Globe Telecom Inc. will begin offering fourth-generation Long-Term Evolution (4G LTE) internet service in September, the company announced.
The telco plans to roll out its mobile 4G LTE service under its Tattoo broadband brand to the country's three major capital regions and key areas across the country, according to Globe Senior Adviser for Consumer Business Peter Bithos. Mobile customers can expect to get 4G LTE service by the fourth quarter of 2012.
The roll-out of the service is part of the company's $700M network modernization program, he added.
Globe's modernization efforts include the installation of over 12,000 kilometers of fiberoptic cable to enable 4G LTE activation.
“By September of this year, it’s all systems go for the 4G LTE network of Globe," he reiterated. "On top of offering the fastest speeds, Tattoo will offer 4G LTE on a full range of mobile phones by the fourth quarter of the year," Bithos said.
Globe claims to be the first local telco to introduce 4G technology in in 2009, via its Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax) network.
At the same time, the company also went into a partnership with its principal, SingTel, to begin testing 4G LTE services in the country.
4G LTE has a theoretical upper speed of 100 mbps, and Globe claims to have achieved up to 60 mbps downlink speeds in its tests.
In 2011, Globe rolled out its 4G Evolved High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA+) infrastructure.
To date, Globe has some 2,700 4G sites throughout the country. This number is expected to grow by 4,000 sites by the end of this year. — TJD, GMA News
source: gmanetwork.com
