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Tag: globe

  • Globe commences Massive MIMO rollout

    Globe commences Massive MIMO rollout

    The Philippines’ Globe Telecom has commenced the commercial deployment of massive multiple input multiple output (MIMO) technology to improve the mobile connectivity experience in dense urban areas.

    The commercial deployment follows initial testing of the technology in the Makati financial district of Metro Manila. The testing demonstrated the ability of the technology to improve capacity up to six times compared to a regular site.

    Globe’s initial rollout will cover 150 cell sites, mostly in Southern Luzon and Northern Luzon, according to Joel Agustin, SVP for program governance at the operator’s Network Technical Group.

    “The use of massive MIMO technology is an important component of our goal to stay ahead of the demand curve for data capacity in densely populated and high-foot traffic areas,”  he said.

    Globe this month also became the first operator in the world to activate massive MIMO using two-carrier aggregation, the company said.

    The deployment makes use of Globe’s 2.6-GHz spectrum holdings. Globe acquired additional 2.6-GHz spectrum from last year’s joint purchase of San Miguel’s telecoms assets with rival PLDT.

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  • Philippines urged to bring in third telco

    Philippines urged to bring in third telco

    A Philippine think tank has urged the government to facilitate the entry of a third player into the nation’s telecoms market, but warned that a series of structural barriers will make this “extremely difficult” to achieve in the near future.

    The Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) has published a new reporton the competitive landscape of the nation’s telecoms sector, in light of the recent buyout of San Miguel corporation’s telecoms assets.

    The report found that the acquisition, which ensured the telecoms market was left with only two main players – PLDT and Globe Telecom – “brought a cloud of doubt as to the motives” behind the transactions.

    Report author senior research fellow Erlinda Medalla recommended there be at least three major players in the industry to promote competition.

    But she said challenges “arising from structural barriers, such as the cost of obtaining various permits and licenses, the cost of obtaining rights of way, the available spectrum or bandwidth, and the foreign equity limitation” will make this difficult.

    To address these challenges, Medalla called for liberalization, competition, and regulatory reforms on the part of the Philippine Competition Commission, telecoms regulator NTC and the telecoms ministry.

    While the PCC is currently challenging the legality of the San Miguel acquisition in court, Medalla said the acquisition is a “done deal”. She urged the government to instead concentrate on ensuring the transaction benefits customers, including by pressuring PLDT and Globe to “increase and widen their services.”

    But she also suggested that rules on future M&As be introduced that would mitigate potential anti-competitive impacts and ensuring that a dominant position arising from a merger produces gains for consumers.

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  • Globe Telecom picks Canvas for automation

    Globe Telecom picks Canvas for automation

    Globe Telecom in the Philippines has turned to Canvas to become the platform that integrates service functionalities and help Globe automate its office processes.

    This move is expected to reduce costs, increase operational efficiency, and further enhance the operator’s commitment to environmental protection and conservation.

    More importantly, this will enable Globe to take on a bigger role in providing digital services such as billing, logistics and customer service as well as opening more avenues for access to the Internet of Things (IoT) for its customers, the telco said.

    In the near-term, as it streamlines internal processes, Globe expects to save more than 1.5 million administrative hours company-wide each year by digitizing various processes such as customer relationship management, billing and other administrative services.

    As part of their partnership agreement, Globe also intends to make Canvas more widely available to its business customer base, building on the early high adoption among some of the Philippines leading companies. Globe’s business customers are already using Canvas to realize benefits for their own customers such as an increased level of customer care and reduced costs for services.

    “As an enterprise, the digital transformation we have undertaken is part of our continuing commitment to adopting efficient and viable IT solutions that will improve the experience of our employees and customers,” said Ernest Cu, president and CEO of Globe.

    “This strategic partnership with Canvas allows us to offer our millions of business customers in the Philippines a chance at a transformation of their own with similar productivity gains and green benefits.”

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  • PLDT, Globe complete SMC acquisition

    PLDT, Globe complete SMC acquisition

    PLDT and Globe have completed the final payment for their joint acquisition of conglomerate San Miguel Corporation’s telco assets, despite the ongoing court challenge from the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC).

    The final 13 billion peso payment of the 69.1 billion ($1.39 billion) acquisition fulfills the operators’ payment obligations under the acquisition agreement for valuable spectrum assets reached in May last year.

    But the agreement has been a contentious one for Filipino regulators, with the PCC currently petitioning the Supreme Court to lift an injunction blocking a planned review into the joint acquisition on competition grounds.

    The regulator had sought to stop the operators from completing the payment or closing the acquisition while the case is ongoing.

