Close to 3,000 LTE sites now activated utilizing 700 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2600 MHz covering 60% of physical sites in the region
Globe Telecom is accelerating deployment of LTE sites in Visayas and Mindanao amid continuing initiative to enhance network capacities for better mobile customer experience.
According to Joel Agustin, Globe Senior Vice President for Program Governance, Network Technical Group, the company has already deployed close to 3,000 LTE sites, covering almost 60% of its physical sites in the region.
“Our customers in Visayas and Mindanao are now enjoying the benefit of a more pervasive LTE network in the region following accelerated deployment of LTE sites using various frequencies. We expect customer experience to continue improving moving forward as we step up deployment of LTE sites,” Agustin said.
He explained that deployment of LTE sites addresses growing customer demand for bandwidth amid swelling consumption of multi-media content. Globe mobile data traffic surged 85% to 280 petabytes at the end of the first half from 151 petabytes a year earlier.
Emphasizing that the use of various frequencies bodes well with burgeoning data consumption, Agustin explained that while lower frequencies such as the 700 MHz band provide better signal penetration and offering stronger indoor coverage, the higher frequencies, such as the 1800 MHz and 2600 MHz bands, provide additional capacity for data.
In addition, utilizing the 2600 MHz provides additional capacity layer over existing 3G and LTE capacity layers, providing customers with additional capacity and improving their internet experience as data traffic carried on other frequencies are off-loaded, he added.
As part of the company’s aggressive bid to roll out LTE sites, Globe is also expanding its network infrastructure, such as cell site. For many years now, however, cell site build is being hampered by circuitous permitting process involving at least 25 permits and taking at least 8 months to complete.
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