GLOBE Telecom, Inc. said it installed 934 new long-term evolution (LTE) sites during the first quarter of the year, as it expands its network to reach the northernmost and southernmost areas of the Philippines.
In a statement, the telecommunications giant said it is maximizing the company’s spectrum assets to keep delivering to the market’s continuing use of mobile data.
“We are expanding our deployment of LTE sites including the far flung areas like Jolo, Tawi-Tawi and Batanes making our total sites now close to 11,300,” Joel R. Agustin, the company’s Vice-President for Governance of the Network Technical Group, was quoted in the statement as saying.
Globe said it used the 700 megahertz (MHz), 1800 MHz and 2600 MHz frequencies for the new deployments. The 700 MHz and 1800 MHz frequencies are in place for LTE sites in Jolo, Tawi-Tawi, and Batanes.
“Even our customers in the most southern part of Mindanao like Jolo and Tawi-Tawi and the most northern part of Luzon like Batanes can now experience our LTE service,” Mr. Agustin was quoted as saying.
Globe and PLDT, Inc. jointly acquired the 700 MHz and 200 MHz frequencies from San Miguel Corp.’s telecommunications assets in 2016. In 2017, Globe was able to set up 10,300 LTE base stations.
The Ayala-led company also said it has fired up close to 200 massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) sites using 2600 MHz. MIMO is a technology that can multiply the capacity of a wireless connection without the need for more antennas, meaning more users with more stable, higher data rates could be accommodated without using as much power.
The company posted a net income attributable to equity holders of P4.7 billion from January to March, up 27% from the P3.8 billion it earned in 2017.
Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of the PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Denise A. Valdez
