SMART COMMUNICATIONS Inc. has tapped a global telecommunications supplier to provide a wireless network that will allow the mobile phone giant to offer faster data broadband service.

Under a new agreement, Ericsson will be Smart?s main supplier of second and third-generation (2G/3G) common core packet data network and will also be one of the main suppliers of the radio access network in the Philippines.

The network will employ the latest HSPA technology to enable Smart to offer the highest possible 3G (WCDMA/ HSPA) speeds available in the world today. Ericsson will also provide services, network design, network deployment, training and system integration to Smart.

HSPA (high speed packet access) refers to 3G networks that support high-speed data downloading and uploading speeds, while WCDMA (wideband code division multiple access) is the radio access scheme used for 3G cellular systems that support wideband services like high-speed Internet access, video and image transmission.

?We are pleased to expand our partnership with Smart,? Magnus Gall, Ericsson Philippines vice president, said in a statement. ?This contract reinforces Ericsson?s technology leadership and will provide Smart with DSL-like data speeds.?

DSL (digital subscriber line) is also a high-speed Internet service that operates over standard copper telephone lines like dial-up service, but is many times faster than dial-up.

?We are launching a much more powerful and more versatile network that will put the power of the Internet in the pocket of Filipinos wherever they go,? said Orlando Vea, chief wireless advisor of Smart.

Ericsson Philippines president and country manager Rajendra Pangrekar said the contract was ?a remarkable milestone? for Ericsson as it would enable the firm to launch ?a commercial HSPA project in the Philippines with one of the largest mobile operators in the region.?