SMART hosts tech update seminar
Smart Communications, Inc. (SMART), in its pursuit to continue bridging the gap between the industry and academe, recently hosted a Technology Seminar where representatives from its partner schools learned about the developments in wireless technology from no less than industry insiders.
“This time, it’s not just SMART sharing valuable information. We are also bringing in those who develop the technology – the vendors, our business partners, to give a roadmap of the technology that we are doing,” says Jigs B. Suelto, SMART Senior Manager, Network Services Assurance for Metro Manila NPSD.
The one-day seminar held at the CSB Hotel International Conference Center included presentations on “The Future of Wireless Communication – Long Term Evolution (LTE)” by Reigner Faigao of Nokia Siemens Networks; “Progress of Wireless Broadband for 4G” by Corinne Grace I. Castro of Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd; “Evolution of Fiber Optic Trasmission” by Wilfredo Lopez of Nortel; and “The New Technology for Mobile Backhaul” by Jason Xu of ZTE Corporation.
In attendance were deans, department chairpersons and engineering professors from 21 partner colleges and universities in Luzon and the NCR covered by the Smart Wireless Engineering Education Program (SWEEP).
“With this new knowledge, I will recommend that our topics for school projects be aligned with the developments in technology. We should shift our focus and become parallel with the direction of the industry,” says Remedios Ado, Chairperson of Computer Engineering of PUP Manila.
This is seconded by Reylen Garcia, Dean of College of Engineering of Systems Plus College Foundation. “Given the developments in technology, we will have to upgrade the programming projects of our students. This is line with our vision to produce globally competitive graduates.”
SWEEP was launched in 2003 to improve engineering education in the country. Since then SMART has provided its SWEEP partner schools nationwide with the teaching tools necessary for the students to gain knowledge and actual experience of the technology. Each partner school is given their own SWEEP laboratory and benefits from trainings and seminars conducted regularly.
“With this Technology Seminar, we wish to keep them abreast with the latest in technology,” says Darwin Flores, Senior Manager for Community Partnerships of SMART.
August Thio-ac, a faculty member of the College of Engineering, ECE Department of TUP Manila, acknowledges that technology is rapidly changing and that it is important to be kept updated. He appreciates the fact that the seminar covered all areas – application, network, and transmission.
Melquiades Garrino, SWEEP coordinator of the Adventist University of the Philippines, is eager to pass on the knowledge. “The future of wireless technology, LTE especially, is geared towards high data throwput and low data latency, meaning we can communicate in a faster bandwidth with little interruption. This is exciting news for both academe and consumers.”
A Technology Seminar for SWEEP partner schools in Visayas and Mindanao was also conducted in Cebu City, following the initial Luzon and NCR leg.
“We will endeavour to continue this activity in the coming months and we hope to involve the students as well,” says Suelto.
SWEEP, an education initiative under SMART’s corporate social responsibility and community service program called Kabalikat, now counts 40 school partners nationwide.
(Published 16 December 2009, Smart Communications Inc.)