PARIS, FRANCE - Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) and Globe Telecom (PSE: GLO) have today signed a confirmation of award for the transformation of wireless network infrastructure in the Philippine regions of Visayas and Mindanao, upgrading it from WiMax to LTE-TDD and LTE-FDD ultra-broadband access technologies.
The LTE infrastructure is part of Globe Telecom’s continuing network expansion to enable advanced technologies for better broadband service experience. This will provide higher network capacity, plus faster transmission speeds, addressing ever-increasing demand for broadband service with higher bandwidth in a country of more than 105 million mobile subscribers.
The signing of the confirmation of award was done during the Philippines official state visit to France. President Benigno Simeon Aquino, III of the Philippines and President François Hollande of France witnessed the signing in a ceremonial event at the Élysée Palace, the official residence of the French president.
Key Facts:
- Globe Telecom is the second largest telecommunications provider in the Philippines, with 45 million customers.
- There are more than 105 million mobile broadband subscribers in the country, a number that has been growing by 10 percent each year, leading to ever-increasing demand for bandwidth, speed and capacity.
- Globe will deploy Alcatel-Lucent’s LTE Radio Access Network (RAN) which is aimed at bringing ultra-broadband Internet access to a geographically diverse area comprised of 7,107 islands.
- Alcatel-Lucent will transform the existing Globe WiMax network to state-of-the-art LTE–TDD and LTE-FDD technology to help meet the ever-increasing demand for high speed mobile Internet access in the Visayas and Mindanao regions of the Philippines.
- The LTE RAN technology equipment will be activated in approximately 1,200 sites, along with a converged Network Management System (NMS) to manage and control network equipment on an end-to-end basis from Access to the Core.
- Alcatel-Lucent also is providing Globe Telecom with a set of professional services to include engineering, installation, integration, and project management services.
Quotes:
Ernest L. Cu, president and CEO of Globe Telecom, said: “The rollout of LTE technologies will provide increased internet and fixed/wireless broadband capacity and better broadband experience for our customers in the Visayas and Mindanao regions. This is particularly significant for the Visayas region which is still recovering from last year’s severe typhoon. This project also supports the Philippine government’s thrust to expand the reach of broadband internet services which has been emphasized as an area for national improvement.”
Michel Combes, CEO of Alcatel-Lucent, said: “This project not only highlights how our LTE-TDD technology is expanding, but also continues the strong momentum of mobile ultra-broadband access in the Asia-Pacific region. As a key provider of infrastructure for some of the largest LTE network deployments in the world, Alcatel-Lucent’s support for Globe Telecom’s network expansion program is a further milestone in our growing global leadership in mobile ultra-broadband access.”
