MANILA, Philippines — Globe Telecom Inc. expects to surpass the number of cell sites it built last year with 1,300 new sites seen completed by year end.
It set up about 1,100 sites last year.
Globe said it was able to secure 1,857 permits this year through the support of the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act and other concerned agencies.
These permits allowed the company to build 1,050 new sites to date and complete 10,876 upgrades to 4G/LTE.
For next year, the telco will build 2,000 sites, including in-building solutions and partnerships with independent tower companies.
Globe said its rollout of 5G is also on track, making the service available in 708 sites in 17 key cities in Metro Manila, Visayas and Mindanao to date.
The telco plans to cover 80 percent of Metro Manila with 5G technology by the end of 2020.
“With the country’s improving state of overall internet service in terms of speed, affordability, and access to a more advanced 4G and 5G technology, coupled with the strengthened support from the government, we are optimistic that the country’s state of connectivity is well on its way to be at par with our Asian neighbors,” Globe president and CEO Ernest Cu said.
For next year, Globe’ intends to provide customers “with 4G/LTE services everywhere and 5G where it matters.”
By making 4G/LTE the new mobile standard for the country, more customers would experience better data and faster internet speed anywhere they are, Globe said.
Globe said it would also continue to aggressively roll out 5G to more cities and municipalities to serve the early adopters.