Globe Telecom targets 500 more LTE 700 MHz cell sites by end-2016

Chrisee Dela Paz

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Globe Telecom targets 500 more LTE 700 MHz cell sites by end-2016
Globe Telecom accelerates the deployment of cell sites using the 700 MHz band amid a court battle against the Philippine Competition Commission regarding the San Miguel telco buyout

MANILA, Philippines – Globe Telecom Incorporated targets to activate over 500 additional long-term evolution (LTE) cell sites by yearend, using the 700 megahertz (MHz) spectrum it acquired through a co-use agreement with San Miguel Corporation’s (SMC) Bell Telecommunications (BellTel) following the sale of SMC’s telco assets.

Globe said in a statement sent to reporters over the weekend that it is full steam ahead of its aggressive deployment of the 700 MHz band, after it completed the rollout of 150 cell sites, which are located mostly in Metro Manila. (READ: Battle lines drawn over San Miguel telco buyout)

The company plans to activate more than 500 LTE 700 MHz sites across the country by the end of 2016.

Globe said majority of these sites will be in Metro Manila. (READ: Amid regulatory probe, Globe powers 130 cell sites in Visayas, Mindanao)

This is expected to substantially improve the mobile internet experience of customers in the region, the Ayala-led telco said.

Joel Agustin, Globe senior vice-president for Program Governance-Network Technical Group, said that the telco is” fast-tracking the rollout of LTE service nationwide using the 700 MHz frequency” under the co-use agreement approved by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).

“We are confident that more and more of our customers will experience improved services as adoption of LTE-capable devices increases and as we continue to deploy LTE 700 in more sites,” Agustin said. (READ: Globe wish list for Duterte: Submarine cables, less red tape

According to the Globe official, the LTE 700 MHz cell sites cover major business districts and highly-urbanized and populated areas in the country, as subscribers using LTE-powered devices are steadily increasing in these areas. 

Citing Quezon City, where Globe activated its first LTE 700 MHz cell site, Agustin said the technology now covers a majority portion of the city.  (READ: San Miguel’s sale of telco business: Will consumers benefit?)

Under the NTC-approved co-use agreement, Globe committed to deploy about 4,500 multiband, multimode software defined radio base station equipment to 95% of total municipalities and cities in the Philippines.

“This will improve overall customer experience in terms of speed and reliability of mobile internet services,” Globe said.

Other than the 700 MHz, the co-use agreement also provided Globe with access to additional allocation in the 1800 MHz, 2300 MHz, and 2600 MHz bands.

Globe said the agreement supports the capacity enhancement initiative launched by the company early this year amid growing customer requirement for bandwidth-intensive multimedia content. – Rappler.com

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