Smart LTE levels up Iloilo’s Dinagyang Festival

Tourists who attended this Iloilo’s Dinagyang Festival this year were able to enjoy the three-day event even more as PLDT’s wireless services arm Smart Communications (Smart) ramped up its roll-out of Long Term Evolution-Advanced (LTE-A) and carrier aggregation technology on its network.
Of the 250,000 revelers expected by the Department of Tourism (DOT)-6 Region Office to have attended the religious and cultural showcase, those who are subscribed to Smart were able to enjoy faster Internet speeds than in previous Dinagyang celebrations. This allowed them to make the most out of their Dinagyang experience, starting with how quickly they were able to share #ExploreDinagyang photos and videos on their social media pages.


Music fests, pageants, parades

Smart’s ramped up LTE also meant that festival-goers were able to conveniently search online for Dinagyang schedules and locations of events. This included the weekend-long Viva Music Festival, which was held along the stretch of Megaworld Boulevard. Presented by Smart, the concert featured bands, DJs, and singers from different genres.

Smart’s cellular service TNT was also present during Dinagyang Festival as a sponsor for the widely-followed Miss Iloilo Dinagyang 2019. The coronation night took place at Casa Emperador Grounds during the festival’s first night.

To ensure that all festival-goers stayed connected throughout the celebration, Smart also set up have loading stations in numerous locations around Iloilo City. Each retail spot also hosted fun activities with prizes, as well as lounge areas.


New Iloilo travel mobile app


Revelers who wanted to learn more about Iloilo were introduced to the new Iloilo Guide mobile app, which was developed in partnership between Smart, Innohub, and the Iloilo provincial government.

The digital tourism platform is comprised of comprehensive travel information which may be downloaded from interactive tourism markers using one’s mobile phone. More digital markers - which are integrated with quick response (QR) codes and near field communication (NFC) chips - were unveiled in more tourist destinations a day before Dinagyang Festival opened.


Better Internet experience

Usage of the Iloilo Guide app and digital tourism tools, as well as overall use of mobile data, is expected to increase now that Smart has upgraded LTE-A and carrier aggregation technology on its network. This ultimately aims to improve the mobile internet experience of Smart, Sun and TNT customers across the country.

Of LTE sites nationwide, 71% are already on LTE-A, while 5-component carrier aggregation can also be enjoyed in Metro Manila. “We are continuously improving our network to provide world-class mobile internet connectivity for our customers,” said Mario G. Tamayo, PLDT-Smart senior vice president for network planning and engineering.