Mobile operator Globe Telecom said its mobile data traffic reached 600 petabytes in 2017, which it said is “more than double” of the figures posted by rival Smart Communications based on recent disclosures filed at the PSE and SEC.
Globe said its mobile data traffic surged 66% from 361 petabytes registered in 2016. Smart’s mobile data traffic, meanwhile, reportedly reached 275 petabytes in 2017.
At the end of 2017, Globe claimed it had a total of 10,300 LTE base stations compared with Smart?s 8,700 base stations following the deployment of LTE sites using the 700 megahertz (MHz), 1800 MHz, and 2600 MHz band.
?Our LTE mobile data service is getting more pervasive, thus giving our customers a better quality of experience. With more reliable and faster mobile internet, our customers will truly enjoy their digital lifestyle. We intend to continue investing on LTE to meet the demands of our customers for streaming and always on digital services,? Globe president and CEO Ernest Cu said.
Globe said its LTE traffic alone jumped 88% in 2017 as more customers shift to an LTE SIM and used LTE-enabled handsets.
As a result, the company?s mobile data users as a percentage of its mobile customers increased to 56% from 46% a year earlier. This in turn supported the company?s mobile data revenues, reaching P43.1 billion in 2017, a 23% increase than the P35 billion reported a year ago.
Mobile data was also the biggest contributor to mobile business, accounting for 44% of total mobile service revenues.
Globe said it has improved Internet speeds for both mobile and wired Internet. Speedtest results for February this year showed that download and upload speed in the Philippines improved 26% and 15% year-on-year, respectively, for mobile while download and upload speed for fixed broadband improved 51% and 72% year-on-year, respectively.