Globe Telecom has reached out to several independent tower firms in the Philippines in a bid to boost the quality of its mobile network.
As reported by The Philippine Daily Inquirer, the operator is seeking access to as many as 900 new sites. In a statement, Globe claimed that the deals were past the planning stage, with construction on sites set to commence.
TeleGeography notes that Globe has already signed agreements with groups such as Aboitiz InfraCapital (AIC), CREI Philippines, Frontier Towers & Associates (FTA), and Transcend Towers Infrastructure (Philippines).
Globe CFO Rizza Maniego-Eala said: “The partnerships with towercos will greatly complement the company’s target in expanding its capacity and coverage throughout the country.”
The deals were made as part of the country’s push towards common tower infrastructure, under which operators such as Globe will lease spaces on shared towers in order to prevent unnecessary duplicated infrastructure, lowering capex for operators and theoretically passing this saving onto subscribers.
The country’s Department of Information and Communications Technology has laid out a plan to build 50,000 new towers across the next few years.