Globe Telecom claims 4G network upgrades at NCR, Cavite, Bulacan, Rizal

MANILA – Globe Telecom said Monday that it was upgrading its 4G network in Metro Manila, most of the Rizal, Cavite and Bulacan areas to help small and medium-sized businesses continue to compete online during the pandemic.

In a statement, the telco said it shot 86 percent of its target 4G migration in Metro Manila with Pateros, Marikina, Valenzuela, Malabon and Navotas as the top cities with “the highest percentage of completion.”

The rest of the National Capital Region has 73 percent, he said.

The 4G network offers better connectivity compared to 3G and provides higher broadband speeds, Globe said, adding that it could support a greater number of users.

“With the updates, we look forward to helping not only ordinary Filipinos, but also those who are making the most of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Joel Agustin, Globe’s senior vice president of program delivery.

“With 4G, small and medium-sized businesses will get the boost they need now that traditional means of sale are no longer applicable to sustain their survival. Technology will keep them competitive in the new normal,” Agustín added.

At least 92 percent of the upgrade is also done at Rizal, 78 percent at Bulacan and 65 percent at Cavite, the telecommunications company said.

Globe said it was also considering upgrading its network in Pampanga, Batangas, Laguna, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Bacolod and Boracay.

President Rodrigo Duterte, in his fifth speech on the state of the nation, urged telecommunications companies to improve services by the end of the year or face closure or expropriation.

The Bayanihan 2 Recover as One has provisions that simplify the permitting process to expedite construction of telecommunications towers.

Its rival PLDT has revealed its deployment of towers across the country, while the third player, DITO Telecommunity, is building 1,300 towers in its first year in line with the commercial launch scheduled for March 2021.