At j-hope’s electrifying “Hope on the Stage” concert held last April 12 and 13 at the MOA Arena, Smart Communications, Inc. not only energized fans but also demonstrated a breakthrough in mobile technology by rolling out its 5G Standalone (SA) network.
This advanced 5G SA technology enables “network slicing,” which optimizes network performance for specific scenarios—such as providing prioritized connectivity during high-traffic events such as packed concerts.
Smart demonstrated this innovation on-site using 5G-SA-capable handsets, allowing randomly selected concertgoers to experience high-speed downloads and smooth connectivity despite the dense crowd.
To highlight this next-level connectivity, Smart changed the network ID on SA-enabled devices to read “J-Hope Concert,” offering a small but meaningful detail for fans immersed in both music and tech.
The Smart 5G SA technology showcase builds on the back-to-back launches of Smart 5G Max and TNT ‘5G Max’ in Taguig City last December, to offer a more seamless mobile experience to customers. In addition to 5G Max, TNT also launched Max Saya 30, the first prepaid data pack with prioritized network experience.
Powered by Smart 5G Max
Concertgoers, such as Elaine, a university student, and Nic, a young professional, praised Smart’s performance during the show, citing uninterrupted uploads and reliable messaging.
“My parents wanted me to update them every hour because this was the first time for me to attend a K-pop concert,” said Elaine. “My Smart 5G line made sure I could message them via SMS or Viber.”
She was also able to post short videos on the social media platforms TikTok and Instagram so she could tell her friends what was happening in real time.
“I have attended concerts where the signal was bad, and it made me anxious because what if no one could reach me and something important was happening? This time with Smart, I was reassured that my family could contact me anytime,” shared Nic.
With their phone signal strong and consistent, concertgoers got to enjoy singer-songwriter, rapper, and main dancer j-hope, who performed his own hits “Mona Lisa,” “Sweet Dreams,” “More,” “On the Street,” and many others. Known to his fans as Hobi, j-hope also did BTS hits like “Mic Drop,” “Airplane,” “Ego,” “Silver Spoon,” “Trivia: Just Dance,” and “Dis-ease.”
