Philippine telco PLDT has reportedly launched what it’s billing as an “uninterruptible fiber internet connection” service that uses fixed wireless access (FWA) LTE as an automatic backup connection in case of a fibre outage.
According to ABS-CBN News, the “Fiber Always On” service from PLDT Home uses a hybrid CPE modem that supports both fibre access and LTE. The LTE connection is provided by PLDT’s wireless arm Smart Communications.
Roy Victor Añonuevo, PLDT VP and head of home broadband product management, told ABS-CBN that the modem will automatically switch to LTE if it detects a fault in the fibre connection. After that, customers will get unlimited LTE until the fibre connection is fixed.
The modem also notifies automatically PLDT Home’s support centre when it makes the switch to LTE, after which a ticket number is automatically generated and a repair team dispatched within 24 to 36 hours, the report said.
While the always-on hybrid modem is available as an add-on for existing PLDT Home customers, service availability depends on the quality of Smart’s LTE signal in the customer’s service area. PLDT Home technicians will test the LTE signal before installing the hybrid modem, the report added. PLDT Home customers can also use a form on the service provider’s website to check if the always-on option is available in their location.
Even with a good signal, PLDT Home subscribers are likely to experience a noticeable drop in connection quality once the modem switches from fibre to LTE.
According to the latest report from Opensignal, Smart’s LTE network delivered average downlink speeds of 28.6 Mbps, ranking second between DITO Telecommunity (34.6 Mbps) and Globe Telecom (20.9 Mbps). Meanwhile, according to Ookla, PLDT Home’s fibre broadband speeds for Q1 and Q2 2024 clocked in at just over 131 Mbps.
