The Philippines' leading integrated telco network PLDT Inc (PLDT) and its wireless arm Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) recently welcomed a delegation from the Institute of Electronics Engineers of the Philippines (IECEP) NCR Northeast to the PLDT-Smart Technolab, furthering the Group's goal to tighten industry linkages through technology leadership and expertise exchange.

The officers and members of IECEP, the accredited national organization of Electronics Engineering professionals in the Philippines, come from different ECE industries, such as semiconductor, academe, broadcasting, and manufacturing. They were also joined by Engineering students from various Metro Manila universities in touring the Technology Laboratory facility situated at the Smart Tower in Makati City, where PLDT and Smart explore and test cutting-edge network solutions, such as 5G, fiber to the X, and cloud technologies, along with future innovations like AI-driven network automation and next-generation fixed and wireless communication systems, all designed to enhance connectivity, efficiency, and overall customer experience.

PLDT and Smart executives who are also ECE graduates and IECEP members joined the tour, where participants learned about Network Disaggregation, Cloudification, Automation, Extended Reality, Private 5G, Smart Home and other new and upcoming communications and connectivity solutions not available yet in the market that the PLDT Group is testing.

"We greatly value partnerships with industry organizations like IECEP, as they enable a meaningful exchange of expertise, insights, and innovative ideas," said Radames Zalameda, Vice President for Network at PLDT and Smart. "These opportunities are crucial for both academia and industry as we collectively strive to stay at the forefront of technology. We’re not only committed to adopting the latest advancements but also to sharing this experience with the next generation of engineers, empowering them to drive future innovations in our field. We hope this visit has inspired new perspectives that participants can share within their own professional circles."

"As engineers, our job is to invent and develop new things that will uplift and improve the lives of our countrymen," said Lennart Olaivar, AVP and Head of Network Innovation and Laboratory. "This very modern facility called Technolab is a testament to PLDT and Smart's commitment to exploring new technologies that we can adopt to our network and ultimately enable us to deliver world-class services that will help improve the lives of our customers."

James Albert Lam, a system integrator for building electronics, helped organize the tour for IECEP. "Our organization looks forward to these kinds of activities with companies like PLDT and Smart, as we are always on the lookout for innovation, new technologies and possible collaborations with our peers in the industry," he said. 

Opening the doors of the PLDT and Smart TechnoLab to industry colleagues and engineering students underscores the PLDT Group’s broader program for inclusive learning and meaningful innovation, and its efforts to help the country achieve UNSDG #4 on Quality Education and #9 on Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure.