Smart nears launch of satellite service

January 15, 2026 | 12:00am

First for Philippines telco

MANILA, Philippines — Local communities in remote islands and mountains will gain access to uninterrupted signals for internet use and text messaging once Smart Communications Inc. mounts its new satellite service by 2027.

Smart is poised to become the country’s first telco to offer direct-to-device satellite service following the success of its test for such a technology in partnership with Lynk Global Inc.

The direct-to-device satellite solution equips Smart with the capability to provide mobile services across all terrains, even in areas where it has few or no cellular towers.

The tests were conducted in Catanduanes, a province hit yearly by typhoons, particularly in the town of Pandan, which faces the Philippine Sea. Smart chose Catanduanes — 360 kilometers south of Metro Manila — to determine how extensive the solution can cover.

The tests bore the successful transmission of text messages between a phone in Catanduanes and a phone in Metro Manila, as well as between phones within Catanduanes. The tests also showed the solution’s capability to carry internet tasks requiring light data.

Testers were able to access Smart’s website using the solution, but the goal is to transform it into a full data service that would give consumers an all-access connectivity.

Smart first vice president Lloyd Manaloto said the telco is trying more use cases for the solution, as it prepares for its commercial launch next year.

“This year we are pushing for extensive tests across more areas and diverse use cases, including maritime routes, as we gear up for commercial launch next year,” Manaloto said.

Smart head of network strategy and transformation Radames Zalameda said the telco would also wait for Lynk to send more satellites into space to expand service availability.

Once the solution is mature, it can be maximized for emergency response by areas with limited cell coverage.

Catanduanes, for instance, is identified as one of the provinces with challenging topography that makes it difficult to set up telco infrastructure, including cell towers. The province is also visited yearly by typhoons, which almost always damage power and telco assets.

This is why Smart is trying to cover provinces like Catanduanes using non-terrestrial assets, such as satellites, which can beam internet to anywhere from space.

Smart’s partner Lynk launches satellites to become what it calls cell towers in space, as it aims to provide connectivity to 90 percent of the earth unserved by land-based assets.

Latest

Recommended