Globe expands LTE coverage in Visayas and Mindanao

MANILA, Philippines – Ayala-led Globe Telecom is expanding its 4G footprint in the Visayas and Mindanao, upgrading the regions from WiMax and meeting the ever-increasing demand for high speed mobile Internet access in those areas.

The telecommunications company has activated its first long-term evolution time division duplex (LTE-TDD) and LTE-frequency division duplexing (LTE-FDD) site in Lahug, Cebu City.

The activation follows the signing of a partnership on September 17 between Globe and Alcatel Lucent in Paris, France, for the transformation of Globe’s wireless network infrastructure in the Visayas and Mindanao.

Globe will deploy Alcatel-Lucent’s LTE Radio Access Network (RAN) in approximately 1,200 sites, along with a converged network management and network security system to manage and control the network equipment on an end-to-end basis. 

The rollout is part of Globe Telecom’s continuing adoption of more advanced technologies for better connectivity experience, higher network capacity, faster transmission speeds, addressing increasing demand for fast and reliable broadband service, said Globe president & CEO Ernest Cu.

“The activation of less than a week after we signed the partnership indicates the aggressive way we are going out to roll out LTE technologies moving forward onto the next year to further enhance mobile browsing experience of our customers,” Cu said.

Cu added that the technology offers higher bandwidth and thus increases the speed of data transfer, provides lower latency, and improves spectrum efficiency, which increases overall network capacity.

He also emphasized that the project is particularly significant for the Visayas region which is still recovering from last year’s super typhoon Yolanda (international codename: Haiyan).

The project not only highlights how LTE-TDD technology is expanding, but also continues the strong momentum of mobile ultra-broadband access in the Asia-Pacific region, said Michel Combes, CEO of Alcatel-Lucent.

“As a key provider of infrastructure for some of the largest LTE network deployments in the world, Alcatel-Lucent’s support for Globe Telecom’s network expansion program is a further milestone in our growing global leadership in mobile ultra-broadband access,” Combes said.

Globe was represented by Ayala Corporation President & COO Fernando Zobel de Ayala at the signing of the partnership witnessed by Philippine President Benigno Aquino III and French President François Hollande. Alcatel CEO Combes signed the partnership for the LTE-technology provider.

The agreement was signed a week before  the Department of Justice warned telecommunication companies and Internet service providers to deliver the same fast, consistent, and reliable service that they peddle in their big-budget advertisements.

Any misrepresentation in their advertisements violates the provisions of Republic Act (RA) No. 7394 or the Consumer Act and the RA 7925 or the Public Telecommunications Policy Act of 1995, the DOJ’s Office for Competition (DOJ-OFC) warned on September 24. (READ: UN report: Only 37% of Filipinos have Internet access) – Rappler.com