Globe Telecom has announced a massive 208% surge in fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) subscriptions to 1.4 million during 2021, attributing the sharp uptake to a shift in consumer behaviour during the pandemic.
Globe said in a statement, last year the surge in demand for faster home connectivity continued as Filipinos tapped digital solutions for remote learning entertainment, productivity and work.
The company stated it expanded home broadband network capacity by 38.6% since last quarter, pointing to its “aggressive” fibre deployment plans.
Strong data demand saw services revnue in its Globe At Home division grow 10% increase to a record PHP29.4 billion (US$564m) in 2021 from PHP26.8 billion in 2020. This figure also surpassed pre-pandemic revenues from 2019 by 35%.
“Putting fibre to homes remains a focus area for Globe as we aspire to expand our reach and market share. We continue to invest in this area as we continue to see huge potential to expand our fibre footprint nationwide,” said Globe At Home marketing VP Barbie Dapul.
The company reported as of the end of March, 91 towers came online to carry network traffic, improving on the 58 towers in the same period in 2021.
The company noted it has been expanding its network coverage through its strategy of partnering with tower companies, a move vital to particularly connect highly populated areas.
Globe has earmarked PHP89 billion for its network expansion this year which includes upgrading 3G to 4G, 5G deployment acceleration and more FTTH capacity.
In 2021, Globe built 1,407 new cell sites, around 22,300 mobile sites were upgraded and over 2,000 5G sites and in-building solutions were installed.
