Eighty percent of Metro Manila now has 5G outdoor coverage, according to Ayala-owned operator Globe Telecom which upgraded 884 locations in the metropolis into 5G-ready sites.
“We continue to invest on our network so our customers get to experience the many promises and opportunities of the most advanced technologies like 5G. With our aggressive roll outs, our network is getting closer to making the whole of Metro Manila 5G ready. Ultimately, our goal is to make the 5G experience as pervasive as possible,” said Ernest Cu, Globe president and CEO.
Bonifacio Global City, Makati, and Ortigas Commercial Business Districts (CBDs) are nearing completion with coverage of 97%, 95% and 97% respectively.
San Juan (91%), Pateros (91%), Mandaluyong (86%), Makati (84%), Caloocan (84%), Manila (83%), Marikina (83%), Pasig (81%), and Quezon City are among the top nine cities with the most 5G outdoor coverage.
Globe said efforts are being made to boost further Globe’s 5G readiness in other key cities in the country such as Cebu and Davao. Modernization efforts in Cebu are currently at 61% coverage while Davao is with 60% coverage.
Globe has earmarked a capex of P70-billion for 2021, bulk of which is for network expansion in key locations across the country. This year, Globe is targeting to install 2,000 new cell towers and will increase its fiber rollouts to connect more Filipino homes.
According to Ookla, Globe’s regional mobile Consistency Score improved from the previous quarter in 16 out of 17 regions, registering increases as high as 10 PPTs (percentage points), with Consistency Scores ranging from 39% and 65% in Q4 2020. Ookla’s quarterly data shows that Globe’s overall Consistency Score in Q4 2020 improved to 60.82% from Q3’s 56.83%.
Mobile Consistency Score measures the number of incidences (viewed as a percentage) of a provider’s samples equal or exceeds both a download threshold of 5 Mbps and an upload threshold of 1 Mbps.
With the proliferation of more affordable 5G-enabled devices, Globe said it is encouraging its customers, especially those using the old 3G SIM cards to upgrade to 5G-ready 4G LTE SIM cards and 5G-enabled mobile devices to enjoy 5G connectivity.
The telco said SIM change is free at any Globe Stores and customers will retain their old number. For security reasons, customers are advised to upgrade their SIM at the Globe Store only.
