PLDT’s wireless unit Smart Communications announced on Tuesday that it has conducted a successful lab test of optical transport network disaggregation technology that it hopes to use to make its transport network more open, agile, efficient and flexible.
Smart said the test, conducted at the PLDT-Smart Technolab in Makati, brings it a step closer towards a fully disaggregated transport network, which will enable the telco to choose any vendor for software and for hardware separately, at any time.
Smart added that the ability to mix and match vendors and best-in-class solutions will enhance network performance, boost innovation and increase operational efficiency, as well as enable a competitive ecosystem with more options that can reduce costs and accelerate service delivery.
Debbie Hu, FVP and head of wireless network at Smart, said the lab test builds on the momentum of an earlier IP transport disaggregation proof-of-concept (PoC) conducted in 2023.
“It supports our goal of a fully disaggregated, cost-efficient network architecture and paves the way for an open, end-to-end transport infrastructure that’s future-ready, scalable, and vendor-neutral,” she said in a statement.
Radames Zalameda, Smart’s VP and head of wireless network strategy and architecture, added that network disaggregation not only improves service delivery and cost efficiency, but also sets the foundation for long-term transformation.
“By virtualizing and decoupling transport functions from proprietary hardware, we are building a more agile, scalable backbone,” Zalameda said. “Our lab tests confirm that disaggregated solutions are now reaching operational readiness.”
