By Pauline Joy M. Gutierrez
Globe President and CEO Ernest Cu talked up Globe’s ongoing efforts toward providing First-World Internet connectivity to the country during the recent “Create Wonderful” event, the 11th iteration of the company’s annual “Wonderful World With Globe”. The event was held at the Globe Iconic Store amphitheater in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City.
More than announcing Globe’s ongoing expansion and strengthening of its network infrastructure, Cu also introduced new innovations that will provide consumers much-improved services in the long run. He said the company’s deployment of LTE using the 700-MHz frequency is now in full swing: “We’ve now deployed 250 cell sites running on 700 MHz in Metro Manila alone; we have about 118 cell sites running in the National Capital Region, and we’ve committed to doing 200 before the year is over.” According to the Globe chief, the company plans to activate more than 500 LTE sites across the country by the end of 2016.
The majority of the company’s 700-MHz LTE sites will cover major business districts and highly urbanized areas in the country, including Metro Manila, Metro Cebu and Metro Davao. According to Cu, these areas, where business and commercial hubs are located, will be powered with high-speed connection that can deliver up to over 100-GB signal delivery. This is part of Globe’s capacity expansion program for its corporate data network to address the bandwidth requirements of enterprise clients that make use of various data solutions to improve business efficiency.
Cu added that the company has committed up to $500 million to upgrading Globe’s corporate data network to be able to promote growth of foreign investments in the Philippines, such as in the business-process outsourcing industry. Specifically, the company will be upgrading its corporate sites with the deployment of fiber-optic technology. This year alone, at least 61 sites are being upgraded, with 455 sites scheduled for next year. Aside from this, Cu said Globe has committed to deliver a new submarine-cable system in Davao City. This is a 7,500-mile cable system that goes from Los Angeles all the way to Davao, giving the city First-World Internet connectivity by 2017, according to Cu.
Cu also emphasized that Globe is maximizing the use of the previously stagnant 700-MHz band in fulfillment of its pledge to the National Telecommunications Commission to improve the overall experience of customers following the sale of San Miguel Co.’s telco assets.
He said given the amount of spectrum the company has acquired and now has access to from the San Miguel transaction, Globe now has the ability to “try to create an experience as close to a First-World Internet as possible.” A speed test was conducted in key areas in Metro Manila to highlight the company’s efforts to create an Internet superhighway nationwide. Cu shared that Globe plans to deploy fiber optics in 20,000 barangays by 2020 that will provide much faster Internet access to around 2 million households in the country. Globe’s chief also discussed the company’s newest “roll-over” innovation for its Super Plan deal, which allows users to “roll over” their unused data for the next month in their subscription plan. The company’s current standing in the market in terms of revenues, according to Cu, has risen from a 32-percent share in 2010 to a 48-percent share, and he also talked up the partnerships Globe has made over the past years.
“With the fast evolution of technology, with the advent of smartphones and faster wireless Internet services, people keep on exploring new ways to enjoy life digitally,” Cu said. “Over the years, we brought in a lot of different partners, like HOOQ, Spotify and Netflix. Along the way, we also nailed some of the biggest names to join Globe like YouTube and Disney. Over that period, we also changed the way people see web content in this country. One good example is music. Before Spotify came into the picture, everyone torrented their music and today, we’re proud to say that, based on surveys, a lot of people are using streaming rather than illegally downloading music—this simply because we’ve made it accessible and affordable; we have made it really convenient for people to subscribe to these services.”
According to Cu, this is supportive of the cause of giving true content providers their rightful share of the revenue, and legitimizing the content consumption of Filipinos. In conclusion, the Globe chief said: “This event epitomizes what we have become in the industry, the relevance the Globe brand has achieved among consumers.”