5G arrival to spur economic growth — Globe

MANILA, Philippines — Ayala-led Globe Telecom Inc. is on course with its targeted 5G deployment by the second quarter of next year, saying the technology’s arrival in the country would spur economic development.

“5G is an important building block for the Philippine economy’s competitiveness. This is the reason we are accelerating our efforts to deploy 5G so we can provide as many Filipinos as possible an access to the technology,” Globe chief technology and information officer Gil Genio said.

With 5G, Genio said the Philippines could expect economic benefits such as more companies entering the country, more employment opportunities, and higher equipment sales.

“5G will bring innovation and spur economic growth in the Philippines. From the same physical network, we will be able to support different uses with varying performance requirements, in effect looking like different networks to different types of applications. This will spur innovation and help various industries digitally transform,” he said.

Globe said it is moving forward and is on track with upgrading its network to support the 5G technology.

Company executives recently went to China to discuss with Huawei deputy chairman Eric Xu their 5G partnership and other strategies to provide first-world internet connectivity in the Philippines.

Huawei was also the technology partner of Globe when it implemented a $700-million network modernization program that began in 2011.

In November 2015, Globe signed a fresh five-year contract with Huawei, involving the planning and design of a mobile broadband network, as well as the creation of a mobile innovation center.

With necessary assets already in place, Globe said it is now largely focused on completing the upgrade of its network, which includes radio, transmission, core, and facilities, to support 5G by the end of the year.