a landmark partnership between two of the Philippines' strongest telecommunications and Direct-to-Home satellite institutions to power the most reliable satellite-based broadband connectivity for all.
SMART Communications has partnered with Cignal, the country's largest Pay-TV and Direct-to-Home satellite provider, to utilize the latter's VSAT technology as a broadband backhaul in areas that are difficult to reach through land-based networks. This partnership expands the availability of SMART's broadband services for its subscribers in areas that have low to no data coverage.
By using Cignal's VSAT service facilities, SMART will be able to respond better to the people's clamor for a reliable, all-weather internet connectivity across the country.
To date, Cignal's VSAT service is active in select cell sites across the country's three island groups: from Batanes, Calanasan, and Kabugao in Apayao up north; to Kalayaan and San Vicente in Palawan; and down to the coastal municipalities in Tawi-Tawi and Basilan in Mindanao.
Cignal also supported SMART in providing its all-weather broadband technology to typhoon-hit communities in November 2020. SMART and Cignal's partnership powered 10 cell sites in the island province of Catanduanes, which was the worst hit by Typhoon Rolly, to assist affected communities and restore broadband connections in the area.
According to Cignal president and CEO Robert P. Galang, Cignal's partnership with SMART opens more doors for enterprise clients and communities in far-flung areas in need of better connectivity. "This partnership is aligned with our mission to address the national clamor for better broadband connectivity and to give access to uninterrupted quality entertainment to the nation. We are hopeful that through our VSAT broadband service and this joint effort with SMART, we are able to ease the lives of Filipinos moving forward," Galang shared.