Globe Telecom signs 5-year partnership with Huawei

Globe Telecom and Huawei Technologies just signed a 5-year partnership to enhance and expand the former’s mobile network via a “mobile innovation center” for products and solutions.

The collaboration will expand Globe’s 3G and 4G capacities, upgrading its LTE network via CA (carrier aggregation), develop greenfield sites, deploy small cell technology, extend indoor coverage, do core network upgrade and widen the company’s fiber footprint.

Early this year, Globe became the first operator in the world to deploy Huawei’s SingleSON (self-organizing network) solution to optimize its wireless network performance, operation and maintenance (O&M).

Huawei was also Globe Telecom’s technology partner for its $700-million network modernization program that began in 2011 and completed last year.

“We are committed in investing in and developing our mobile broadband network to enable our customers to build their lives around a digital lifestyle,” noted Globe President & CEO Ernest Cu.

However, in order to meet the country’s growing data demand, telecom regulators should immediately re-allocate and harmonize the 700 megahertz of frequency originally allocated for broadcast, he underscored.

“Globe has also taken the position that the 700 MHz band is a major class of spectrum that has to be made available to major players and should not be held by just one player in the market,” Cu explained.

Harmonizing the 700 MHz will help improve Internet speed nationwide. Unfortunately, the Philippines is the only country which hasn’t re-allocated the 700 MHz band for broadband.

To date, San Miguel Corp. holds all of the 700 MHz in addition to their holdings of the 800,1800, 2300 ad 2500 frequency bands.

As early as 2005, Globe asked the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to allocate frequencies within the 700 MHz and 800 MHz for its broadband wireless network – to no avail.