Globe boosts network infra to ensure stable service during disasters

MANILA, Philippines - Ayala-led Globe Telecom has adopted a new design in the company’s infrastructure in typhoon-stricken areas to ensure continued services for its 44 million subscribers even during emergencies.

Robert Tan, chief technical advisor of Globe, said the company has put in place mechanisms and programs that enhanced the company’s network resiliency and protection system to further ensure that its customers have access to voice, SMS and data services even during disasters.

Globe has earmarked P29 billion for its capital expenditures this year, of which around P11 billion has been used as of end-June.

He pointed out that the network transformation project redesigned the company’s wireless network and strengthened its core by establishing system and site redundancy.

“The redundancy initiative involved installation of multiple equipment, per core site, to establish traffic balancing and hardware redundancy, thus ensuring minimal service disruption in the event of an equipment failure,” he said.

In a bid to further advance its network resiliency, Tan added that Globe also stepped up the design of company infrastructure in typhoon-stricken areas by introducing the use of an innovative tower solution that accelerate service restoration.

Likewise, he said the telecommunication provider is also expanding the deployment of cellular on wheels and Lego solution to enable mobile services in typhoon-prone areas.

Cell on wheels are mobile cell sites that provide expanded cellular network coverage and capacity during special events or during times of emergencies.

“Our network resiliency program is a very important component of our network transformation initiative, recognizing that telecommunication services becomes more essential during times of emergency,” Tan added.

He explained that strengthening the company’s resiliency system forms part of the Globe’s transformation initiative.

Globe has achieved 100 percent 3G coverage for its entire network that is expected to be fully equipped with the more advanced 4G HSPA+ technology by the end of the third quarter.

Meanwhile, Globe chief operating advisor Peter Bithos said over 90 percent of the company’s mobile data customers have to subscribe to bulk data plans due to the growing pervasiveness of Globe’s 3G and 4G coverage as well as proliferation of competitively-priced smartphones.

“More than ever, customers see the benefits of staying connected wherever they area. With the prevalence of smartphones and other mobile devices, people are able to make phone calls, but also perform a myriad of tasks even when they are away from their homes and offices,” Bithos said.

Globe has taken on the challenge of going beyond texts and call services to improve a customer’s overall mobile experience by introducing GoSURF, its latest consumable mobile Internet plan which offers customers megabytes (MB) of data used to access the Internet.

To date, over 90 percent of Globe Prepaid, Postpaid, TM and Tattoo Prepaid customers enjoy access to the Internet with the new GoSURF plans following the lead of international telco giants such as Verizon.