    PLDT and Globe officials both told that the payment is merely fulfilling the operators’ contractual obligations, with Globe asserting that the PCC’s call for the final payment to be postponed was a mere suggestion.

    The operators also plan to continue implementing their newly-acquired spectrum into their operations while the case is ongoing.

    In its petition to the court, the PCC had argued that allowing the operators to proceed with the acquisition will make it harder to unwind the acquisition if the court does find in its favor and the investigation proves that the merger violates competition law.

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  • Globe signs deal to link Palau to SEA-US cable

    Globe signs deal to link Palau to SEA-US cable

    The Philippines’ Globe Telecom and Indonesia’s Telin have signed agreements to  interconnect the Republic of Palau in Micronesia with the SEA-US cable.

    Globe and the Belau Submarine Cable Corporation (BSCC) have signed an agreement to interconnect a fiber spur under construction from Palau will be interconnected wit the SEA-US for onward transport to Guam.

    A similar agreement has been signed between representatives of Telin and the Federated States of Micronesia during a signing ceremony witnessed by Palau president Tommy Remengesau Jr.

    “We are excited about the commissioning of the SEA-US Cable because of its immense benefits to the Philippines. Additionally, we are proud to be able to provide the Republic of Palau with first world internet connectivity through this interconnection agreement,” Globe CEO Ernest Cu said.

    The interconnection agreements provide for five 100Gbps wavelengths between Palau and Guam, more than 1,000 times the current available capacity.

    “The submarine fiber network will be critical to so many aspects of our life in Palau, from healthcare to education, from social networking to business. With the BSCC network expected to be in service before the end of the year, Palau is on the move,” president Remengesau said.

    The $250 million SEA-US cable system will span 14,000km between California, Hawaii, Guam, the Philippines and Indoesia. Construction commenced on the cable in March 2015 and the system appears to be nearing completion.

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  • PLDT, Globe launch cut-price call packages

    PLDT, Globe launch cut-price call packages

    Philippines operators PLDT and Globe Telecom have both cut mobile voice rates to as low as 1 peso ($0.02) per minute, in response to slumping voice usage and a regulator-encouraged cut in mobile termination rates last year.

    Globe and PLDT’s wireless division Smart have both introduced add-on packages for mobile subscribers offering a set allocation of calls for low rates.

    Globe has introduced an add-on pack for its higher-tier postpaid customers that costs 299 pesos for 300 minutes of calls to any network.

    Prepaid customers will be able to take advantage of a GoCall50 add-on pack providing 50 minutes of calls to any network valid for three days, while subscribers to Globe’s TM service can pay 5 pesos for 5 minutes of calls to any network for a day.

    Smart has meanwhile introduced a Call 50 promo providing 50 minutes of calls to any network valid for three days.

    Late last year, Globe and PLDT both agreed to cut voice interconnection rates by 16.7% to 4 pesos per minute for mobile calls and by 38% to 4 pesos per minute for mobile calls, in response to encouragement from regulator NTC. As part of the agreement to cut the mobile termination rate, the operators also committed to reduce rates for customers over time.

    Both operators have also been facing the common industry issue of subscribers continuing to substitute traditional voice calls with OTT messaging and VoIP usage, which has been contributing to a decline in voice revenue.

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  • Globe taps NuRAN for rural broadband trial

    Globe taps NuRAN for rural broadband trial

    The Philippines’ Globe Telecom has selected Canadian wireless broadband provider NuRAN Wireless to conduct the next phase of its trial rural connectivity program.

    Globe will use NuRAN’s equipment within 50 sites at various villages in across the Philippines. These sites will use NuRAN’s LiteCell 1.5 base stations, connected using a de-centralized GSM network topology.

    Globe will also be able to make use of the ecently-announced NuRAN Open Access (NOA) software suite, which includes the Community Cellular Manager (CCM) solution.

    Globe will be able to use this software to manage prepaid charging and forge business partnerships with local and regional organizations, NuRAN said.

    The agreement marks the next stage of a trial that commenced with the deployment of the same equipment at two sites in the Philippines in the fourth quarter of last year.

    During the same period, Globe also worked with NuRAN on a trial involving using TV white space spectrum with wireless backhaul. Both initiative form part of Globe’s goal of improving connectivity for remote or underserved regions of the Philippines.

    “We are proud to be partnering with Globe Telecom on this important initiative. The Philippines is an important market for NuRAN with a large rural and remote population desperate for connectivity,” NuRAN Wireless CEO Martin Bedard said.

    “This deployment further strengthens our relationship with Globe Telecom, the number one mobile brand in the Philippines.”

