Philippines-based Globe Telecom has announced plans to expand the network capacity of its 12,000 base stations and 6,500 cell sites, in order to meet the country’s increasing demand for both voice and data services.
The firm cited social networking’s increasing popularity in the Philippines as a major reason behind its decision to embark on network expansion.
In a statement, Globe announced that the improvements would encompass all product types for both prepaid and postpaid subscribers.
According to the Manila Bulletin, Globe’s board of directors had approved an undisclosed ‘significant amount’ to be put towards the telco’s expansion plans for this year. Globe’s capital expenditures hit $500 million last year.
“Data usage is expectedly much higher and this is true for [Metro Manila] and other regions across the country,” Globe Telecom CEO Ernest Cu said.
“We will continue to build up our network in light of increasing mobile broadband traffic to support our product superiority, better customer experience, and cost efficiency.”
The telco, a joint venture between Ayala Corporation and Singapore Telecommunications, currently has more than 25 million mobile customers and one million broadband customers. It reported revenues in excess of 10 billion pesos ($228.9 million) in Q3 of 2010.