Wednesday, June 10, 2009 | MANILA, PHILIPPINES
Corporate News
GLOBE TELECOM, Inc. is investing heavily on broadband, tapping the latest technology in a bid to have over 20 million users by 2012.
"Broadband service is a very capital-intensive investment but we are aggressive in propagating its usage in the country and our services are offered based on consumer lifestyle and usage rate," Globe Telecom consumer marketing head Menchi T. Orlina told reporters in a press briefing yesterday.
Globe has four types of broadband services — the traditional wireline Internet service, fixed wireless Internet service, WiMax or Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access and Globe "tattoo."
Globe WiMax is the first of its kind in the country, offering the fastest broadband service, she said. At present, the service is running at 2 megabits per second (mbps) and will improve as soon as the service has been fully implemented.
This new technology, she said, is a cost-efficient alternative to cable and DSL since it has an improved reach and can cover distances greater than those covered by other wireless technologies like Wi-Fi, CDMA or 3G.
WiMax subscribers have reached 4,000, composed mainly of "switchers" and "virgin-users," she said.
Globe tattoo, on the other hand, targets mobile Internet users and is ideal for "nomadic" consumers, she said. It has a speed of up to 2 mbps and is delivered via 3G and HSDPA or High-Speed Downlink Packet Access.
Still, wireline and wireless fixed Internet services remain the best option for business due to better connection stability and reliability.
"Our competitor is three years ahead of us, so we really need a lot of catch-up in the broadband segment," she added.
However, Globe Telecom is "the first in providing lifestyle options for customers through our more personal approach in our services," she added.
Based on the first-quarter figures disclosed by the top telcos, Philippine Long Distance Telephone (PLDT) Co. has more than a million broadband subscribers, Globe Telecom has 287,180, and Sun Cellular has more than 120,000.
Globe Telecom also said it would soon follow PLDT in launching "hyper-speed plans" via "fiber to the home" (FTTH) technology, which transmits data via light signals sent through hair-thin strands of pure glass.
FTTH allows simultaneously delivery of voice, video and data services at much higher speeds and larger capacities than DSL or cable technologies. — J. F. de Guzman
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