Globe Telecom's aggressive deployment of LTE 700 MHz

Manila - In accordance with the company's dedication to enhance its web services, Globe Telecom recently rolled out in 150 sites the 700 megahertz (MHz) band. Most of the 150 sites are in Metro Manila. 

The company said it is fast-tracking the roll-out of LTE (Long Term Evolution) services across the country utilizing the 700 MHz frequency.

Joel Agustin, Globe Telecom senior vice president for Program Governance, Network Technical Group, said, “We are confident that more and more of our customers will experience improved services as adoption of LTE-capable devices increases and as we continue to deploy LTE 700 in more sites. This is consistent with our strategy of continuously improving internet services using the previously idle 700 MHz spectrum that the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) now allows us to co-use.”

The LTE 700 sites cover major business districts and exceptionally urbanized, populated areas in the country, he explained. 

Agustin also highlighted that customers utilizing LTE 700 gadgets are consistently increasing in these areas.

He included that in Quezon City, for instance, the technology now covers a majority portion of the city after the LTE 700 sites activated by Globe Telecom expanded four times from the initial roll-out of 11 sites. 

In the meantime, Globe Telecom said it plans to initiate more than 500 LTE 700 sites across the country before the end of 2016.

As stated by Agustin, larger part of these sites will be situated in Metro Manila, empowering the company to convey close to 100 percent coverage of LTE 700 for the whole metropolitan area.

 “This, in turn, is expected to substantially improve mobile internet experience of customers in the region,” he said.

 The company also said it is maximizing the utilization of the 700 MHz band in dedication in the co-use agreement with BellTel, taking after the sellout of SanMiguel's telco assets. 

Globe Telecom committed to deploy around 4,500 multiband, multimode software defined radio base station equipment to 95 percent of total municipalities and urban communities in the country. 

The company is convinced that this will enhance overall customer experience in terms of speed and reliability of mobile services. Send topup load to the Philippines with TopupPH.

Source: http://northboundasia.com/2016/08/28/globe-telecom-fast-tracks-roll-lte-services/#.V8Tml99SrIV

PLDT – Globe to Acquire San Miguel’s Telco Assets

Massive industries Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) and Globe Telecom will mutually buy out the telecommunications assets of conglomerate San Miguel Corp. in an arrangement to cement their duopolistic hold on the local market in the midst of the growing clamor for better Internet services.

The plan is to launch a rival service this year to compete in the industry’s hottest segment—mobile high-speed internet—was made to face obstacles on all fronts in its offer to become a viable third telco player.

Inquirer sources with information of the arrangement said that PLDT, Globe and SMC have concurred in principle to what was required to be an exchange worth a little more than $1 billion. An agreement is scheduled to be signed between the transacting parties.

It is expected to be the greatest arrangement of its kind since PLDT reestablished the telco duopoly in 2011, when it obtained the Gokongwei family's Digital Telecommunications Philippines Inc. (Digitel), which works Sun Cellular. Digitel was the first to launch industry-changing unlimited texting and calling plans that influenced the bottom line of Globe and Smart. Send load to the Philippines thru TopupPH.

Officials from the companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Transactions between buyers Globe and PLDT and the seller SMC started not long after the last's foreign telecommunications partner Telstra Corp. Ltd. of Australia backed out of a proposed partnership in the midst of the opposition from local rivals as well as skeptics in Australia. Without a foreign partner, SMC would be unable to raise the debt component of the estimated $2-billion investment necessary for a startup telecommunications venture. This was because of the fact that banks that were part of the lending syndicate required the conglomerate to have a foreign technical partner as a precondition for the loan.

Related: Duterte:Improve internet services or face foreign competition

SMC's telco ventures were made years ago and are mostly held under unlisted Vega Telecom Inc., its yearly report appeared. Vega is the holding company for publicly traded Liberty Telecoms Holdings Inc., which holds a large portion of the 700MHz alongside High Frequency Telecommunications Inc., as well as Bell Telecommunication Philippines Inc. and Eastern Telecommunications Philippines Inc.

SMC's prized assets include its high-band frequencies important to address capacity and its coveted 700 Megahertz range, a type of low-band frequency noted for its capacity to cover wide spaces and penetrate walls at lower costs. It also owns physical assets like cell sites, which PLDT and Globe said remained hard to construct in view of bureaucratic red tape.

SMC claims the majority of the 700 MHz range (694 MHz to 790 MHz), before assigned for analog TV broadcasting before it was moved for telecommunications use as television moved to digital. SMC would have utilized this to cover the nation with a "better and cheaper" mobile Internet service.

So desired was the advantage that both PLDT and Globe a year ago launched a full-scale advertising effort asking the government to give them their fair share of the 700MHz. At the point when that did not work, both telcos in recent months floated the possibility of partnering with SMC.

With smartphone costs falling, clients are requesting more services and content that required data like movie and music streaming, instant texting and social media. Network upgrades have neglected to keep pace and PLDT and Globe have been evading overwhelming feedback for "slow and expensive" Internet services compared to the country’s regional peers.

With the impending transaction, PLDT and Globe, individually sponsored by Japan's NTT DoCoMo and Singapore Telecommunications, now have the necessary advantages for enhance and lower the assets of Internet in the Philippines and will no longer have a reason for their poor service, which has been subject of congressional inquiries.

The components that led to this event, underscored how troublesome it was for new players to enter the nation's telco sector. The Fitch Gathering's BMI Research said in a report a month ago that weak control in the country was a powerful disincentive for huge foreign player looking to compete here. In particular, BMI said both PLDT and Globe "used their market dominance and the ineffective regulatory regime to comprehensively block all avenues for the proposed joint venture (between SMC and Telstra of Australia), highlighting the risk of doing business in the Philippines’ telecoms market."

