PLDT and its wireless unit Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) continue to promote innovation and excellence through the Smart Wireless Engineering Education Program (SWEEP).
“As the country’s first and longest-running industry-academe linkage in the Philippines, SWEEP continues to produce industry-ready graduates or technopreneurs by leveraging on PLDT and Smart’s network, infrastructure and technologies,” said Stephanie V. Orlino, AVP and Stakeholder Management Team Head at PLDT and Smart.
The PLDT Group welcomed the Electronics Engineering and Computer Engineering faculty and students of the University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos (UNO-R) to its PLDT Tambo Facility, marking the program’s first educational visit since the pandemic.
During the tour, PLDT and Smart’s core network and technical team shared the fundamentals of network operations and explained how each piece of equipment works to keep customers connected.
UNO-R engineering students and faculty were rewarded with an overview of PLDT and Smart’s Global System for Mobile (GSM) Network and an insightful discussion on the company’s mobile communication system.
The team also emphasized the importance of redundancy or having numerous back-up systems, with PLDT and Smart setting up their business continuity plans to ensure quality customer service, especially when disasters hit.
Both students and faculty expressed their excitement to see servers, network systems, and cell sites during this educational trip.
“It was fascinating to learn about the core network system and mechanisms of the server and see them in real life. It is also exciting to see where data comes and goes through the equipment in this facility, reassuring us that our data is safe and we experience reliable service,” shared Gian Gabriel Boyero and Clency Magbanua, UNO-R Electronics Engineering students.
Clowie Joy Flores, a Computer Engineering student added, “It was a really good experience to learn and gain knowledge in advance. We acknowledge the value of learning about the current and future innovations. Being exposed to the industry through tours like this provides us a broader perspective on potential career opportunities.”
“We would like to thank PLDT and Smart for the opportunity to explore their facility so we can learn more. This actual experience supplements our theoretical knowledge about the field,” shared Lea Joy Hiponia, UNO-R College of Engineering faculty.
Another faculty member, Rue Gustilo added, “We also appreciate the information on the latest communication technologies provided which we can also share with our future students.”
Now on its 20th year, SWEEP is part of the group’s initiatives that support UNSDG #4: Quality Education.
