MANILA, Philippines — Mobile giant Globe Telecom Inc. has completed the migration of more than 450 cities and towns across the Philippines to fiber technology, freeing them from the vulnerability of copper cables.
The process requires removing copper wires and replacing them with fiber optics, improving the quality and speed of connectivity in areas migrated.
Globe has eliminated the use of copper cables in at least 60 provinces nationwide, inching it closer to achieving the goal of graduating all of its coverage areas to fiber lines.
Globe vice president for broadband business Abigail Cardino said areas connected to fiber optics tend to receive higher quality of connectivity service. In turn, their locations become suitable for a range of digital activities, from remote to online learning, to the benefit of consumers.
Apart from this, Cardino said fiber lines demand less energy to run as compared to copper wires, allowing Globe to deliver on its sustainability targets without compromising service quality. This means savings for Globe, as data is transmitted cheaper and quicker.
“This transformation enables us to better serve the growing digital needs of our customers, while reducing energy consumption and environmental impact,” Cardino said.
Industry-wide, Globe views the fiber migration as one of the ways to minimize cable theft in the Philippines, a problem that has burned cash for telcos given the cost of repair and restoration.
Fiber is made of glass or plastic and holds no resale value in junk shops, unlike copper which are sold for scrap by cable thieves.
In spite of this, Cardino reminded the public that it is a punishable crime to steal telco assets, as was defined under Republic Act 10515, or the Anti-Cable Television and Cable Internet Tapping Act of 2013. The law penalizes cable cutting with imprisonment of up to five years and a fine of as much as P100,000.
In September, telco advocates from the public and private sectors established an umbrella group, called Protecta Pilipinas, that seeks to protect tech assets. The group lamented that telco facilities are exposed to digital crimes and natural disasters, which causes the Philippines billions of pesos in losses.
Cardino said this makes the fiber upgrade in every province all the more important, as it ensures that subscribers would suffer less service interruptions usually triggered by cable theft.