Globe Telecom continued to scale up the deployment of 5G of fifth-general wireless technology nationwide, having completed 933 cell sites in the first half of the year.
The Ayala-owned telco said its 5G (fifth generation) network outdoor coverage has reached nearly 97 percent of the National Capital Region and 86 percent of key cities in the Visayas and Mindanao.
This, according to the company, allows more Filipinos to enjoy higher speeds, lower latency and more reliable data services.
"Globe has been ramping up its rollout amid rising demand for 5G connectivity. The drive to build more and faster is fueled by our desire to deliver more improvements in our customer service experience that are consistent and reliable," Joel Agustin, senior vice president and head of network planning and engineering at Globe, said in a statement.
As of end-June 2022, Globe has a total of 2.7 million devices accessing its 5G network, showing the growing popularity of 5G.
The company said that the aggressive expansion is in line with the company's commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDG), particularly UN SDG 9, which highlights the roles of infrastructure and innovation as crucial drivers of economic growth and development.
To ensure that more people will benefit from this new technology, the company offers several entry-level and mid-range 5G phone models for free with a subscription to a postpaid plan.
The phones may also be bought separately from Globe Stores at discounted prices when bundled with a SIM-only plan.
Globe is also accelerating its 5G roaming rollout to more countries in Asia, the Middle East and Europe to bring a seamless and world-class connectivity experience to travelers and overseas Filipinos.
5G technology is the next generation of wireless internet connectivity with fiber-fast speeds of up to 100 Mbps (megabits per second), up to 20 times faster than LTE (Long-Term Evolution). It offers lower latency, higher bandwidth and more reliable internet connections than 4G or fourth-generation.
For data-related upgrades and expansion, Globe has already spent P50.5 billion out of its P89-billion capital expenditure allocation for 2022. Majority of the amount was used for expanding its fiber cable network, put up more cell sites, upgrade towers to 4G LTE and roll out 5G technology and in-building solutions.