Globe Telecom and Alcatel-Lucent have signed a contract for transformation of Globe’s wireless network infrastructure in Visayas and Mindanao from WiMAX to LTE-TDD and LTE-FDD technology. The Filipino operator will use Alcatel-Lucent’s LTE Radio Access Network (RAN) to transform the existing WiMAX network to LTE standard at approximately 1,200 sites throughout the two regions.
Globe CEO Ernest Cu said the deal is ‘…particularly significant for the Visayas region which is still recovering from last year’s severe typhoon. This project also supports the Philippine government’s thrust to expand the reach of broadband internet services which has been emphasised as an area for national improvement.’ TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database shows that Globe Telecom has the second largest subscriber share in both the mobile and broadband markets in the Philippines, operating over a range of platforms including xDSL, fibre, WiMAX, GSM, W-CDMA/HSPA and LTE.