Globe Telecom Inc. said more than half of households in Dasmariñas Village in Makati City have no decent mobile coverage because of the continued resistance of some homeowners preventing the rollout of telco services in the area.
Globe said that based on a coverage map, only about 44 percent of the residents in the area were able to get good mobile signal, while the remaining 56 percent had no decent mobile coverage.
The company said residents in Dasmariñas who opposed the use of outdoor distributed antenna system were violating the rights of other residents. In June 2016, the UN Human Rights council declared that internet access is now a basic human right.
“These people who oppose ODAS in Dasmariñas should be considerate of other residents’ need for connectivity and reliable mobile services within their villages and allow telecommunication operators like Globe to improve mobile services with the installation of additional equipment and infrastructure such as ODAS, cell sites and fiber optic cables,” Globe said.
Globe said it acquired an approval from the Dasmariñas Village Association Inc. to use ODAS technology within the village in 2012. Globe said in April this year, it again obtained the consent to renew the operation of its ODAS network for a five-year period, but some residents continued to oppose the use of Globe Telecom’s ODAS network.
Globe said it filed a civil suit against a resident, claiming moral damages amounting to P5 million, exemplary damages of 500,000 plus attorneys’ fees.
“Globe can prove that the absence of ODAS in Dasmariñas contribute to slow internet and poor mobile experience of our customers in the village. However, it would be very difficult for Ms. Aw to prove that cell sites cause adverse health effects on humans because all health experts and the scientific community whether local or international have already agreed that the available data is non-conclusive,” Globe said.
