Mobile operator Globe Telecom said it expanded its LTE coverage across the country by deploying additional 934 LTE sites using the 700MHz, 2600 MHz, and 1800 MHz frequencies in the first quarter of the year including Jolo, Tawi-Tawi, and Batanes.
Joel Agustin, Globe SVP for program governance of the network technical group, revealed that the company intends to cover more areas with LTE to support the growing demand for mobile data by making full use of the spectrum assets currently assigned to Globe.
?We are expanding our deployment of LTE sites including the far flung areas like Jolo, Tawi-Tawi, and Batanes making our total sites now close to 11,300,? Agustin said.
Globe Telecom activated the 1800MHz and 700MHz frequency in Jolo, Tawi-Tawi, and Batanes enabling the residents there to have access to faster mobile Internet.
At the end of 2017, Globe said it was able to deploy a total of 10,300 LTE base stations following the company?s aggressive deployment of LTE sites using the 700MHz, 1800 MHz, and 2600 MHz band.
Using the 2600 MHz, Globe also fired up almost 200 massive MIMO sites. Massive MIMO technology enables a mobile network to multiply the capacity of a wireless connection without requiring more antennas. The technology thus increases wireless throughput, accommodating more users at higher data rates with better reliability while consuming less power.
Massive MIMO is also the fundamental radio access technology for 5G. The 5G network targets to have higher speeds, lower latency and better capacity, enabling higher density of mobile broadband users and supports device-to-device connectivity and massive machine communications.