Source: http://business.inquirer.net/210696/smc-sells-telco-assets-to-pldt-globe

Duterte: Improve internet services or face foreign competition

The presumptive president Rodrigo Duterte has a warning to telecommunications companies (telcos) to provide faster Internet service or foreign investors will be allowed to do the job.

Opening the country for telcos competition would bring down prices and improve services, Duterte said

However, the incoming president, failed to say how he planned to do this, as the Constitution set a cap on foreigners owning a company to 40%.

It's a warning Duterte had consistently on what he called a cartel that controlled prices at the expense of consumers.

The country has one of the slowest Internet speeds in the world second to last in Asia, just better than the insurgency-ridden Afghanistan. Ironically, the service is also one of the world's most expensive, more than thrice the global average.

Recently, Australian telco Telstra was in transactions for a joint venture with San Miguel Corp. (SMC) but the arrangement failed to work out.

PLDT has promised to enhance services through a three-year system investment program.

"We support the call for faster Internet," Globe said in a statement. "In fact, Globe is at the forefront of building the much needed infrastructure nationwide to make Internet services easily accessible either through mobile or wireline. This is supported by heavy investments over the years to make sure the Philippines are at par with other countries in terms of technology use."

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Meanwhile, Globe Telecom, said it has been heavily investing in much needed Internet infrastructure.

"In terms of competition, Globe has long been a challenger brand having a long history of competing with a larger and more dominant market player. We welcome competition in a level playing field and under an environment that is supportive of business," according to a Globe statement.

Globe said it was also not threatened by rivalry from a bigger and more dominant market player.

The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), however, says the incoming Duterte administration should to do its part such as building more base stations and fiber optics.

The country needs infrastructure development especially in zones without network said Edgardo Cabarios of NTC.

Source: http://cnnphilippines.com/business/2016/05/23/Duterte-to-telcos-improve-Internet.html

5 Robbers Hit Birthday Party

Five unidentified robbers are currently the subject of police operation after they barged into a birthday party and stripped of the celebrant and attendees' personal belongings amounting up to around P760,000 in Parañaque City. 

Investigator PO3 Joel Romantico, of Parañaque City Police, said that a follow up operation is still on-going for the possible apprehension of four male robbers and a female companion after they intruded on the birthday party of Rosemarie Moreno, 52, of Unit 112-A Unified Countries St., Better Living Subdivision, Don Bosco, Parañaque.

Romantico also recognized other victims as Rosemarie's daughter Rochele Moreno, 26; Ruel Ocampo, 30; Jennylyn Ocampo, 29; Maryan Fuentes, 32; Elsie Renota, 56; Delia Renota, 38; Daisilyn Renota, 19; Ferlina Oteda, 36; Glenmark Agonia, 25; Jomark Manalo, 23; Arvin Alcantara 26; Macaria Euphoria Famisan, 35; Oliver Liwanag, 44; and "Liza" (not her genuine name), 14. 

Romantico revealed that around 5 p.m., Moreno was really busy celebrating her birthday inside her home together with 14 others when the incident happened. Rosemarie told the police that the five robbers, equipped with unknown caliber of firearms, literally gatecrashed in the party and instructed them to lie on the floor while the suspects gathered all with their gadgets, jewelries, bags, cash, IDs, ATM cards, and other valuables amounting to around P760,000.

Akala ng iba bisita rin sila kaya lang pagpasok ng pinto, naglabas ng baril tapos pinadapa na silang lahat (The other guests thought they were also part of the party however after entering, they pulled out firearms and instructed them to lie down)," said Romantico. Police said that Rosemarie's home was situated just close to the street, which made it effectively open to criminals. An insider at the Parañaque Criminal examination Division told the Manila Bulletin that the robbery lasted just 15 minutes. 

Romantico said that after the robbing incident, the five robbers quickly left the house.

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Source: http://www.mb.com.ph/robbers-hit-birthday-party-in-paranaque-divest-p760k/

No Party for Duterte’s 71 Birthday

Rather than arranging a sumptuous gathering for his family and companions, the birthday boy stayed at home and rest.

March 28, 2016, Presidential candidate and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte deviate from public's eye and choose to spend his 71st birthday privately with his family.

"There is no party and that has always been his way of celebrating his birthday," confirmed Christopher "Bong" Go, Duterte's executive assistant. "Today, he is at home, resting."

Go said Duterte enjoys private moments and rest days as a required break from the tight campaign schedule. 

He said Duterte is preparing for the fight ahead, with the campaign period drawing closer its final stretch. 

Duterte also told journalists he would spend the entire day of his birthday sleeping, in a recent interview.

"I will just be at home, sleeping. That has always been my celebration," he said.

Duterte's daughter Inday Sara Duterte-Carpio posted a photograph on Instagram of her dad and her son, Stingray. The boy celebrated his third birthday.

"#HappyBirthday Digong and Stingray. I wish you good health," she said.

The caption also talked about the celebrators' Zodiac sign -- Aries.

"Aries men are the boss. An Aries tends to be very competitive, but unlike some signs also has a strong sense of fair play - he wants to win for himself; to prove to the world he could do it - and isn't interested in deceit or cheating. He hates to be bossed around, or feel trapped," the caption read.

A week prior to his birthday, Duterte's supporters in Maasin City, Southern Leyte surprised him with a birthday song toward the end of his fight. They also gave him two birthday cakes.

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Source: http://cnnphilippines.com/news/2016/03/28/duterte-no-birthday-party.html