PLDT, Globe Telecom launch 4G technology
Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. and Globe Telecom Inc. are raising competition to the next level as they both launched the 4G technology over the weekend.
“We are launching our LTE [long-term evolution], the real 4G, in Boracay [this week],” PLDT chairman Manuel Pangilinan said. LTE, which can operate in the 1.4 Mhz, 3 Mhz, 5 Mhz, 10 Mhz and 20 MHz bandwidths, is a high-performance air interface for cellular mobile technology.
He said the technology, which required “plenty of investments,” would be rolled out first in the island with business users as the initial beneficiaries.
Globe also announced the commercial rollout of its 4G mobile technology in Metro Manila and promised to offer subscribers high-speed mobile broadband access.
The rollout, with the first phase using the global standard HSPA+ or Evolved High-Speed Packet Access, will complement Globe Telecom’s existing 4G Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, or Wimax network.
“With our high-speed broadband rollout, Globe will continue to lead in customer experience by giving our subscribers better, faster and more reliable broadband connections on their phone, laptop, PC or tablet,” Globe president and chief executive Ernest Cu said in a statement over the weekend.
Globe has deployed the 4G mobile technology in Marikina, Quezon City, Makati, Pasay, Las Piñas, Taguig and Manila.
Globe expects to increase its 4G presence dramatically by the end of the year with continued expansion planned into 2012.
The company said it would announce shortly the availability of a suite of new multimedia services, 4G devices and offers to subscribers.
International Telecommunication Union has set 4G peak speed requirements for 4G service at 100 megabits per second for high mobility communication and 1 gigabit per second for low mobility communication.
Wimax, LTE and HSPA+ are three technologies capable of meeting the speed requirements set by the union.
The use of 4G technology for mobile telephony will provide consumers a comprehensive and secure all-Internet Protocol based mobile broadband solution to laptop computer wireless modems, smart phones and other mobile devices.
