Globe completes upgrades on network transport backbone

MANILA, Philippines - Globe Telecom has completed planned upgrades on its network transport backbone which spans Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

With the upgrade, the ultra-high capacity transmission system is now more resilient, providing subscribers with improved network coverage and better services even during extreme weather disturbances.

The upgrade utilized an automatic switch optical network protection which ensures network systems remain reliable and fully stable, especially in anticipation of the rainy season ahead. To complement the upgrade, Globe also made significant improvements in its disaster recovery plan to prevent network disruptions during natural calamities, as well as to execute faster restoration time when services become severely affected.

Globe expanded its fiber optic coverage in the Mindanao region and implemented added protection for its transmission backbone in Zamboanga. It also completed its network modernization project in South Luzon to improve network capacity and quality for mobile and wireless broadband services.

“These are important pieces in our network enhancement initiatives to further improve on our service. We are also implementing a network modernization program to transform our network into a multi-service platform that is fully-redundant for uninterrupted, seamless and consistent network connectivity. In line with giving our subscribers a superior experience, our modernization program will allow subscribers to feel the difference in terms of connectivity across our products and services,” Globe chief technical adviser Robert Tan said.

“This transformation will increase our network capacity, as well as build up network resiliency and availability through architecture enhancements, improved hardware and network intelligence, as we continue to keep up with the increasing demand for voice and data use,” he added.

Apart from upgrades on its transmission systems and installation of protected fiber connectivity in critical areas in the country, Globe has invested and partnered with multiple cable systems for diversity and service resiliency for both international data and voice. To date, Globe utilizes five submarine cable systems in the country, allowing worldwide connectivity of telecommunications services such as voice and data.

By 2013, the company’s newest submarine cable investment, the Southeast Asia Japan Cable (SJC) system, is expected to go online to further increase network capacity and quality.

With network quality as top priority for the company, Globe earlier announced that a substantial portion of its 2011 capital expenditure amounting to $500 million will be allocated to build up capacity, as well modernize and optimize network infrastructure.

The significant investment will also include the commercial deployment of the country’s first and biggest 4G mobile network by initially utilizing the global standard HSPA+, which provides subscribers with high speed broadband access with the added convenience of full mobility.