Byline: EMMIE V. ABADILLA

Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) made the first inter-network 3G video call in the Philippines during an international telecom conference in Cebu this week (November 22).

Once the government approves the carrieras 3G license, Smart plans to invest

"We can use our existing 2.5 Generation network to complement that of our 3G. We already cover almost 100 percent of the municipalities in the country. Our additional investments will be more on the radio side, to allow our 3G phones to communicate with the rest of the network," he explained.

The 3G video call in Cebu, made between Smart and its roaming partner Telecom Italia Mobile, was the first public demonstration of Smartas test 3G network.

Actually, Smart started conducting tests with 3G technology five years ago. In December 2000, the company together with communications solutions provider Nokia, and then National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) deputy commissioner Nestor Dacanay completed the first ever 3G trial in the Philippines.

"But we donat have the 3G terminals a" the handsets, at the time," the Smart head for Network Services Division pointed out.

This week, with trial permit and frequencies from the NTC, Smart setup a 3G test network in Mactan Island, Cebu a" this yearas venue of the interworking roaming expert group (IREG) conference.

IREG is composed of different telecommunications operators . It is a group within the international body GSM Association that addresses the technical, operational, and performance issues supporting international roaming services.

"We staged our test facility for 3G in conjunction with the IREG event to show our international counterparts our capability in providing mobile broadband services," he disclosed.

Smartas 3G trial focused on testing the video conferencing capabilities of the system, which ran on a WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) platform. Transfer speeds of this 2000 test run were recorded at 216.9 kilobits per second (kbps).

Smart also showcased other 3G-enabled services such as broadcast streaming, simultaneous voice and messaging, and video conferencing calls on a Smart to Smart 3G SIMs (Subscriber Identification Modules).

"The success of this video call between our 3G test network and that of our European partner is proof of Smartas capability to offer 3G-enabled services and its commitment to always stay a step ahead of the others," PeA[+ or -]a underscored.

The carrieras 3G service is part of the portfolio of broadband services offered by the PLDT Group. Aside from mobile broadband a" which is what 3G is, PLDT offers fixed wired broadband (DSL) and fixed wireless broadband (Smart WiFi)".

3G or third generation wireless communications technology will make possible high speed data, voice, and video services. It promises greater bandwidth and higher transfer rates ranging from 384 kbps to 2 Mbps, a quantum leap from GSM technologyas maximum speed of 9.6 kbps. This speed allows easier Internet browsing and the downloading of huge files.

3G follows the first generation (1G) and second generation (2G) in wireless communications. 1G began in the late 1970as and lasted through the 1980as.

These networks featured "cellular mobile radio telephone" that uses analog voice signaling.

The 1990as brought in 2G, which featured digital voice encoding. 2G has improved, with increased bandwidth, packet routing, and the introduction of multimedia.

Todayas mobile wireless communications is called 2.5G and encompasses mobile platforms including CDMA, TDMA, and GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications).

However, Pena declined to specify when Smart will offer its 3G services to the public. "We will be ahead of the competition," was all he said.