GLOBE EXPANDS MOBILE NETWORK

Globe Telecom announced the expansion of its mobile network within the third quarter of 2020.

In a statement on Thursday, Globe said it was building cell sites across the country to improve its services both in major cities and in rural areas. The areas include Aklan, Albay, Batangas, Bohol, Bulacan, Cebu, Davao del Sur, Iloilo, Laguna, Metro Manila, Maguindanao, Negros Occidental, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Quezon, Zamboanga, Sulu, Capiz, Nueva Ecija and Nueva Vizcaya. Also part of the expansion are Tarlac, Palawan, North Cotabato, Leyte, Bukidnon, Benguet and Zambales.

“We heed the call of our customers for more connectivity that’s why we continue to expand our coverage and capacity even during a pandemic,” said Joel Agustin, Globe senior vice president for program development-network technical group.

“Upon completion, these will help improve overall network experience,” he added.

The network expansion comes amid a surge in data demand due to the new coronavirus pandemic.

It also coincides with the government’s efforts to reduce permitting bottlenecks in the local government unit level. A single cell site needs dozens of permits and construction can take up to eight months to finish.

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) earlier announced a plan to remove “redundant or duplicitous permitting” and lessen the average number of processing days.

The DICT is currently working with the Anti-red Tape Authority and other government agencies in ensuring streamlined permitting requirements and procedures. This will also bolster the DICT’S common tower program, which will encourage the construction of thousands of new cell sites.

The DICT recently issued the guidelines for tower sharing.

Among others, the rules allow independent tower companies to build their own sites and lease them to telco operators such as PLDT Inc. and Globe. In the past, only telco companies were allowed to build cell sites.