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Filipino operator plans to switch on 200 base stations following San Miguel deal.
Globe Telecom revealed on Tuesday that it has activated what it claims is the Philippines’ first 700-MHz LTE site following last week’s acquisition of 50% of San Miguel Corp’s (SMC’s) telco assets.
The Filipino operator said the switch-on took place over the weekend in the Diliman area of Quezon City, the country’s biggest city by population, and part of the National Capital Region.
In a statement, Globe said the site has a coverage radius of 2.2 km and that almost 100 customers are already connected to it. It is the first of 200 700-MHz sites the company plans to roll out.
"The first batch of the 200 sites we plan to roll out will be in areas where connectivity matters most to our customers as well as in locations with high convergence of users like here in the National Capital Region," said Joel Agustin, SVP of programme governance at Globe’s network technical group.
"About 70% to 80% of our customers are transacting data indoors and we need the 700-MHz spectrum to provide better coverage and stable connectivity inside their homes. Indoor connectivity is one issue that the 700-MHz spectrum addresses," he added.
Globe Telecom acquired the 700-MHz spectrum as part of a deal to purchase 50% of SMC’s telecom business. The other 50% was bought by incumbent PLDT. Together the telcos agreed to pay 52.85 billion pesos (€1.02 billion). SMC had planned to launch mobile services in the Philippines, but it came to nothing after it tried unsuccessfully to form a mobile joint venture with Australia’s Telstra.
As well as 700-MHz spectrum, Globe also acquired a share of frequencies in the 850 MHz, 2.5 GHz and 3.5 GHz bands.
According to a report by Reuters last Thursday, the Philippines’ telco regulator, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has warned that Globe and PLDT could be forced to cede their newly-acquired spectrum if they fail to improve the performance of their mobile networks.
Judging by Tuesday’s announcement, Globe is taking this threat seriously.
