AYALA-BACKED Globe Telecom is ramping up efforts to expand connectivity to Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (Gidas), pledging to build 100 new cell sites in 2025.
This initiative will bring the total number of Globe-operated GIDA cell sites to 700 by year-end, Globe’s chief commercial officer Darius Delgado announced in a press conference on Feb. 7, 2025.
“We have already rolled out over 600 cell sites in those Gidas so far, and the plan is to increase that further to 700 by this year,” said Delgado.
3-year connectivity plan
The initiative aligns with a three-year national connectivity plan (2025-2028), proposed by the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) to Malacañang in September 2024. The plan, led by Globe president and chief executive officer Ernest Cu, who is the head of PSAC’s Connectivity Plan Task Force (CPTF), calls for public-private collaboration to construct telecom towers in remote areas, ensuring digital access for nearly 25 million Filipinos across 7,063 barangays.
Globe and other Mobile Network Operators also proposed distributing subsidized SIM cards with 50GB of monthly data for one year, aiming to connect unserved households to education, healthcare and economic opportunities. The SIMs can cover the average usage of a five-member household.
Besides infrastructure build-up, the CPTF is also advocating for legislative support, including faster permitting processes, consistent tower energization and fair spectrum user fees.
Infra buildup
Globe’s commitment to providing reliable and high-speed internet connectivity nationwide is
demonstrated by its infrastructure expansion efforts.
As of December 2024, Globe had constructed 1,212 new cell sites and enhanced 4,613 existing mobile sites with LTE technology. Additionally, the company deployed 67,456 fiber-to-the-home lines to bolster its fiber network.
For the full year of 2024, Globe added 587 new 5G sites across the Philippines, achieving 98.69 percent coverage in the National Capital Region and 96.95 percent in key cities within the Visayas and Mindanao regions. This expansion now brings 5G connectivity to approximately 106 towns. The company’s efforts have resulted in over nine million devices connected to its 5G network for December 2024.
Additionally, Globe has established 5G partnerships with 168 inbound and 182 outbound global partners
in 99 Destinations, further solidifying its position in the global market.
2024 performance
Globe capped 2024 on a high note. It reported consolidated gross service revenues of P165.0 billion, up two percent from P162.3 billion in 2023.
“This milestone was achieved despite headwinds from home broadband normalization, the ECPay deconsolidation and the prolonged impact of inflation and devastating typhoons in the latter half of the year which weighed on consumer spending,”
Globe said.
However, its net income saw a slight decline of one percent to P24.3 billion from P24.6 billion year-on-year.
The decline it said was primarily due to lower sale and leaseback closings in 2024, which impacted one-time gains from tower sales.
But moving forward, Cu said he is hopeful that the easing of inflation, lower interest rates and improved employment numbers will create more opportunities for growth in mobile as disposable income recovers. / KOC