Globe Telecom Inc. on Monday said its multi-billion dollar investments have improved its services, but challenges remain due to  long drawn permitting process that hampered the construction of cell sites nationwide. 

“We heed the call of the President to improve telco services,“ Yolanda Crisanto, Globe vice president for corporate communications said. 

According to Crisanto, service performance and increased consumer demand for data are the key reasons why the company has  been investing billions of dollars to upgrade and improve the company’s network.  

“This year Globe has earmarked $1.2 billion  in capex, majority of which goes to network and capacity builds.  These substantial investments are paying off as we experience marked service improvements, she said. 

“Today, the Globe network is running at  4G/LTE.  Last year, we launched 5G for Globe At Home and soon we will be launching mobile 5G services in the country. Globally, we are being cited for having improved internet experience,” Crisanto added. 

Only recently, independent mobile analytics Open Signal ranked the Philippines as the 4th most improved country in mobile video experience.  The ranking was included in its State of Mobile Network Experience in 2020 report.

“Although we have seen marked improvements, the industry is not without its challenges,” Crisanto said, adding that the long drawn permitting process across Local Government Unit,  Home Owners Associations,  and national agencies including the Department of Health and Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines have hampered cell site builds and laying down of fiber to homes. 

“We express our optimism that the recently signed Joint Memorandum Circular 01s.2020 spearheaded by the DICT with other national agencies to fast track builds of telco towers will finally lead the way to a more robust connectivity in the country and provide internet services to every Filipino,” she added.