Globe completes 1st phase of Cebu network modernization

GLOBE Telecom has completed the swap-out of its cell sites and other network facilities in Cebu as part of the company’s massive $700-million modernization program across the Philippines.

The cell site cluster swap-out in Cebu ushers in improved coverage, reduced drop call rates, as well as better call set-up and quality in the entire province and the Central Visayas region.

The area has also been primed for switching-on of 4G HSPA+ (Evolved High Speed Packet Access) technology and is also ready to upgrade to 4G LTE (Long-Term Evolution) technology.

Close to seven million Filipinos living in the island and its environs now enjoy superior signal strength, demonstrated by impeccable call connections and clarity, instantaneous text message transmissions and richer web browsing experience, among other services that now redefine their new mobile experience.

Robert Tan, chief technical adviser of Globe Telecom, said the total change of its network elements in Cebu was rolled-out in seamless precision, maintaining continuous cellular signal in the Cebu area without compromising network integrity and mobile quality performance.

“We consider this a major achievement as our local network engineering team, together with our foreign partners Alcatel-Lucent and Huawei, achieved the Cebu swap-out in record time. The province of Cebu was divided into six network clusters, with teams simultaneously working on changing the cell sites. The total project was completed in 24 hours,” said Tan.

“This strengthens our capacity to expediently implement the replacement of the network infrastructure with minimal disruption on our services,” he added.

Globe President and CEO Ernest Cu hailed this positive development as a “major win” for Globe subscribers in Cebu, its adjacent provinces and the larger mobile community at the heart of the archipelago.

“Most definitely, our customers in Cebu and nearby provinces will benefit from their new Globe network, giving them unparalleled mobile experience: they can text and call with more ease, plus surf the Web at improved speeds previously unheard of. Unlike other modernization efforts which claim completion, ours in Globe is a more deliberate and authentic change for core migration and facility upgrade, making Cebu and its environs ready for new technologies down the road and experience mobile services at par with that of Manila and other key cities,” Cu said.

The Cebu network change-out comes in the heels of the highly successful rollout phases this month in Southern Philippines, particularly in the Davao Region, Zamboanga provinces and key areas of Mindanao, parts of Northern and Southern Luzon, as well as in the cities of Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas and Valenzuela in the National Capital Region. (PR)