The Philippine Star quotes Globe Telecom CEO Ernest Cu as saying that his firm intends to complete its USD700 million national network modernisation programme in 1Q13, with key components of the plan – in cities such as Makati, Mandaluyong, and Pasig (all Metro Manila) – coming to fruition in the fourth quarter of this year. According to Cu, ‘critical areas’ in Metro Manila have entered the final phase, with Quezon City reportedly at 90% completion. The chief executive officer added that work in Pasig and Mandaluyong will be finished by October, with Makati following a month later. ‘We will continue moving south from there and will have the whole country completed by the first quarter of 2013,’ Cu said.
Globe’s network modernisation programme, launched in November 2011 to redress growing concerns from its subscribers over its service quality, is running ahead of schedule with more than 50% of the works now complete, including upgrades to more than 3,000 cell sites and the deployment of thousands of kilometres of fibre-optic cables. To date, the carrier’s focus has been on high traffic areas such as Davao, Cebu, Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela, Marikina City as well as the towns of Angono, Antipolo, Baras, Binangonan, Cardona, Jala-Jala, Morong, Pililia, Rodriguez, San Mateo, Tanay and Teresa in Rizal.
Globe’s upgrade plan is also future-proofed to contend with an anticipated surge in mobile data traffic and to allow for the launch of new technologies, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) 4G mobile which is being launched in Makati this month. As reported by TeleGeography’s CommsUpdate, in August this year Globe Telecom has announced plans to launch its LTE network in the Philippines this month, marking a significant change in strategy for the firm which previously adopted a wait and see approach to the ultra-high speed mobile technology. Globe intends to make its 4G LTE service available through its ‘Tattoo’ brand broadband service, before expanding to mobile customers by the fourth quarter.