Globe, PLDT start using 700 MHz spectrum

Philippine internet speeds are expected to improve soon as the two main telecommunications companies have started using building sites designed to use the 700 megahertz (MHz) spectrum recently acquired from San Miguel Corp.

“Globe Telecom (Inc.) fired up over the weekend the country’s first cell site that utilized the 700 megahertz spectrum, generating speeds that ranged between 60-100 mbps (megabits per second). The company expects to deliver performance improvements as it completes ongoing optimization,” Globe said in an emailed statement on Tuesday.

Globe and PLDT Inc. last week co-acquired the telecommunication assets of SMC, including frequencies within the 700 MHz spectrum.

The frequencies withing the 700 MHz spectrum was awarded by the National Telecommunications Commission as part of acquisition deal.

The first Globe cell site is located near Hardin ng Bougainvillea in UP Diliman, Quezon City, which should benefit customers within a 2.2-kilometer radius from the cell tower.

“The intention is that the first batch of the 200 sites we plan to roll out will be in areas where connectivity matters most to our customers as well as in locations with high convergence of users like here in the National Capital Region,” Globe Senior Vice President Joel Agustin said.

Globe said it plans to activate all 200 cell sites to use the 700 MHz spectrum progressively for more customers to be able to experience the benefits of the spectrum.

“About 70 to 80 percent of our customers are transacting data indoors and we need the 700 MHz spectrum to provide better coverage and stable connectivity inside their homes. Connectivity is one issue that the 700 MHz addresses,” Agustin said.

For its part, Smart Communications – a subsidiary of PLDT – said it is also putting up sites which will utilize the 700 MHz spectrum.

“Our first 700 megahertz base station up tonight. At Tanay. More to come soon,” PLDT CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan said in his official Twitter account.
 

Our first 700 MHz base station up tonight. At Tanay. More to come soon. #InternetEverywhere

— Manny V. Pangilinan (@iamMVP) June 6, 2016

“Our strategy has two legs. First is the network. Deploying LTE on 700 MHZ combines a powerful frequency with the most advanced mobile phone technology,” PLDT and Smart Chief Technology and Information Advisor Joachim Horn said in a separate emailed statement.

“Second are the devices. We have been holding discussions with device manufacturers so that more affordable LTE smartphones and tablets using the 700 MHz spectrum will soon be available in the country,” he said.

Horn said the newly-acquired spectrum will be able to expand the network’s coverage and enhance the capacity of its data network.

“This technology will help address the increasing demand for LTE and high-speed mobile data,” he said. – VDS, GMA News