Globe to activate more Mindanao cell sites

MANILA, Philippines — Mobile giant Globe Telecom Inc. plans to activate more than 200 new cell sites in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to improve connectivity in the worst area to find cellular and internet signal.

Globe yesterday said it intends to set up 235 new cell sites in BARMM within the year to provide connectivity for both consumers and enterprises in the region.

As of October, the Ayala-led telco has installed a total of 130 new cell sites and is upgrading the capacity of 175 4G towers around BARMM.

Likewise, Globe has laid down 19,000 fiber-to-the-home lines out of the 25,376 target for 2022. Globe enterprise sales head for Visayas and Mindanao Ana Paula Villaflor said the firm hopes to sustain its infrastructure buildup in BARMM to scale up economic activities in the region.

“Globe believes [that] connectivity and digital inclusivity can improve the quality of life of people and boost their access to public services. Further, digital solutions can help businesses increase their efficiency and productivity and contribute more to the economy,” Villaflor said.

“These are among the main reasons as to why Globe continues to expand its network and offer services to government entities like BARMM and organizations across the country,” she added.

Based on the National ICT Household Survey in 2019, BARMM maintains the highest number of communities without cell phone signal among all the regions in the Philippines.

Whereas 4G connectivity is most prevalent in Metro Manila, it is least prevalent in BARMM due to the lack of 4G sites situated in the region.

Similarly, the survey reported that seven in every 10 barangays in the country have yet to host a fiber optic cable needed for high-speed and reliable Internet. BARMM has the highest number of barangays without a fiber port at 99.1 percent.

BARMM chief minister Ahod Ebrahim said the regional government wants to maximize e-wallet giant GCash for disbursement purposes, payment of fees and permit renewals. He added that the BARMM leaders eye to sign a partnership with KonsultaMD for telemedicine services.

Ebrahim stressed that BARMM has to capitalize on digital channels for its economy, battered by decades of armed conflict, to catch up with the other regions.

For the year, Globe allocated a capital expenditure guidance of P89 billion that it plans to use to put up fiber assets, build new cell sites, upgrade towers to 4G and LTE, and expand 5G service.