The country’s largest fully integrated network PLDT Inc. and its wireless unit Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) are powering this season’s Universities and Colleges Basketball League (UCBL).

PLDT will be supporting UCBL by providing connectivity support to livestream their games, which will be shown on the Smart Sports Facebook Page and UCBL social media pages.

“Our support to the UCBL is aligned with our belief that sports contribute to nation-building. This is a way for us to help promote and develop sports and encourage young athletes to pursue their dreams and be the best that they can be through basketball,” said Jude H. Turcuato, FVP and Head of Sports at PLDT and Smart. “With our strong and reliable fixed and wireless connection, we hope to bring the games closer to fans through technology.”

The PLDT Group has expanded its total fiber footprint to about 1,091,000 kilometers, consisting of over 231,000 kilometers of international fiber and almost 860,000 kilometers of domestic fiber, passing some 16.8 million homes in 67% of the country’s cities and municipalities.

As a result of PLDT’s continued efforts to modernize its network and connect more Filipinos nationwide to fiber, the country’s broadband speeds ranked among the fastest in Southeast Asia, based on the latest Speedtest Global Index report from Ookla.

PLDT’s fiber infrastructure supports Smart’s 77,200 base stations, including 7,300 5G base stations and close to 40,000 4G base stations deployed nationwide. Smart was also recently recognized by Ookla as the Philippines' Fastest and Best Mobile Network in its latest report covering Q1-Q2 2022.

“As we strategize for a strong return after the pandemic and find the most effective way to promote and air our games, we have observed that the behavior of the viewing public has drastically changed, which is why we are shifting to a digital platform. We are grateful to Smart Sports for supporting UCBL and we look forward to a fruitful partnership in helping our homegrown athletes,” said Horacio Lim, UCBL’s tournament director.

After its hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, UCBL has returned for its 5th season. Seven (7) teams, namely Diliman College, Olivarez College, Centro Escolar University, University of Batangas, Lyceum of the Philippines University Batangas, Philippine Christian University Dasmariñas, and Guang Ming College will face off beginning this month up to February 2023.

For more information, visit the Smart Sports Facebook Page.