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  • Globe launches 4CC LTE-A

    Globe launches 4CC LTE-A

    The Philippines’ Globe Telecom announced it has become the first operator in the nation to implement 4-component-carrier aggregation LTE-Advanced using the 2600-MHz band.

    The upgrade effectively doubles LTE capacity in areas covered by the deployment, the company said, and will be capable of generating speeds of up to 400 Mpbs once compatible devices hit the market.

    So far Globe has implemented the upgrade at 110 sites mostly in Metro Manila, including most areas in Makati and certain areas in Quezon City, Marikina, Antipolo, and San Mateo.

    The operator aims to deploy the technology in more than 500 sites this year across more of Metro Manila as well as key areas of North Luzon and South Luzon.

    Globe is using its new 2600-MHz band spectrum allocation acquired through its joint purchase with rival PLDT of conglomerate San Miguel Corporation’s telecommunications assets last year.

    Since acquiring the spectrum, the company has also deployed around 1,200 2600-MHz LTE sites mostly in Visayas and Mindanao.

    “This is the first time that a telco operator in the Philippines is making use of this 4-component carrier spectrum LTE-Advanced technology and we are maximizing the potential of the new spectrum assigned to us for the benefit of our customers,” Globe SVP for program governance Joel Agustin said.

    “This technology milestone significantly improves customer experience as smartphone penetration in the country continues to increase.”

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  • Ant Financial invests in Globe Telecom’s Mynt

    Ant Financial invests in Globe Telecom’s Mynt

    Alibaba’s Ant Financial is making its first foray into the Philippines via partnership with Ayala and an investment into Globe Telecom’s Fintech business unit Mynt.

    The fresh capital infusion will help Mynt achieve its vision of becoming a world-class online and offline payment provider as well as scale up its mobile wallet services and quickly expand its digital financial services.

    Mynt is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Globe Capital Venture Holdings (GCVHI) under Globe Telecom. Upon closing of the transaction, Ant Financial will own a substantial minority interest in Mynt, while Ayala Corp will acquire a minority interest. GCVHI will hold the remaining equity interest.

    Ernest Cu, Globe President and Chief Executive Officer, Ernest Cu said the capital infusion from will help position Mynt to democratize financial services in the Philippines.

    Mynt is pioneering mobile and digital initiatives that provide financial services that previously were not available to most Filipinos. It is currently the biggest mobile money base in the Philippines with over 3 million registered customers and 1 billion pesos ($19.9 million) worth of transactions per week.

    Mynt claims to be the only company in the country that serves as a one-stop shop for Fintech services for consumers, merchants, and organizations through GCash and Fuse Lending.

    Mynt operates GCash and Fuse Lending. GCash is a micropayment service used to buy prepaid load, pay bills, send money, make donations, shop online, and purchase goods without the need for cash.

    Fuse Lending offers personal and business loans to unbanked and underserved Filipinos through the use of mobile technology, alternative data, as well as innovative credit scoring methods.

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  • Globe sets 2017 capex budget at $750m

    Globe sets 2017 capex budget at $750m

    The Philippines’ Globe Telecom has allocated a capex budget for 2017 of around $750 million as the operator invests to expand its data network.

    The operator will spend the majority of its capex budget for the year on data network expansion, including investing towards its target of providing ultra-fast fiber broadband to 2 million homes by 2020.

    Globe also plans to take advantage of the spectrum it acquired from the joint purchase of San Miguel Corporation’s telecoms assets last year by investing heavily in LTE.

    But the $750 million figure marks a significant planned reduction from the operator’s roughly $1 billion in capital expenditures last year.

    The report cites Globe CEO Ernest Cu as stating that the reduction marks a rebalancing from 2016, when the company needed to borrow money to fund its network spending.

    Cu told BusinessWorld Online that the operator’s priority with its capital investments will be revenue generation, which the company plans to achieve by focusing on high-value customers in order to improve ARPU.

    This will be important in light of the agreement Globe and rival PLDT signed with the government late last year to reduce their fixed and mobile voice interconnection rates.

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  • PLDT, Globe agree to cut interconnection rates

    PLDT, Globe agree to cut interconnection rates

    The Philippines’ two major telecom operators – PLDT and Globe Telecom – have agreed to reduce their voice interconnection rates to bring down the price of domestic mobile and fixed line calls in the country.

    Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Rodolfo Salalima and National Telecommunications Commissioner (NTC) Gamaliel Cordoba witnessed the signing of the memorandum of agreement.

    The NTC said the decision to lower interconnection rates is in line with efforts to reduce communications costs, maintain and foster fair competition in the telecommunications industry as well as to make mobile voice service more affordable to the public.

