Globe on track with 5G rollout by 2019

Globe has spent over PHP 139 billion for the expansion and upgrade of its network from 2014 until the first quarter of 2018. (Photo: Globe Telecom/Facebook)

MANILA — Globe Telecom is gearing up for its deployment of fifth generation (5G) wireless technology by the second quarter of next year amid ongoing improvements of its network.

The telco firm said upgrades are currently being done on its network which includes radio, transmission, core, and facilities to support 5G by the end of the year.

“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 in a statement Friday.

The 5G technology will enable Globe’s subscribers to experience mobile services at higher speeds. Companies will likewise be able to improve their operations through utilizing the technology.

“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, from IoT (Internet of Things) to faster broadband to mission critical information. This will spur innovation and help various industries digitally transform,” according to Genio.

The 5G network will have higher speeds, lower latency and better capacity which will enable Globe to deploy fixed wireless broadband at a fiber speed.

The company is planning to offer the first 5G Globe At Home service by the second quarter of 2019.

Globe has spent over PHP 139 billion for the expansion and upgrade of its network from 2014 until the first quarter of 2018.

It has signed a five-year contract with Huawei Technologies involving the planning and design of a mobile broadband network as well as the creation of a mobile innovation center on November 2015.

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