Philippines operator Globe Telecom announced a large-scale network upgrade backed by massive investments, in a bid to boost connectivity services in the country by 2021 and adhering to government requests.
In a statement, Globe president and CEO Ernest Cu said: "Globe is in a much better position now to fulfil the demands of its customers. In heeding the call of the government, we shall endeavour to provide our customers with improved network performance and quality of service. We look towards the future where our country would have a strong digital economy backed by resilient and reliable connectivity."
The company said it will invest PHP50.3 billion ($1 million) on the network revamp, stating its strategy will focus on three key areas to improve data and voice services.
First, the operator will focus on boosting coverage and capacity, noting government initiatives and bodies such as the Anti-Red Tape Authority aided in faster processing of permits to build new cell sites that are “crucial to jumpstart the infrastructure builds”.
Secondly, all current cell sites will be upgraded to 4G to ensure the country is “data-ready and capable to meet the increasing demands of customers for bandwidth and faster speeds.”
The final focus will be on boosting fibre footprint, noting an increase in demand for fibre-to-the-home connections due to the country’s lockdown brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Globe Telecom is currently in the midst of its 5G rollout having expanded its network in the connectivity standard in Metro Manila this month.
