Globe takes steps to boost network capacity

MANILA, Philippines –  Globe Telecom is taking a multi-pronged approach in enhancing network capacity and performance to meet the growing demand for voice and data services, company officials said.

With an arsenal of superior product offers, Globe said it continues to enjoy customer preference and loyalty and expects a more robust infrastructure support through greater capacity and network availability, optimization, and improved monitoring systems including disaster recovery management.

“This year, we will continue to build on service quality as a key differentiator for Globe. We will implement a proactive approach in meeting the upsurge in voice and data requirements across all customer segments, including the larger enterprises. Optimizing our existing assets will help ensure a wider coverage, whether indoors or outdoors. We will also improve power and transmission management to meet our quality objectives in terms of network availability and capacity,” Globe president and CEO Ernest Cu said.

He revealed that Globe’s capacity expansion has the full support of its board of directors which recently approved a significant amount for its network plans in 2011.

Globe has close to 12,000 base stations and over 6,500 cell sites to support its 2G, 3G and WiMAX services. The company serves more than 25 million mobile subscribers to date, with over a million broadband subscribers. It is the leader in the postpaid category with revenues in excess of P10 billion as of the third quarter of 2010 and over a million subscribers.

In 2010, Globe undertook major investments in network expansion particularly for its 3G mobile and broadband networks to prepare for the expected upsurge in mobile broadband usage owing to more Filipinos using social media. Social networking has become popular in the Philippines with the country jumping to sixth from seventh spot in the roster of Facebook users around the world having over 18 million members. It is also the fourth largest in the number of Twitter users across Asia with over three million users.

“Despite its maturity, we have seen a tremendous growth in voice usage in 2010. Data usage is expectedly much higher and this is true for NCR and other regions across the country. We will continue to build up our network in light of increasing mobile broadband traffic to support our product superiority, better customer experience and cost efficiency,” Cu added.

Globe continues to raise the bar in next generation mobile broadband to customers in the Philippines as it was the first to bring HSDPA (high speed downlink packet access) technology in Asia in 2006. It was able to leapfrog from basic 3G to HSDPA or “3.5G/Super 3G” allowing full mobility and better speeds for customers.

Globe was a pioneer in launching the WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) network in the Philippines. It has one of the largest WiMAX networks in Southeast Asia with over 1,500 sites. Globe successfully rolled out its WiMAX network in 2008 and was among the first to have a 2.5 Ghz WiMAX broadband network in Southeast Asia.

In addition, Globe completed several major international and domestic transmission projects including its second fiber optic backbone network. This high capacity transmission system that spans over 1,900 kilometers covering most areas of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao provides better network resiliency and reliable connectivity for Globe customers.