More than 300 college students from the Notre Dame of Marbel University in Koronadal, South Cotabato, recently took part in a virtual technology training called “5G for the Future,” which was conducted by Smart Communications. The training was meant to help students prepare for jobs in cutting-edge technologies in the future.

The 5G tech training is part of Smart’s support for partner schools under Smart Wireless Engineering Education Program (SWEEP). The initiative underscores the commitment of Smart and its parent firm, PLDT, to the companies’ core value of malasakit (compassion). 

“The telecom industry as we know it, continues to be at the epicenter of growth as the number of devices that require connectivity is growing every year,” said Smart Solutions Architect Supervisor Jon Ervir Cabiling, one of the speakers.

A technology that surpasses the capabilities of its predecessors, “5G is the next generation wireless network technology that’s expected to change the way people live and work,” Cabiling noted.

Featuring fiber-like speeds, better user experience, and minimal delay or lower latency, 5G can transform the operations of various industries, including mining, healthcare, transportation, manufacturing, logistics, media, education, research and development, among others.

“The training has taught me that there is no scientific evidence on 5G having bad effects on the environment and on human health,” pointed out Lloyd Panlilio, a senior Electronics Communications Engineering student at NDMU. 

He said, “The training is helpful because it tackled the importance of 5G in terms of communication and advanced technology. As a future electronics engineer, one of my duties will be to provide the community with a faster internet speed to enable people to connect to the rest of the world.” 

Senior Computer Science student Kim John Bautista observed that it allowed him “to see the value and significance of the Smart Technology Revolution network.”

“I learned that we should consider the potential applications of our technological developments,” Bautista related, adding that, “I also encountered, for the first time, the NB-IoT (Narrow Band-Internet of Things) technology, and I am so interested in how we could make use of it in the future.”

The 5G tech training is a collaborative effort of Smart Technology Innovation Center, PLDT and Smart Group Corporate Communications, and SWEEP. It forms part of PLDT and Smart’s strong advocacy for education, aiming to help the country attain the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG), particularly SDG #4: Providing Quality Education. 

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