Globe to build 'typhoon-proof' network

Ayala-led Globe Telecom Inc. said Tuesday it is working on typhoon-proofing its network by shifting from above-ground communication lines to underground.

“One of the interesting things we’re doing now is seeing how we can typhoon-proof our network [by] moving our cables underground,” Don Rae, senior advisor for Globe’s Enterprise Group, said at a virtual briefing.

Strong winds and heavy rainfall caused by tropical cyclones often disrupt communication and electricity services.

For 2022, Globe earmarked P89 billion in capital expenditures for the telco’s aggressive network expansion that includes new cell site builds, upgrading more existing sites to 4G/LTE, accelerating the rollout of 5G connectivity and fast-tracking the fiberization of Filipino homes nationwide, and further boosting the internet quality and coverage in the Philippines.

As of the first quarter of the year, the telco invested a total of P21 billion in capital expenditure, which went to data-related requirements to handle the surge in demand for digital services and to provide a higher level of digital experience for its customers nationwide. 

With the investment, the telco said it built 234 new cell sites nationwide, upgraded over 3,500 mobile sites, and installed 380 new 5G sites as of March this year.

The telco added that it has installed over 470,000 fiber-to-the-home lines. —VBL, GMA News