Globe targets to build 200 new cell sites in Batangas this year as part of the telco’s sustained network builds. The province now has 361 Globe sites, 85% of which will have additional 4G capacity. Plus, the telco also aims to install 50,000 fiber-to-the-home lines this year to build up its existing lines in the province.
During the first ever Liveable Cities Local Lab event, the company assured Batangas Governor Hermilando Mandanas that the telco would proceed to offer digital tools and build a robust network in the culturally rich province of Batangas. The Liveable Cities Local Lab, co-organized by Liveable Cities Philippines and the League of Cities of the Philippines in partnership with Globe, works as a platform for sharing good practices, innovation, appropriate technology, urban planning, and local government unit (LGU) management.
“We are seeing a 60% increase in coverage, a significant increase in fortified 4G sites, and a 150 percent increase in fiber. These initiatives will improve overall experience in the province with faster internet speeds and lower latency,” said Peter Maquera, Globe Senior Vice President for Enterprise Group.
As per Globe, there is an improvement in connectivity in the province as mobile data average download speed increased 38% to 16.8 Mbps in Q1 2021 from 12.1 Mbps in Q1 2020. Average latency also improved to 29 from 50 milliseconds. Latency is the amount of time it takes for information to be transmitted from source to its intended destination. A lower latency score is better.
One of the three major landing stations and cable systems of Globe is in Nasugbu, Batangas. The telco is currently building a 4th cable landing station to support international cable systems and 3,800 kilometers of new underground fiber optic cable to support the new cable station.
As the province readies up to make the most of the available technologies, Ayala Corporation Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala enjoin Batangas to also look into the development and use of green energy.
Zobel, who is also the Chairman of Globe, said the Ayala Group through AC Energy and Infrastructure Corp. is pursuing renewable energy developments through solar power plants in Alaminos, Laguna, and Palauig, Zambales.
“There is a new concern about the green economy, about the energy being green,” Zobel said. “All of us, even those who have invested in fossil fuel, we’re also beginning to expand. So one thought I would leave with the province is the development of green energy in your portfolio. I think that is another trend that maybe the province should consider because increasingly it is getting tougher to finance fossil-based energy,” he added.
To recall, since 2015, Globe has started replacing lead-acid batteries on its 105 cell sites in the province with lithium-ion batteries. According to the company, new builds will be using lithium-ion batteries due to their higher energy density, a faster rate of charging over VRLA, and more stable backup power.
Globe also replaced 23 end-of-life AC generators with modern DC generators with higher efficiency and more fuel-efficient systems. Lower diesel fuel consumption translates to reduced carbon emissions and lower operational costs in fuel and maintenance.
Furthermore, Globe has installed Free Cooling System (FCS) to reduce dependency on air-conditioners to maintain the required temperatures in its cell sites in order to reduce electricity consumption. The company has installed 37 FCS in its cell sites in Batangas as of March 2021.
To know more about Globe, visit the official Globe website.
