Smart Communications achieved a major breakthrough by successfully testing optical transport network disaggregation technology, the first of its kind in the Philippines.
The test was conducted at the PLDT-Smart Technolab in Makati, moving Smart closer to building a fully disaggregated network designed to be more flexible, efficient, and responsive to future demands.
Disaggregation allows Smart to choose software and hardware vendors independently. This setup helps improve network performance, cut costs, boost efficiency, and speed up service delivery.
The transport network itself is mostly invisible to users, but it serves as a crucial backbone, carrying data, voice, and video over long distances to power daily connectivity.
“This milestone builds on the momentum of the previous IP transport disaggregation Proof of Concept (PoC) conducted in 2023 by validating Optical Transport Disaggregation technologies,” said Debbie Hu, FVP and Head of Wireless Network at Smart.
“By virtualizing and decoupling transport functions from proprietary hardware, we are building a more agile, scalable backbone,” said Radames Zalameda, VP and Head of Wireless Network Strategy and Architecture. “Our lab tests confirm that disaggregated solutions are now reaching operational readiness.”
This achievement aligns with PLDT and Smart’s broader efforts to modernize infrastructure through innovations like Open RAN and Cloud-Native Core.