    Under the agreement, the two companies committed to taking steps to lower retail rates for voice and to maintain a grade of service (GOS) in interconnection. This means ensuring that there is sufficient telecommunications circuits or routes for efficient transmission of calls.

    “We are confident that a reduction in the cost of interconnection for voice calls will eventually redound to a more robust economy, providing our customers with an affordable and easily accessible way of communication,” Globe chief technology and information officer Gil Genio said.

    The reduction of interconnection rates, however, will not affect international calls.

    The NTC has earlier issued a memorandum circular mandating a 38% reduction in the interconnection rate between the two networks, which should take effect not later than January 1.

    “We are supporting government’s efforts to bring down the cost of telecom services in the country. This agreement will translate in different ways to more affordable voice call rates for our subscribers,” PLDT director and head of regulatory affairs and policy office Ray C. Espinosa said.

    The interconnection rate for voice calls between the telco firms will be reduced to 2.5 pesos ($0.12) per minute across-the-board starting January 1, 2017. At present, mobile to mobile and landline to mobile voice calls cost 4 pesos per minute while mobile to landline voice calls cost 3 pesos per minute.

    PLDT Chief Revenue Officer Eric Alberto added that improving voice services will provide customers more options to connect with their family and friends, at home or on the go.

    The memorandum of understanding will serve as a guide to amending previous interconnection agreements.

    Earlier, the two telecommunication companies called on the government to streamline government policies and regulations to speed up the deployment of broadband infrastructure in the country.

    “We are calling for a national consensus to harmonize policies and regulations in support of building digital data infrastructure. We also hope to deepen understanding of our people, at the community level, how vital telecoms infrastructure are to our lives. When these facilities are damaged or stolen, this harms our welfare as surely as when roads and bridges are washed away,” said PLDT and Smart Communications Senior Vice President for Network Services Mario G. Tamayo in a speech at a summit hosted by the DICT.

    In anticipation of the continued growth of data traffic and digital services in the country, PLDT said it plans to increase the capacity of its data infrastructure by ten times come 2020.

    For 2016 alone, PLDT has allocated 48 billion pesos ($963.5 million) capital expenditure to fortify and expand its fixed and wireless networks, including the utilization of its recently acquired 700-MHz spectrum.

    Meanwhile, Globe Telecom emphasized the need for more cell sites in the country taking into account dramatic rise in mobile data demand. Genio pointed out the company’s quarterly data traffic increased exponentially to 98 petabytes in the third quarter of the year from only 9 petabytes in the first quarter of 2013 amid growing customer propensity for multi-media content.

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  • Globe deploys Amdocs’ Revenue Guard

    Globe deploys Amdocs’ Revenue Guard

    The Philippines’ Globe Telecom will deploy a revenue assurance platform from Amdocs to help minimize revenue leakage risks.

    Globe has selected the Amdocs Revenue Guard service, which provides automated and analytics-driven revenue assurance.

    The service uses technology developed by cVidya, which Amdocs acquired for $30 million earlier this year. It combines revenue assurance and fraud management software tools with professional services including risk analysis consulting, business analytics, training and IT operations.

    Globe will use the service across its line of business, and plans to take advantage of the consulting and training services provided.

    Revenue Guard can be deployed on-premise or as a cloud services under a variety of operating models, including SaaS, revenue share and KPI models.

    “The entry of a company of Amdocs’ magnitude to the revenue assurance space with its acquisition of cVidya is yet another proof of the increased importance of this domain for the industry as the world becomes increasingly digital,” Globe CFO Rizza Maniego-Eala commented.

    “By integrating the Amdocs Revenue Guard service into our data lake, we will be able to centrally analyze and effectively share data across the different parts of our business, optimizing revenue while keeping operational costs to the absolute minimum. We see this as an additional milestone in our transformation to become a digital service provider.”

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  • Globe Telecom to secure controlling stake in Taodharma

    Globe Telecom to secure controlling stake in Taodharma

    Globe Telecom Inc is securing a controlling stake in Taodharma Inc, a unit of holding company Tao, all partners of Australia-based phone retail store Allphones. The Ayala-led telco disclosed its board of directors approved over the weekend the firm’s increase in stake in Taodharma from 25 per cent to 67 per cent.

    “Accordingly, the change of our stake in Taodharma shall be reflected in the pertinent regulatory reports,” Globe Telecom said in its statement. Taodharma does buying, selling, distributing, marketing all kinds of goods, including mobile communication devices and accessories.

    It is also engaged in establishing, operating and maintaining retail stores in the Philippines that sell telecommunications or internet-related services, gadgets and devices.

