During the 2020 State of the Nation Address, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte urged telcos to improve their service as most Filipinos work or learn from home. Now, Globe is embarking on its largest network upgrade to keep up with growing demands for a reliable and faster Internet connection.

A three-pronged strategy for Globe network upgrade

As part of its upgrade, the telco has laid out a three-pronged strategy to improve connectivity for customers. The first part of the strategy is building more cell sites throughout the Philippines. The telco is working with different government sectors to make this possible. Through the support of the Anti-Red Tape Authority and Bayanihan 2, the process of obtaining permits to build cell sites is much faster and simplified.

This simplified process enabled Globe to construct 900 cell sites alone in 2020. The telco obtained 190 permits from 80 local government units, making key upgrades in several areas of Visayas and Mindanao possible. It has also built 32 new towers in several barangays across Quezon City.

The second part of Globe’s strategy is diversifying 4G frequencies for increased frequency and speed. Through this, more Filipinos can now enjoy faster 4G speeds and coverage anywhere in the country.

The final part of Globe’s strategy is intensifying its fiberization efforts nationwide. The telco is upgrading its old copper cables to newer fiber optic cables. A rollout of fiber lines happened in key areas of Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Batangas, Cebu, and Davao del Sur within the span of eight months.

Overall, the rollout represented a full 51.4% increase over its 2019 fiberization efforts. By now, the telco is in the process of migrating customers from copper lines to fiber.

Moving to 5G

Globe is also busy rolling out next-generation 5G networks across the country. Recently, it expanded the reach of its 5G network to nine more cities within Metro Manila. The network expansion follows the initial rollout that happened in busy commercial districts such as Makati, Ortigas, and Bonifacio Global City.

Globe hopes to complete its network upgrade by 2021. It has already spent a considerable amount of money on undertaking this huge initiative. Hopefully, the promise of the better connection surfaces as the new year begins. After all, the Internet in the Philippines remains one of the slowest in Asia.

The US ban on Huawei has several implications for the embattled company. In the Philippines, Globe revealed that it is moving away from Huawei-supplied equipment to other non-Huawei devices due to concerns brought about by the ban.

During a Senate hearing, Globe’s general counsel Froilan Castelo told the Senate committee on public services that the telco has started negotiations on Huawei regarding its plans. Castelo said the negotiations are about replacing all Huawei equipment given the situation happening in America.

When pressed about the security concerns, Castelo reassured the Senate committee that it regularly audits its network for lapses and leakages. He said that their telco has security advisers from Israel and the US that do these audits. He added that Globe had already assured the US Embassy about Huawei’s only role as providing equipment for the telco.

Reliance on Huawei for its 5G network

However, the Senate hearing also revealed the full extent of Globe’s reliance on Huawei for its 5G network rollout.

Castelo admitted that 80% of the equipment that Globe uses today is from Huawei. The remaining 20% are from other providers like Ericsson and Nokia. Huawei is a leading 5G equipment provider, so it makes sense for Globe to rely on the company.

Froilan, on behalf of Globe, assured the Senate that “locally grown” companies will continue supplying equipment for them.  This assurance comes after Senator Ralph Recto questioned him if the telco is aware of the impending supply ban for Huawei.

It is unclear how Globe’s shift from Huawei will affect its subscribers. The telco has not yet announced any plans to the public regarding this move. Also, it remains unclear if such a shift will affect the broader rollout of the telco’s 5G network.

Source: Philstar

NBA action is in full swing. In fact, it has been since August when the season restarted following a shut down that was caused by the dreaded Coronavirus pandemic. As of writing, we’re in the thick of the Conference Finals series. If you want to catch all the action, here’s how you can get NBA League Pass through different telecomm providers in the Philippines.

It’s now easier than ever to get access to the games legally. All of Smart, PLDT, and Globe are offering the same price packages.

PhP 85 — Watch any three games of your choice
PhP 485 — 30-day pass for all games including live and on-demand

Here’s how to get the subscription for each provider.

Smart Postpaid and Prepaid
(Also works with TNT and SUN Postpaid)

• Download the NBA app (iOS / Android /APKPure)
• On the app, click on the icon at the top-right corner
• Click sign-in
• A banner on top of the page will appear for Smart, Sun and TNT subscribers
• Click ‘Get Started’
• Enter mobile number for verification and a one-time PIN which will be sent to your mobile number
• Choose your provider: Smart, TNT or Sun.
• Choose your NBA League Pass Package (3-game or 30-days) and enter mobile number
• Confirm your payment by entering the one-time PIN sent to your mobile number
• Click NBA logo and start watching

PLDT Home

• Go to pldthome.com/nbaleaguepass
• Select your preferred package
• The amount will be added to your next bill
• PLDT will give a voucher
• Download and sign-in to the NBA app
• Enter the voucher in the promotion code field
• Click NBA logo and start watching

Globe

• Open the GCash app
• Go to Buy Load
• Look for the PayTV tab
• Choose your preferred package. (Note: The chosen package is valid for 90 days).
• Confirm payment
• Open the NBA app and enjoy!

As mentioned earlier, we’re no in the Conference Finals with four teams remaining. Dueling in the West are the Los Angeles Lakers and the Denver Nuggets. Meanwhile in the East, it’s a battle between the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics.

A new NBA champion will likely be crowned in the next 30 days so now is the best time to subscribe!