Globe inks $750M worth of deals with technology partners in China

Globe Telecom Inc. has signed several agreements totaling $750 million over five years  with tehnology partners in China to accelerate new LTE technologies and enhance data services in the Philippines.

President Rodrigo Duterte witnessed the signing of the agreements in Beijing, China with Huawei Technologies, Nokia and Wuhan Fiberhome International Technologies, according to Globe.

"We are confident that our collaboration with Huawei, Nokia and Wuhan FiberHome will translate into a more robust Globe network that will meet the country’s future digital demands,” Globe President and CEO Ernest Cu said in a statement on Friday.

The agreements covered the deployment of new LTE spectrum in the Philippines.

Cu and Globe Director Fernando Zobel de Ayala signed a memorandum of confirmation with Chen Yuhua, the head of Nokia international business, on the implementation of the project in the Visayas and Mindanao.

A similar memorandum of confirmation was signed between Globe and Huawei CEO Kevin Gao on deployment of the LTE spectrum in Luzon.

The project aims to provide wider LTE coverage and better indoor penetration, through an estimated 4,600 sites in the country. The project will increase data and fixed-wireless broadband capacity to provide telecommunications services in many areas in the country that at present have no access to broadband services, Globe said.

“This is a significant agreement with a longstanding collaborator," Mike Wang, president of Nokia Networks Greater China, said. "It strengthens Nokia’s position as Globe Telecom’s premier end-to-end solution provider. We are committed to delivering technologies that allow operators to smoothly transit to intelligent, virtual networks and seamless connectivity, to change how people communicate and connect.”

Globe signed a separate memorandum of confirmation with Huawei and Nokia on capacity expansion for corporate data network. The fixed line network modernization project will improve the quality of its corporate network with capabilities, capacities, features and functionalities that are constantly responsive to business and enterprise requirements.

"The project will redesign and transform the network to make it future-proof and meet specified minimum engineering and technology end-state requirement, making the network more agile in serving the heavy data traffic of its enterprise customers," Globe noted.

In addition, Globe signed another memorandum of confirmation with Huawei and Wuhan FiberHome on building fiber infrastructure to support the rollout of fixed broadband lines in Filipino homes.

Globe signed the agreement with Wuhan Fiberhome International Technologies President Zhiqiang Fan, Wuhan Fiberhome International Technologies Philippines CEO Hui Liu and Huawei CEO Kevin Gao. — VDS, GMA News