PLDT’s Smart completes trial of Nokia’s local-breakout roaming solution

Details: John Tanner; Category: Operators; 09 July 2026; 448 views

Philippine telco PLDT said on Wednesday that its wireless arm Smart Communications has successfully completed a live trial of Nokia’s local-breakout roaming technology that it hopes will improve the outbound data roaming experience for subscribers.

Smart said the trial utilised Nokia’s Core SaaS Edge for Roaming solution, which it also demoed at the Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona earlier this year.

The Edge for Roaming solution enables local breakout, where mobile data is routed through the local network rather than being routed all the way back to the subscriber’s home network.

Routing data traffic locally means lower latency, faster browsing, and improved application responsiveness for roaming subscribers. Local breakout also enables the home operator to keep full control of policy, charging and subscriber services, even as traffic is routed via its roaming partner.

PLDT COO and network head Menardo G. Jimenez, Jr said the technology will enhance the customer experience for Filipinos traveling overseas.

“Smart’s continuous investments in exploring innovations such as this local breakout technology is part of our broader commitment to always deliver exceptional services to our customers, wherever they may be – not just in the Philippines, but across the world,” he said in a statement.