Connecting an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands requires multiple solutions to ensure that the benefits of faster, more reliable, and more affordable internet can reach more Filipinos, enabling hybrid work set-ups, online learning, and the delivery of e-government and e-healthcare services in remote and far-flung areas.
Technology like AI or artificial intelligence delivers its greatest impact when it uplifts not just the many, but especially the most disadvantaged, giving persons with disabilities greater access, dignity, and opportunity. This drives PLDT and Smart to use AI and widely available mobile applications to support persons with disabilities in schools or in the community.
Leading integrated telco network PLDT Inc (PLDT)'s wireless arm Smart Communications, Inc (Smart) and its technology partner Lynk Global have successfully tested Direct-to-Device satellite service in the island of Catanduanes in the Bicol region, demonstrating the technology's potential in providing mobile services even in areas where cell services are unavailable.
Partner schools under the Smart Wireless Engineering Education Program (SWEEP) are leveling up to take on artificial intelligence (AI). SWEEP, the Philippines’ longest running industry-academe linkage program, itself has officially entered Phase 5, which integrates AI, automation, and intelligent systems into engineering education, aligning academic training with how modern telecom networks are now designed, operated, and optimized.
