GLOBE Telecom, Inc. is preparing to make its fifth generation (5G) service available in more areas in the Philippines this year, a company official said.

“We are rolling out more 5G areas this year to make this new technology more inclusive. We want more Globe customers to experience the difference of 5G technology in terms of better and faster connectivity. This technology has vast potentials and soon we will start rolling out cases that are best experienced with 5G,” Coco Domingo, Globe vice-president for postpaid and international, said in an e-mailed statement on Tuesday.

The telco said its 5G technology is now available in at least 848 areas in Metro Manila and Rizal. There are also 183 5G sites in Visayas and Mindanao, it added.

Some areas in Cavite, Laguna, and Bulacan are also 5G-enabled.

“Overall, 5G is now available in 1,045 areas in the country,” Globe noted.

“Along with expansion, the growing availability of 5G-enabled devices, especially those offered on Globe postpaid plans plus the compatibility of the LTE SIM to the 5G network, makes accessing the 5G technology much more seamless,” Mr. Domingo said.

Globe saw its attributable net income for the first nine months of 2020 decline 10.15% to P15.89 billion from the previous year’s P17.68 billion.

Ernest L. Cu, president and chief executive officer of Globe, has said the company would be building fiber-to-the-homes more aggressively this year to address rising demand.

Globe Telecom shares on Tuesday closed 0.98% lower at P2,020 apiece. — Arjay L. Balinbin