Smart Philippines LTE 4G broadbrand service is not as great as you think. Information, opinions and recommendations about the latest broadbrand service in the Philippines, Smart LTE 4G.LTE or Long term evolution is the next generation of Internet mobile service most commonly called as 4G(fourth generation) which is why it is more appropriate to call it as LTE-4G to distinct it with other 4G systems like Wimax.
LTE - 4G can provide mobile internet users of speeds above 100MB/s but it is different with Smart's LTE service. Below are some information and reviews about Smart's LTE service.
Will Launch on August 25 with the price of P3500 for 10gb data
Smart will officially launch their LTE service on August 25 with the price of P3500 for 10gb of data. The USB dongle provided will be free with their LTE plan3500.
The price of P3500 is competitive even with other country's 4G services. Compared with Verizon's 4G service, Their 10gb monthly plane is $80 which roughly converts to P3440($1=43php).
No information about Exceeding Data Limit
Unfortunately there are no information on how much will it cost per 1GB if you exceeded the 10GB limit. This information is particularly useful when a single HD movie is at least 1.5GB which means just 6 download HD movies and you are over the limit of that month.
3G speeds on NON-LTE locations
If you are in a location where LTE is still not activated, you will automatically used their 3G service instead of the 4G-LTE one. Smart has said in one of their interviews that all of their base stations are already compatible with LTE but chosen not to activate them all so they can test the market first.
Coverage
Like what I have said above, Smart has chosen not to activate LTE on all of their base stations to check the market first. This means that only the major cities will have Smart's LTE service. From what we know, Parts of Metro Manila, Davao, Cebu, Bohol and Boracay will have LTE service.
Up to 42MB/s
Smart is advertising that LTE can reach up to 42 MB/s. This means that in theory, you can download a 420MB file in just 10 seconds. This is quite fast if you compare it with the regular DSL speeds that most Filipinos are using.
Only for Laptops/Computers
Smart will start their LTE service with laptops/computers first then their mobile phone LTE service.
Recommended for Light users/Not recommended for Heavy Internet users & gamers
While the 42MB/s speed might entice internet users, I would not recommend availing of this service if you are heavy on video watching(youtube/ETC), File downloading and even gaming. Most videos in youtube and in the internet are in file sizes of 50mb and above. A single non-HD 30 minute video would likely range from 50MB to 150MB. This means that for 10 videos you have watched, you have already consumed 1.5GB, excluding web page loading and other packet transfers. Downloading a 4gb game might be finished in less than 20 minutes but just downloading 2 games and you nearly depleted your limit. Gaming on the other hand might improve with the LTE service but because it is "over the air", disconnections would be likely as well as reaching the 10GB limit fast because most online games needs continuous flow of packets.
Personally, I sometimes watch 10 episodes that ranges from 50MB to 150MB a day. If I avail of Smart's LTE service, I would max my limit in just 10 days.
I only recommend the LTE service for people that rarely download "big" files, occasionally watch videos and just use facebook or surf the internet(webpages) or only play flash/facebook games.