    Globe Telecom partnered with Allphones Australia, and Taodharma’s parent firm Tao Corp in 2014 to boost its postpaid customer base by expanding its sales distribution channels. This gave birth to Allphones Philippines, a national reseller of mobile phone solutions across multiple carriers.

    Tao Corp is a community of companies in the Philippines focused on supply-chain services related to health & wellness, distribution and marketing, resources, and financial services.

    Allphones claims to be the largest specialist multi-carrier mobile telecommunications retailer in Australia having over 170 retail outlets. Australia Philippines currently has 46 retail outlets.

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  • Globe’s Fintech Subsidiary Mynt Selects Amdocs to Power its Casa Service

    Globe’s Fintech Subsidiary Mynt Selects Amdocs to Power its Casa Service

    Amdocs, the leading provider of customer experience solutions, today announced that Mynt, Globe Telecom’s fintech subsidiary, has selected the Amdocs Mobile Financial Services solution to power Casa – a new service that will enable Mynt to offer retailers a cloud-based, financial-grade, white-label digital money fintech platform, providing retailers with the means to offer a wide range of financial services and generate a new revenue stream.

    The Mynt Casa service, which will be powered by the Amdocs Mobile Financial Services solution, will enable retailers to offer bill payments, money transfers, closed-loop merchant payment solutions and loyalty program management. In addition, a card management feature will support them in issuing a closed-loop companion prepaid card to any customer, even if they do not hold a bank account. Cards will be linked to the user’s mobile wallet account, allowing them to pay for purchases at retail and online stores.

    The Amdocs solution will be deployed on Amazon’s public cloud. Based on a multi-tenant system, it will enable retailers in different locations to be hosted as separate tenants on a centralized platform, wholly managed by Amdocs. Under a five-year software as a service (SaaS) agreement, Amdocs will assume complete responsibility for development, deployment, operation and maintenance of the Amdocs solution via a revenue-sharing model with Mynt.

    “Retailers in emerging markets such as the Philippines need their own e-money solution that allows them to offer financial services such as point-of-sale payments, using cashless methods such as mobile wallets, payment cards and loyalty points,” said JM Aujero, chief sales officer at Mynt. “With Casa’s easy-to-use cloud-based platform, we will be able to provide for this need in a way that is tailored to each individual retailer. At the same time, it will enable them to offer wider financial services, such as third-party bill payments and money transfers without having to invest in new infrastructure deployment and operations.”

    “The ability for retailers and merchants to offer their own financial services solutions is a huge opportunity for mobile financial services providers to drive usage and adoption,” said Patrick McGrory
    , president for Amdocs’ emerging offerings. “Casa, powered by Amdocs’ cloud-based solution, provides superior, retail-specific capabilities, combined with a time-to-market advantage that will enable Mynt to quickly roll out services to its retail partners across the Philippines.”

    Amdocs also separately announced the availability of its Mobile Financial Services Card Management System (CMS). CMS supports any service provider in issuing both closed loop and open loop prepaid and debit cards to their customers, even to those who have no bank account. The card can be linked to a consumer’s mobile wallet with a stored value and/or loyalty point account as the source of funds. They can use the card to pay for purchases at a retail point of sale terminal, withdraw cash from an ATM, or for online shopping.

     

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  • Globe Telecom expands Cartoon Network app in Philippines

    Globe Telecom expands Cartoon Network app in Philippines

    Globe Telecom in the Philippines is providing a major enhancement to its Cartoon Network Watch and Play app, allowing customers to livestream Cartoon Network and on-demand content via a new authenticated service.

    Globe customers will soon be able to log in to the free app using their username and password to unlock an array of value-added services, which includes livestreaming the channel on devices, games and access to full episodes on demand.

    In addition, Cartoon Network Anything – a micro-network that presents short-form content – is now offered as part of the Globe app bundle.

    “This partnership creates a truly unique and enjoyable second-screen brand experience for kids to enjoy and for parents to trust,” said Phil Nelson, Turner’s managing director in Southeast Asia.

    Both apps let kids enjoy their favorite characters and shows whenever. Fueling their imagination, they allow them to be a hero with Ben 10 and the Omnitrix, rule the Candy Kingdom with Princess Bubblegum, flip out with The Powerpuff Girls, or embark on mathematical adventures with Finn and Jake whenever they want.

    “Together with Turner, we are able to give our customers a more wonderful digital entertainment experience on mobile,” said Dan Horan, Globe senior advisor for consumer business.

    Dedicated data usage for the apps will be offset via a data wallet system, available via users’ subscription plans, meaning they won’t have to worry about eating into their monthly allowance.

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