Smart expands Siargao 5G for first world surf tour stop

By Rebecca Stone

Smart Communications, Inc. is expanding 5G coverage and capacity in key parts of Siargao for the Philippines’ first World Surf League Championship Tour stop, scheduled at Cloud 9 in General Luna from November 4 to 10, 2026. The upgrade is intended to support increased demand from international surfers, visitors and spectators.

Smart, the event’s official telecommunications partner, is enhancing an existing 5G footprint rather than presenting the work as a new island-wide network. Its named priorities are:

• Cloud 9, where the championship takes place
• Siargao Airport
• Siargao Seaport
• Other strategic locations across the island

The announcement does not disclose how many sites sit inside the upgrade, the coverage gained in square kilometres, subscriber totals, peak throughput, capital spending or a work timetable. That leaves the scale of “expanding” unquantified: the release supports a commitment to more capacity, but not a measurable forecast of what November traffic will require.

Smart frames the project as part of its continuing investment in mobile connectivity across the Philippines. The announcement provides no spectrum allocation, equipment supplier or radio-frequency detail, leaving the technical basis of the capacity increase unspecified.

What does the upgrade need to support?

Smart says the work should serve athletes, media practitioners, content creators, tourists, residents and local businesses during the competition. First Vice President and officer-in-charge Lloyd R. Manaloto said: “The company remains committed to supporting Siargao’s growth as a tourism destination through reliable connectivity.”

He added: “The partnership with the WSL Championship Tour provides another opportunity to deliver digital experiences to athletes, visitors, and local communities.”

The wider commercial rationale extends beyond the contest. Smart describes mobile service as supporting several everyday tourism transactions:

• Digital payments
• Accommodation and transport bookings
• Real-time communication and remote work
• Sharing travel experiences online

For tourism-oriented businesses, Smart says reliable connectivity can facilitate transactions and maintain communication with customers. The claimed benefit is therefore continuity for residents and businesses as well as event operations, although the announcement supplies no busy-hour or congestion forecast for either group.

What is being sold to visitors?

Select Smart Unli 5G visitor offers include unlimited 5G data and non-stop 4G data, starting at PHP 90 for three days, or PHP 30 a day. A 5G-compatible device is required to access the 5G service; the package also includes 4G service, but Smart does not publish speeds or a local coverage map with the offer.

Smart also promotes its Device Link feature to Postpaid subscribers. Plans with the feature let users share their primary mobile number and plan with a smartwatch for calls, texts and mobile data even when their iPhone is not nearby. The announcement presents this separately from the three-day visitor tariff.

Visitors who avail themselves of select offers at designated Smart booths and partner stores in Siargao may also receive freebies. The announcement does not identify the freebies or attach conditions to them.

How strong is the performance evidence?

Smart cited recognition from global network intelligence firm Ookla for Best Mobile Latency and Best Mobile Video Experience. The release gives no measurement period, test results, geographic breakdown, and does not link either recognition directly to Cloud 9 or Siargao.

Those labels provide third-party context for Smart’s general performance claim, not a measurement of this upgrade. Smart also gives no before-and-after data for the named locations and no subscriber or throughput figures for the event period. The price and named locations are concrete; the expected improvement under the event’s higher traffic peak remains a company projection.

What happens after November 10?

Smart says it will continue building on its network presence in Siargao after the championship.

The next test is whether that work produces sustained capacity for residents, transport users and tourism businesses. Smart’s post-November build-out will be the next checkpoint, with rollout and investment details still unspecified.