TATOY
IN this age of up-to-the-minute news, journalists are more than ever banking on technology to ensure speedy information dissemination.
The recent firing up of Smart Communications’ Long Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE-Advanced sites in Leyte brought better connectivity to the community, and good news to journalists there.
For Lizbeth Ann Abella, a Tacloban-based correspondent for the Philippine News Agency and Leyte Samar Daily Express, it was “a big deal.” Fast mobile internet has improved the way she delivers the news.
“As long as we have access to Gmail and the Internet, we can send our stories immediately to our editors, no matter where we are,” she reports.
Improved mobile internet has likewise been a big help for radio reporter Jake Tatoy of Radio Mindanao Network, especially when it comes to breaking news. “We can file stories through the Internet and social media. Just one click, and the report is rapidly on its way,” he says.
Multimedia journalist Roel Amazona uses mobile data to upload videos and photos that go with his stories, usually about tourism events. “It is especially useful when I post images and videos of tourist destinations. People see right away the beauty of a certain place,” he says.
Amazona adds: “Good connectivity enhances communication with your family and workmates, especially in times of emergency. It’s easier to let people know about your situation.”
Smart’s network upgrade has contributed to the rehabilitation of the province, particularly Tacloban and Ormoc, which were devastated by Supertyphoon Yolanda in 2013.
Tatoy noted that the Internet offered tremendous support for Yolanda survivors, especially those with relatives in faraway places or abroad. “Connectivity was a big help especially for us, who were left with nothing,” he says.
Abella also relies on the Internet to keep tabs on her family, especially when she is on assignment far from home.
LTE and LTE-A are the best technologies to deliver fast, reliable and affordable data connectivity to customers. A new Smart Store has also been launched at Robinsons North Tacloban to better serve the needs of customers in the area.
This is part of Smart’s ramped-up LTE rollout across the country, which goes hand-in-hand with parent company PLDT’s fiber roll-out.
This modernization and expansion of PLDT’s fixed and mobile networks is supported by a massive capital expenditures program amounting to P58 billion this year.