Globe’s $700-M network upgrade almost 70% done

Globe Telecom Inc. announced Tuesday that its $700-million network modernization and upgrade project is already nearing 70-percent completion after successfully establishing a fiber optic connection to Boracay. According to Globe chief technical adviser Robert Tan, the Boracay fiber optic network will power up cell sites with third generation (3G) and Evolved High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA+) connectivity and is readily scalable to support Long Term Evolution (LTE) services. Tan said the cable system would intensify network coverage to the tourist hotspot. “In terms of capacity, the fiber-based Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing system can transmit 80 wavelengths and supports 40 gigabytes per second per wavelength, expandable to 100 Gbps,” he said. In a statement, Globe president and CEO Ernest Cu said that with the completion of the two-kilometer Globe Boracay submarine cable system from Caticlan, the company is now preparing for the laying of fiber optic cable to Palawan. Globe expects to achieve 75 percent of its modernization and upgrade project by the end of the year, and to complete it by Q1 2013. — BM, GMA News