If Globe’s timeline will be implemented, the Philippines could be among the first countries in the world that would adopt fifth-generation (5G) wireless technology service. The giant telecom network has formally announced plans to commercially launch the first ever 5G Globe At Home service by the middle of 2019.
The highly anticipated 5G network boasts of higher internet speeds, lower latency, and better capacity. Adoption of the technology would enable the company to deploy fixed wireless broadband to its customers at fiber speed.
“We have been preparing our network for some time now with our existing vendor partners, including Huawei Technologies,” said Globe President and CEO Ernest Cu. “Once again, we stay true to our commitment to bring first-world internet in the country.”
Easier deployment
5G technology would facilitate the use of Air Fiber technology in relation to deployment of fixed wireless broadband that would benefit individual customers at home and business clients alike. Cu explained that faster speeds ranging from 50 Mbps to 100 Mbps could be facilitated with the use of fixed location wireless radios instead of fiber.
This revolutionary technology is also set to enable Globe Telecom to go over the usually tedious approval process (often takes years to obtain) of deploying fiber optic cable services, which requires multiple permits from local government units (LGUs). Thus, 5G internet can easily be brought to more homes compared to fiber optic rollout.
Leading the way
Globe’s current network has among the biggest deployment of Massive MIMO (MM) in Asia as part of its strategic technology roadmap set in 2016. MM is the primary radio access technology required by 5G service.
In comparison, Globe’s fiercest rival, PLDT’s Smart Communications plans to commercially roll out its own 5G service in 2020. The company is also working with Huawei as it prepares to bring 5G technology to its own customers.
