For long-haul drivers constantly away from home, a mobile phone is the only way to stay connected with family while on the road.
This means steady business for sari-sari store owner Josephine Derwin, who sells e-load at the Tacloban New Transport Terminal. Most of her customers are drivers, who are quick to avail of promos, such as UTP, GigaSurf 50 and AllOutSurf50.
Sales have further spiked, she said, following Smart network upgrades in the Visayas and Mindanao. The same was observed by Abby Pedrero, whose store customers are mostly gamers and avid social media users on the lookout for promos for online apps and mobile games.
Similarly Cyril Puzon Mejos reported quadruple income from “strong load sales” at her store in the popular resort island of Panglao in Bohol.
In Davao, load seller May Anne Veneroso noted that the network upgrade is what draws repeat customers. “Of course, they would buy from the fastest network,” she said.
Best technologies
Smart ramped up the roll-out of Long Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE-Advanced across the country, including key areas like Leyte and Bohol. LTE and LTE-A are the best technologies to bring fast, affordable and reliable mobile internet services to customers.
The Tacloban New Transport Terminal, Panglao island and Davao City are just a few of the areas in the Visayas and Mindanao enjoying the benefits of the recent network upgrades.
Internal tests around Tacloban and Ormoc have shown speeds ranging from 19 Mbps to 67 Mbps on LTE and LTE-A-capable devices, specifically in areas around RTR Plaza in Tacloban, Ormoc City Public Market, and Sabin Hotel in Ormoc. Speeds ranging from 20 Mbps to almost 100 Mbps were achieved in areas like Tagbilaran, Dauis and Baclayon in Bohol.
Clodualda Bibi of Ormoc, who has been able to provide for the family by selling load, is confident that with better signal in the area, business will further improve.
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