Globe Telecom’s 4G rollout gains ground

Globe Telecom’s rollout of its fourth generation infrastructure through the combined technology of long term evolution (LTE) and high speed packet access plus (HSPA+) is fast gaining ground, as the telecommunications company activated more sites across the country.

Following aggressive rollout of LTE,  the cutting-edge technology is now available in key cities in Metro Manila that include Makati City, Pasig City, Quezon City, Taguig, Manila, Muntinlupa, San Juan and Las Pinas. 

LTE infrastructure has  also been established in Metro Cebu and Metro Davao as well as in select areas in the provinces of Bohol, Batangas, Negros Occidental, La Union, Rizal, Aklan Laguna, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Cavite, Cagayan, Pangasinan, Isabela, Ilocos, Quirino, Tarlac  and  in key tourist destination Boracay.

“Globe Telecom’s rollout of 4G infrastructure is well on its course in line with our commitment to provide the fastest speed on the world’s best mobile phones and gadgets.  Our LTE-HSPA+ infrastructure will definitely enhance our subscribers’ mobile experience,” said Robert Tan, Globe Chief Technical Adviser.

Globe Telecom, which was the first to pioneer the LTE data and data roaming services in the Philippines, expects to further enhance its LTE network expansion in the months ahead as LTE sites will be fired up in select areas in the country. Majority of the planned LTE sites for 2013 will be activated in the second half of the year.

On the other hand, about 78% of the company’s network is already running on HSPA+, providing faster mobile browsing experience for its customers, said Tan. In metropolitan Manila alone, about 96% of the company’s network currently utilizes HSPA+.

Tan emphasized the company’s approach to the LTE rollout has been to focus on “large contiguous areas” instead of “pocket activations” and “hotspots” to ensure greater and more stable coverage for customers.

Globe will also continue to upgrade its HSPA+ network capability by progressively activating more sites nationwide, said Tan, emphasizing that the company will have comprehensive HSPA+ coverage of close to 100% by the end of the year.

“More and more areas in the near future would be LTE-HSPA+ capable in line with our network and IT modernization program, moving closer to providing superior customer experience,” added Tan, referring to the company’s transformation initiatives amounting to around $790 million.

                Users of both smartphones and tablet computers benefit greatly from a 4G infrastructure as it dramatically increases data transmission speed. Download speed reached up to 42 Mbps compared to a peak download speed of 3 Mbps for the 3G network.          

To illustrate, a smartphone user can download a video, document, or song in mere seconds.

                Globe Telecom’s LTE-HSPA+ rollout, in tandem with its network modernization project, bodes well with company projection of a surge in the use of smartphones over the next few years amid emergence of competitively-priced devices and increasing use of mobile internet.