Globe Telecom to invest in 200 sites on LTE 700 MHz

Globe Telecom on Tuesday said Philippine’s first cell site on the 700 megahertz spectrum is live now — generating 60-100 Mbps speeds.

Globe Telecom will be making investment in about 200 sites on the LTE 700 MHz band. The company made investment in the 700 MHz frequency to boost its mobile Internet revenue.

The first cell site has come up near Harding Bougainvillea in UP Diliman, Quezon City. Mobile users with devices including Samsung’s S6 Edge+, Note 5, S7, S7 Edge, and J5 2016 can benefit from high speed Internet.

The telecom operator said its investment in the cell site follows Globe Telecom’s decision to acquire half of San Miguel Corp.’s telecommunication assets that included the 700 MHz frequency.

Joel Agustin, senior vice president for Program Governance, Network Technical Group at Globe Telecom, said that the first 700 MHz cell site benefits customers within a radius of 2.2 kilometers from the cell tower.

“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.

Globe Telecom plans to activate all 200 sites progressively. Users of phones that are not compatible with LTE are also expected to benefit from the deployment of 700 MHz cell sites as this will lead to decongestion of users on other frequencies.

The 700 MHz frequency can easily penetrate buildings and walls and has greater coverage with fewer infrastructures needed compared to frequencies on higher bands.

“About 70 to 80 percent 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,” said Joel Agustin.

Using low-frequency 700 MHz enables mobile signals to travel farther, which, in turn, will enable the company to significantly improve the coverage of its broadband services in rural areas and allow its customers in those locations to gain internet access.