Committed to bringing connectivity to its customers nationwide, Globe stressed it is drilling down on exploring satellite services to access rural areas where wired services have yet to be established.
“We see the satellite service as a promising deployment model that can reach the rural areas where there’s not much household density and will be challenging to roll out wired services,” said Darius Delgado, Globe Vice President and Head of Broadband Business.
The Ayala-led telco admits that there are certain limitations as the overall cost structure of building sites anchored on satellite services have yet to mature. Prices need to go down to be financially viable and serve the masses, especially those who are currently unreachable by fixed structure.
Globe At Home is actively pursuing other alternative technologies and is in talks with suppliers of other potential broadband technologies from low-earth orbit satellites to the more traditional high-orbit satellites.
More than alternative technologies, Globe At Home has been coming out with more affordable services and packages across its business portfolio to support disadvantaged households.
Delgado echoed the sentiments of Globe President and CEO Ernest Cu that in terms of internet usage, speed is not the only determinant in successfully providing a positive customer experience.
“It’s really about having something relevant that we can serve up reliably to address customer needs,” Delgado added.
The network claims that they are “on track” and have even exceeded its targeted network site builds with a total of 318 new cell towers by the end of March 2021. Wireless expansion efforts for both 4G LTE and 5G have yielded a total of 4,210 sites by the end of the first quarter of this year.
Globe’s efforts are driven by its aim to align itself with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDG), especially UN SDG No. 9 which emphasizes the roles of infrastructure and innovation as crucial drivers of economic growth and development. Globe is committed to upholding the 10 United Nations Global Compact principles and 10 UN SDGs.
