Globe Telecom Inc. said on Monday it has upgraded its network capacity in “key locations” in the provinces of Aurora and Sorsogon to “bring better and more enjoyable mobile experience to its customers.”
Joel Agustin, Globe SVP for Program Delivery, Network Technical Group, said the company has upgraded its network capacity to 4G in Dipaculao, Maria Aurora and San Luis in Aurora; and in Donsol, Castilla, Gubat, Matnog, Pilar and Sorsogon City in Sorsogon Province over the last three months.
The initiative involves the upgrade of 13 sites in four towns of Aurora, and 15 sites in five towns of Sorsogon.
“For the customers to experience the advantages and benefits of having clearer voice calls, low probability of dropped calls and to send and receive text messages on time, we are asking them to upgrade their old 3G sim cards now to 5G-ready 4G LTE sims. To upgrade to 4G LTE capable mobile devices, they can avail of existing Globe promos that will give them the best value for their money,” Agustin said.
Globe is offering customers a free upgrade of their sim cards through various stores and markets in the 2 provinces.
He noted that Globe’s sustained network builds and upgrades have so far resulted in better customer experience, citing the fourth quarter of 2020 report by Ookla, which showed that its average download speed improved by 22 percent to 16.44 Mbps from 13.50 Mbps the year prior.
Globe is spending P70 billion in capital expenditures (capex) this year, higher than the P60.3-billion capex spent in 2020 to further modernize its mobile and fixed line networks.
Globe booked a net income of P18.62 billion in 2020, a 16-percent drop from P22.28 billion the year prior, as its revenues dipped by 2 percent to P146.38 billion from P149.01 billion while having flattish operating expenses at P72.87 billion.
Its core net income likewise plunged by 13 percent to P19.52 billion from P22.45 billion during the same comparative periods.
On a normalized basis, which removes the effects of seasonality, one-time influences, and unusual revenue and expenses, Globe booked a net income of P20.44 billion, still an 8-percent decline from the P22.28 billion it booked the year prior.