Philippines mobile operator Globe Telecom predicted 50 per cent of its mobile data traffic will come from its 4G network by the year-end.
Currently about 43 per cent of the operator’s data traffic comes from its LTE network said Joel Agustin, SVP of Globe’s programme governance, network technical group. A significant number of Globe customers use LTE devices with 3G SIMs, while many using LTE SIMs are on 3G devices, he said.
“We want to encourage our customers, especially those that are already using LTE devices, to migrate to the LTE network by switching to a LTE SIM for a better mobile experience,” he said in a statement.
With smartphone penetration hitting 67 per cent, the operator said mobile data traffic in H1 2017 increased 85 per cent year-on-year to 280 petabytes. During the period, Globe migrated about 900,000 customers using LTE devices with 3G SIMs to 4G plans.
Globe Telecom and rival Smart Communications, the mobile unit of PLDT, traded places as the market leader by mobile connections over the past four quarters, with each holding a near 50 per cent share at end-June according to GSMA Intelligence.