MANILA, The Philippines-Smart Communications is setting aside at least 8 billion Philippine pesos (US$147 million) for an expansion program that will extend its reach to remote areas in the country, as well as further improve indoor coverage in major urban centers, such as the cities of Manila, Cebu and Davao.
The 2003 budget will raise the company’s total allocation for the past three years to 50 billion pesos (US$917 million).
Smart currently has about 2,860 cellular base stations, a 33-percent increase from the start of 2002. This provides coverage for 824 municipalities, which account for about 80 percent of the national population.
Last year, Smart installed the most advanced GSM cell sites in its network. It was among the first in the world to deploy Nokia’s so-called Ultrasites, designed for wide area coverage and capable of handling sophisticated data services, and “Metrosites,” which improve street-level cellular coverage.
