Globe brings LTE-TDD, LTE-FDD to VisMin

MANILA, Philippines – Globe Telecom is gearing up to expand its mobile ultra-broadband infrastructure in Visayas and Mindanao with the activation of its LTE-TDD and LTE-FDD services in the region.

After signing a deal with France-based Alcatel-Lucent on September 17, the telecom is set to upgrade its wireless network infrastructure from WiMax to Long-Term Evolution Time-Division Duplex (LTE-TDD) and Frequency-Division Long-Term Evolution (LTE-FDD) ultra broadband access technologies.

Globe President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ernest Cu said the rollout is part of the telecom’s continuing adoption of more advanced technologies for better connectivity, higher network capacity and faster transmission speeds to address the increasing demand for fast and reliable broadband service.

“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.

He added that the project is particularly important for people in the Visayas, who are still recovering from the onslaught of typhoon Yolanda last year. The project also supports the government’s efforts to expand the reach of broadband Internet services.

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

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