Globe fires up more 700-MHz cell sites in Davao City

GLOBE TELECOM, Inc. on Wednesday said it activated cell sites in Davao City using the 700-megahertz (Mhz) spectrum, as part of its plan to improve mobile Internet speeds throughout the country.

In a statement, the telco said the cell sites cover the following areas in Davao City — Insular Village, Waterfront Hotel, Nova Tierra Subdivision, Fortune Homes Village, Brgy. Pampanga, Lanang, Dona Pilar Subdivision, resorts in Samal Island that include Paradise Resort, Blue Jazz Resort, Blue Water and Costa Marina, DPWH Region XI Office, Brgy. Panacan, Dona Mercedes Village, Eastern Mindanao Command Camp, Valle Verde Estate Subdivision, Forest Lake Memorial Park, PMPC Village, Celllidona Village, Don Ramon Village and Veterans Village – Phase2.

Globe Senior Vice-President for Program Governance, Network Technical Group Joel Agustin urged subscribers to use Long-Term Evolution (LTE) -capable smartphones and devices to “really feel the difference in mobile Internet speeds.”

The 700-MHz band provides better signal penetration and indoor coverage, making it the most valuable frequency range for 4G/ LTE technology. It was part of San Miguel Corp.’s telecommunications assets that Globe jointly acquired with Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT).

Globe earlier said it is planning to activate the 700- MHz frequency for 200 cell sites around the country within the next few months.

Earlier this week, Smart announced it opened four more LTE cell sites in Davao City, as part of its larger plan of activating 360 cell sites with 700-MHz spectrum within the year.

Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary Media Quest Holdings, Inc., has a stake in Business World through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls.