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PLDT and Cisco have announced a partnership to build a 5G Stand Alone (SA) service platform in Manila. This will be housed in the telecommunications giant's existing 5G TechnoLab in Makati City with the aim of driving innovation in consumer and enterprise 5G solutions across the Philippines.
Powered by Cisco’s 5G SA solution, the platform will enable PLDT TechnoLab to provide an end-to-end network sandbox of the latest private 5G SA service architecture, where enterprises of all sizes, as well as numerous vertical industries, can develop digital use cases.
As part of the agreement, Cisco will share their global 5G experience in different industry verticals, with a specific focus on digital transformation and deploying 5G-enabled manufacturing.
“Cisco brings together technologies like 5G, Wi-Fi6 and IoT integrated with enterprise IT policy and security frameworks,” said Sanjay Kaul, president of APJ Service Provider at Cisco.
“For example, for hybrid work, connected remote workers with experts on demand, allow enhanced collaboration with WebEx. This allows enterprises to leverage 5G for remote asset connection with SD-WAN, while at the same time, protecting critical infrastructure with Cisco Meraki cameras and IoT sensors connected to video AI solutions over 5G."
PLDT will continue to help customers trial and lead in robotics process automation (RPA) and precision control plus autonomous automated guided vehicles (aAGV), with the added advantages of integrating TechnoLab’s existing augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) capabilities.
The addition of 5G network slicing also enables the industrial applications to be allocated with the right bandwidth and service quality, per application, on demand. The enterprise grade 5G features include security, multi-cloud compliance, service management with self-service capabilities and machine learning-enabled AI.
"We recognise that the industry has to do a lot more in monetising 5G, which is a service-based, customisable end-to-end network," added Arvin L. Siena, head of Technology Strategy and Transformation Office at PLDT. "This is the key benefit of 5G versus the one-size-fits-all approach of LTE/4G. This partnership with Cisco will enhance our capability in developing and testing new innovative services at the laboratory.
"We are continuously on the lookout for 5G and IoT solutions that address our customers unique needs and help them grow their business, as part of the broader PLDT commitment to elevate the quality of customer experience.”
The 5G-enabled use cases can be developed and tested with a view of expanding the value of what private cellular networks can support.
Meanwhile, the network is designed to provide PLDT with the capability to accelerate the value of 5G and digitalisation throughout the Philippines and address pressing challenges, such as the sudden and permanent shift towards hybrid work and the need to safely energise industries productively on critical network infrastructure.
